TR2/3/3A TR3 steering box rebuild

[Adrio]

First I want to let you all know that I was able to take the steering box of a TR3 apart without removing the front apron. It was a bit of a challenge but (given my car at least) less work then removing and reinstalling the apron. What I did was remove the box as per the manual but of course it only goes as far forward as the apron. In the space between the normal box position and the apron I was able to rotate the box so as to remove the drop arm (thanks so much for the forum traveling pitman arm puller - it is ready for the next person in need), then rotate it again to remove the cover and then the rocker shaft assembly.

This brings me to my question for the group. How hard should it be to remove the peg in the rocker shaft. When I got my assembly out the peg just fell out. On looking at the peg it did not have the two sides worn look that I have seen on pictures posted by Don. Rather it looked to be worn all around as if it was rotating all the time.

I have a second steering box and that one has the peg so well attached I can't press it out with a tie rod end remover. It seem to be shinny on two sides but not worn. I don't know if I should use it as is to replace the one with the spinning peg or should I try to rotate the peg 90 degrees anyway. If so how do I press out the peg?

Cheers,
Adrio

 

[Geo Hahn]

Congratulations on pulling a Houdini with that box -- well done.

I, for one, would like to see a picture of this puller if you have a chance before sending it to its next user. Thanks!

 

[tdskip]

Wow - that is a trick Adrio. Nice going.

 

[Don Elliott]

The Pitman arm puller looks like this. It has helped 4 of us TR3A owners to date. Tennesee to Minnesota to Quebec to Ontario. Next to West Virginia ?

Adrio - I asked my neighbour to press out the tapered pin (peg). He has a 20 ton hydraulic jack that he has mounted in a stand-up rig he built from "I" beams and angle iron. Once the peg was out we rotated it 90 degrees and he pressed it in using the same press. Can you press yours out using your vice. I tried something like that once and broke the cast-iron casting of the vice, so I had to buy a new one.

If you're not in a rush, send me the good one and I'll get him to rotate it 90 degrees for you.

 

[Adrio]

Thanks for the offer Don. The amount of "wear" on my good one is next to none. I will send you a picture (or post it here) to get your opinion if it even needs to be rotated. It is nowhere near the visible wear on the picture you sent me of yours before you turned it. If my odometer is correct there are only 34,000 miles and the car that box came from was taken off the road in 1972 and there was no rust in it but there was oil in it, but not much, today when I opened it.

I still can't figure out why the "bad" one was so loose.

I had so much play in the steering (about an inch or a bit more at the steering wheel) I expected to find a part with a big neon sign saying "I am the reason your steering was so loose" but instead so far all I have found is a bunch of little parts that say "I may be partly to blame but you can't be sure". I just hope they all add up to the play I had and that I am not doing all this for nothing. Looking at how little the peg on the rocker shaft assembly moves for a big movement of the road wheels maybe it only takes all those little ones to make up my problem.

As to the Houdini, it was not that hard, and I think for what I had to do I would not bother removing the apron even on a car that was "easy" to do so. I had to move the horizontal surface that the hand start crank support is attached to up a dew inches to move the steering box into that space. Once that was done it was a case of taking the puller to the drop arm (and it took some force on the puller bolt - in fact I used the impact wrench). Leave the big nut on there because when it let go it went with a bang. After that is is real simple case of turning to get access to what you need to get access to.

Adrio