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If the shortest assembly time dictates the best method of installing the drivers side steering rack boot on a TR-6, then I’d like to suggest the following…
A number of you responded yesterday to your own methods and from these, and my own conclusions, I came to the following: 1) it’s near impossible to put the boot on without some assistance and, 2) pre-stretching seemed to be the assistance needed.
For stretching purposes, I landed on an empty half bottle of wine (375 ml vs. 750 ml) with a 2 ½” diameter at the widest point. These are fairly cheap, and if considering them as a “tool” well then the wine is free. Olive oil bottles might also work but the upper shape of the bottle needs to be gradually tapered (commonly found in white wine “chardonnay style”) vs. red wine which has a more abrupt, less tapered shoulder. The gradual taper is important because it makes it easier when pulling the boot over the bottle until stretched to the maximum. I don’t know if it helped or not, but I left the boot stretched over the bottle overnight.
Today, prepared for another Battle of the Boot, I took the bottle with the boot still attached out to the car, and before removing it from the bottle heated it evenly with a heat gun (hair dryer would work) for about a minute. I quickly removed the heated and stretched boot from the bottle and placed it over the tie-rod end, and with some forward pressure gave it no more than half a turn over the end of the steering rack. Voila! Done! Once removed from the bottle I’d say the boot was mounted and ready for a hose clamp within fifteen seconds.
Seeing as how I spent over an hour on this last night I’d say I found an acceptable solution.
Thanks to all for their suggestions. I hope this helps the next guy.
A number of you responded yesterday to your own methods and from these, and my own conclusions, I came to the following: 1) it’s near impossible to put the boot on without some assistance and, 2) pre-stretching seemed to be the assistance needed.
For stretching purposes, I landed on an empty half bottle of wine (375 ml vs. 750 ml) with a 2 ½” diameter at the widest point. These are fairly cheap, and if considering them as a “tool” well then the wine is free. Olive oil bottles might also work but the upper shape of the bottle needs to be gradually tapered (commonly found in white wine “chardonnay style”) vs. red wine which has a more abrupt, less tapered shoulder. The gradual taper is important because it makes it easier when pulling the boot over the bottle until stretched to the maximum. I don’t know if it helped or not, but I left the boot stretched over the bottle overnight.
Today, prepared for another Battle of the Boot, I took the bottle with the boot still attached out to the car, and before removing it from the bottle heated it evenly with a heat gun (hair dryer would work) for about a minute. I quickly removed the heated and stretched boot from the bottle and placed it over the tie-rod end, and with some forward pressure gave it no more than half a turn over the end of the steering rack. Voila! Done! Once removed from the bottle I’d say the boot was mounted and ready for a hose clamp within fifteen seconds.
Seeing as how I spent over an hour on this last night I’d say I found an acceptable solution.
Thanks to all for their suggestions. I hope this helps the next guy.
