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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - rack mounts

hi all,

when rocking my steering from side to side i get small knocking noise. when i looked at rack while doing it i noticed it moving side to side about 3 to 4 mm in the mounts.should there be some sort of rubber gasket or shim around there. did look in archives first but didnt find anything.
regards bob.
trebor

what has probably happened is that its rusted away and come free... AFAIK - There isn't meant to be anything between them, but I don't see why you cant shim it out - use some scrap rubber if you like.

C L Carter

There are several shims available from Moss, ranging from 1/32" to 7/32" which are fitted as required to the passenger side only between the rack and rack mount. Unless you have the earlier rack which has only the 1/32" shim. But I think yours is the later one Bob.

Bernie.
b higginson

hello again bernie,
i cannot see shims that you are refering to. if you are looking in moss cat what is the part numbered 61 on page 44, looks like it fits in mount.?
thanks bob.
trebor

Bob. Sorry. I was looking at the online catalogue, and I didn't notice that it says "No longer supplied" at the side of the shims, so that's the reason you can't see them in your paper catalogue.
I also should have said that they fit between the mount and the cross member ,not the rack and the mount.
The purpose of the shims is to align the splines in the end of the column with the splines on the rack so that the rack doesn't enter the column at a slight angle and produce wear.
I guess you will have to find some thin metal and make one or two. Luckily I still had the originals when I did mine.

Bernie.
b higginson

Trebor. I've just reinstalled my rack and I can inform you that Moss sells a thin rubber strip that wraps around the rack and is clamped by the mount - this is for the earlier pre-1972 rack with alloy rack mounts - I have no idea what happens with the later one. Moss part number is 2A6128.
graeme jackson

If you have the early rack with alloy brackets, there is a thin shim/paper gasket wrapped around the rack where it is clamped.

I believe some people use insulation tape to good effect.
Dave O'Neill2

Brown and Gammons sell a packing for the early aluminum mounts, it is almost a non-compressible sheet, much stronger than using electrical tape or insulation tape or rubber sheet.

The material marking (when I googled it) showed that it was a clay impregnated gasket sheet, but I forget the thickness.

Anyway, it was tight going in, and it was nice knowing that the rack will not be able to squirm under use.



Norm
Norm Kerr

Ok, so its not rubber - feels rubbery though :-)
graeme jackson

hi all.
just had a look and i have the alloy brackets. just put thin piece of gasket paper under top bracket and all seems nice and secure and no movement.learning something about this car every day as was part put together by previous owner who started the resto but not got very far and some jobs they had done not done properly.still neary there. be worth it in the end.
thanks for all your replys.
regards bob.
trebor

Bob

I use the rubber of an old inner tube from a street bike. It has been successful so far (14 years).

Flip

Flip Brühl

This thread was discussed on 24/10/2012

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