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Triumph TR3 - Getting to Steering Nirvana

Dear Braintrust,

After that terrific ride last week, I'm determined to squeeze out the last bit of play in the steering linkage on my '61 TR3A. Operation "Gonna Steer Like New" is officially under way.

I can use all the help I can get on this one. Currently, there is about 2 inches of play in the steering wheel, and it appears to be a function of a worn worm in the steering box. Tightening up the adjuster to eliminate the play results in impossibly tight action at the extreme right and left turn stops. I used to have about 4 inches of play before installing a Revington spring-loaded adjuster plate on the steering box (Helped a bunch, Don. Thanks!). The rest of the steering linkage appears to check out ok.

Please steer me right:

1. Is there a source of good play-by-play directions on rebuilding the steering box to obtain "good as possible" results with the original worm/peg set up?
2. If a new worm is installed, should the rocker shaft be replaced, or just the peg? Both?
3. What's the secret to successfully removing and replacing the worm on a split column?
4. Any way to determine if the tie rod ends need replacement?
5. Lastly, how does one get things adjusted properly after removing, cleaning, replacing and reinstalling the linkage and steering box?

If I could pull out of the garage next spring and enjoy responsive and precise steering, I'd be a happy TR guy. Thanks for any help getting to that magic moment.

Bill Stagg
1961 TR3A
Bill Stagg

Bill

1. If you still have slop in your steering, I think you need to screw down on the spring loaded adjuster even more. If you've already done that and had to back it off because of the tightness at the extreme locks, then it's the same problem someone else on this topic had with the Revington kit. Contact Neil Revington directly. Mention my name. Ask him what you need to do. If you've done all that, been there etc., suggest that maybe you need a different length of spring. Suggest a stronger spring. Suggest that the plunger is "bottoming out" with a fully compressed "coil-bound spring" and it's just like the rigid one you had before. Or the plunger is too long and you have it bottomed out.

A few weeks ago, I found out that Herman Van den Acker sells a kit he makes in California for $65.00 and his kit comes with two springs so you can find the right range.

2. I new worm is expensive. The original peg or the spring loaded kit from Revington should both do the job. My original non-adjustable peg was fine for the first 40,000 miles after I bought my TR3A brand new so you original peg with a new worm should be OK till this new worm wears.

3. Don't know.

4.
Don Elliott

Don,

Thanks for sticking with me on this. Can it be assumed that the tightness at the ends of the steering range comes from the spring "bottoming out"? In other words, should it be possible, in practice, to eliminate the play and still have reasonably easy steering at the right and left extremes? I have to say that turning at slow speed (e.g., parallel parking) is a bear.

Thanks for the tip on contacting Neil. I'll try to get in touch with him this week.

Merci,

Bill
Bill Stagg

Hit the wrong key - Sorry.

4. My original steering parts all did me till about 135,000 miles. I replaced the tie-rod ends and the upper ball joints because I thought it might help. I can't say it did.

5. Removing, replacing and greasing is easy. Follow trhe book. At re-assembly, measure the length of the adjustable tie-rods as per the manual. I did it with a finely graduated machinists scaled ruler to the specified length in the book = 7.68". That's the only "wheel alignment" that has ever been done to my front end.

I never got un-even wear on my tires with this set-up. But the tires were wearing badly between 50,000 miles and 80,350 miles till I replaced the lower trunnions which I found were badly worn when I did my restoration at 80,350 miles. The new lower trunnions have 78,000 miles on them and the tires wear OK.

If the spokes in your steering wheel are not horizontal when driving on a straight road, it may be the 7.68" dimension is out on one side or both. If they are both OK and the steering wheel is not set with the spokes equal and horizontal, pull off the control/horn button, then the steering wheel nut, pull out the steering wheel and re-set it properly on the splines.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A
Don Elliott

Bill - I think that the spring is helping better than before you had it in while driving straight, but the spring needs to be longer to touch and still have a bit of compression still in the spring. But if it's tight at the extremes when driving on a road, I think it's bottomed in a coil-bound condition. Tightening it down will make it even tighter at the ends. A longer spring will bottom at the ends even sooner. So a plunger with longer travel and more length for a longer spring is needed.

Mine is a bear when parallel parking but I seem to remember it was like that from new - I think that's normal. I'm never in a hurry when I park because I don't want to touch the curb (kerb for the Btits) or the other parked cars. But then I drive so much on the open road that I don't have many occasions to park. And I love to walk. I'll park a quarter mile away if there is a "safer" and or easier parking spot.

And my biceps are in better shape after 14 summers of parking the TR. But my hands, shoulders, arms, etc. feel fine during open raod touring or afterwards. Even with 650 miles in one day.

Don Elliott, 1958 TR3A

Don Elliott

Don,

Ahh...so what you're saying is that one side benefit of LBC'ing is the weight training one receives during parking manuevers. I like it!

I'm tempted to tighten down the screw a bit more and see if there is "no impact" on the current tightness at the turning extremes. If there's none, it would save a lot of do-re-me (pounds for the Brits, Euros for the continentals) as I could probably live with that (and the Schwarzenegger-like biceps).

I'd love to hear from others to know if their TRs behave like bears or pussycats during slow speed turning and parking.

Thanks, Don!

Bill
Bill Stagg

UPDATE ON STEERING

I just achieved a dramatic improvement in the steering on my '61 TR3A. It came about as I was greasing the front end.

While cleaning old grease from the fittings, I happened to grab hold of the tie rod on the right side and found to my surprise that the two original TR ball joints were very loose, especially when compared with the other side. I happened to have an new ball joint set that I'd recently acquired through e-bay. After installing them on the link, the steering tightened up considerably, with less play at the wheel and more precise left-hand turning, if that makes sense. It also seems to steer more easily at low speed. What a revelation!

When I bought the car, it came with one extra right-hand ball joint. I see now that the mate was already installed on the tie rod on the left side of the car. I'm going to put the remaining one on and see what else happens.

I'd been considering major (possibly expensive) surgery to the steering box to get the play under control. The new ball joints may have put the brakes on that plan. Moral of the story seems to be to verify the small parts and work your way up.

I love it when stuff works...

Thanks to all for your continuing advice and help with the steering saga.

Bill Stagg
1961 TR3A
Bill Stagg

This thread was discussed between 10/11/2003 and 07/12/2003

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