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Steering column steady brace and scuttle shake?

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steveg

steveg

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A friend realized he was missing this and made one from hardware store flat steel.

He reports it has reduced shake and play in his steering. Lack of this brace might be a contributing factor in the infamous scuttle shake.

Dimension is 11-7/16" on outside of bends.

Refer to Moss "Front Body Fittings 100-6, 3000" page, item# 200

screenshot.2079.jpg
 
I have that piece in my BJ8 and still had scuttle shake. If scuttle shake exists and the piece is missing, the steering column would vibrate more, for sure. What fixed the shake for me was:
1. Having Allen Hendrix true and balance all my tires and wheels.
2. Taking advantage of having the engine out for rebuild and incorporating the "Bill Bolton" mod to the firewall structure surrounding the opening for the gearbox bellhousing. This involves welding 3/4" angle iron around the opening with angle iron gussets in the upper corners, and welding the sheet metal seams in the firewall continuously (to replace the stitch welds that are intermittent). This mod is not visible with the engine and gearbox installed, and I have zero scuttle shake now at any speed.
 
More regarding Steve’s #2 comment above:

I learned a lot about scuttle shake when I disassembled my car prior to sending it off for restoration. I learned even more when I did some of the structural welding. When the chassis is sitting bare on the floor, you can really see where scuttle shake comes from. The scuttle is actually the front bulkhead, which is made up of lots of pressings, triangulations, braces, hinge pillars, etc. The bulkhead is connected to the main frame sections and sills in only a few spots, and over time those spots (and of course any of the other key components like sills) can rust and weaken. The rigidity of the bulkhead is lost, and then things like out-of-round wheels or potholes in the road telegraph through the structure and make the scuttle wobble. Again, when you see the complete structural system before you, it is pretty clear where scuttle shake comes from.

In my case, a complete professional restoration resolved scuttle shake on my car. It is very tight, which is not a term I ever thought I would use in reference to a Healey. It is good to know from Steve’s comments that there are remedies short of a complete restoration. But I imagine Steve’s car was already in good condition. The entire system needs to be extremely sound or you will get scuttle shake. And yes, get good wheels from Hendrix!
 
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