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TR2/3/3A TR3 steering box

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tinman58

tinman58

Jedi Knight
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My beautiful wife drove the TR on Sunday and loved the feel of a true driving car. But she would like power brakes, power steering and a radio. The steering does wander and you do need to work the steering. The steering box is origanal and leaks like crazy too. So tonight I pulled it out and have read the instructions from Macys garage. Not to complacted. Has any body have thoughts on doing a rebuild myself or is it better to ship it off and have them do the rebuild?
DAN
 
You can do it. I did mine, and that means you can do yours.

Here's the deal sweetener: I have the good tool for popping the drop arm off of it. It's the only special tool required. (Well, it's nice to have an arbor press too...) It was sent to me by another BCFer on the condition that I would pass it on to the "next guy." You're next. PM me your address and it will arrive. Then, the next time one of these steering box threads catches your eye, it's your turn to send it on.

Also... If you hit a snag somewhere in the rebuild process, I'll do my best to tell you what I did. After you've done yours, you'll have to do that kind of stuff too.

Pay it forward!
 
Thank You Moseso,
But I have a guy that has just about everything that I should need. Tha weather here is in the low 70's so I want to get the TR on the road as soon as possible,
Dan
 
Do it yourself, Dan, it's easy.

Be sure to check out the rest of the system for any problems, especially the pivots between the center link and the Pitman/idler arms. TRF is selling an upgrade kit for those pivots that looks like a good idea to me. (I've been running a similar upgrade for many years, but mine was brass and over twice the price.)

However, I feel that to do it properly, you need another special tool. To get the end float just right, you need a dial indicator and magnetic mount. Last time I tried doing it "by feel", I wound up off by .004" which isn't huge but is enough to cause extra slop.

Also note that the workshop manual says to loosen the front wheel bearings by 1.5 to 2.0 flats; but later owner's manuals say 0.5 flat. The larger clearance will also increase steering wander.

Just curious, do you live in a suburb of LA, or between Oakland and Stockton? They're both called Brentwood ...
 
I am up in the oakland stoskton area. I don't even know who O.J. Simpson is, or anything about a white bronco.
Dan
 
Ah, well then I won't offer to come over and help
grin.gif
 
Well dang, tinman! How am I going to get rid of this thing? Glad you've got good local access to a friend with tools. I'll just have to keep watching, I guess...

And Randall -- I didn't think a dial indicator w/ mag base was a "special tool." Doesn't everybody have one of those???
 
Moseso said:
I didn't think a dial indicator w/ mag base was a "special tool." Doesn't everybody have one of those???
Click to expand...
Believe it or not, some people don't. Just like some people don't have Pitman arm pullers
grin.gif


Come to think of it, there is another way that would probably work just as well (or even better); I should have thought of it before. Remove all the shims and do a trial assembly with the bolts just finger tight. Adjust as necessary to get the gap the same all around (measured with feeler gauges), then install shims equal to or just slightly less than the measured gap. I'll try that if I ever happen to tackle one again (which doesn't seem likely at this point).
 
Moseso - Would you take some photos of that tool and show them here. I have never been able to get the drop arm (pitman arm) off the bottom of my steering box. Even when it was out the car and on the bench. I might be able to make one like the one you have written about. Or depending on its weight and the mailing charge, I might like to take you up on your offer.

I don't have real a problem right now because for the last 15 years, I've had a spring-loaded peg in the top cover but I know I have some wear on the tapered flanks of the pin (180,000 miles from new) that sits down in the worm and I'd like to correct that.
 
sp53 said:
Does anyone know a good way to get the inner brass bushing out of the steering column body?
Click to expand...

I used a hydraulic press to remove the bushing.
 
sp53 said:
Does anyone know a good way to get the inner brass bushing out of the steering column body?
Click to expand...
I just used some threaded rod & flat washers, plus maybe a big socket for the bushing to come out into. Similar to what Mike Macy shows.
 
Haven't pulled one of these, but the threaded rod/socket method has worked well for me - especially for the bushes in the lower suspension arms.

Randy
 
sp53 said:
Does anyone know a good way to get the inner brass bushing out of the steering column body?
Click to expand...
I used an arbor press. The hole that the driver (deep wrench socket) has to go through is the same diameter as the I.D. of the bush. Triumph made a slot in the casting that allows one to place a thick washer of a larger diameter on top of the bush. The wrench socket presses on the washer which presses out the bush.

Don --
This is the amazing tinkerman & moseso approved BCF puller. I will gladly ship it, and the awesome responsibility to pass it on to the next guy, to you. PM your address. and it will arrive.
 

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Don,

If you are going to fabricate one of those, the measurements would be be greatly appreciated by me (and I assume maney others). My car is in storage for the winter but I would not mind building the tool over the winter for use when I get to the car in spring. A full front end rebuild is in need as it was last done the year before I was married and my oldest kid is now in university.
 
Here on the west coast of the USA, you can borrow the tool for free at any Kragen auto parts store. In effect, you buy the tool, but they return your money if you take it back within the specified length of time (2 weeks as I recall). I believe Checker and Schucks (who are owned by the same company) make the same offer.
 
Randall -- $6.22??? Krikey! But that's "plus shipping," of course. I offer "free + free shipping," until the next guy (or gal) wants it -- then you have to pay the shipping to him (or her). Just think of the possibilities! Would you like the communal Pittman Arm Puller, tovarisch?

Don -- I looked, but I did not find this PM. Try again?

Adrio -- You could wait until Don is done with it -- or the other way around...

Look... Here's the deal: Tinkerman sent me this thing after I offered him either 1) money for it, or 2) that I would pass it on to the "next person in need."
He didn't take the money.
I'm done with my steering box, and I want to unload this turkey! SOMEBODY, PM me an address that I can send it to!

You can see I'm getting desperate, here. If the PM thing don't work, feel free to email: moses "at" moseso dot com...
 
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