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Triumph TR6 - DPO Bodges Jobs

In spite of the number of years that I have had my TR6, last night I found DPO bodge "repair" that had eluded me. The steering column has been pulled and decided while it was out, this would be a good time to replace the bushings for the upper steering shaft and respray all the bits. I pulled the turn and headlamp switch and found that the wires to both had been previously cut and were now twisted back together and taped, almost. There were two connections that had no tape and therefore, no insulation. It's a miracle that I hadn't performed a large scale smoke test of the system.

Just reinforced my decision to replace the harnesses while I had things out. The switches will either need a good repair or I will have to replace, good thing that I have spares. I had already worked through enough other "creative wiring fixes" over the years that flat out harness replacement was an attractive option.

So what types of bodge jobs have you found from your DPO?
SteveP

I found nothing unusual on mine when purchased 12 years ago - now, after all the mods, I'd hate to sell it and become a DPO, if you catch my drift...

Brent
'73 sapphire blue
with a garlic jar???
Brent B

Yes indeed, I had asked myself the same question on the modifications and being a future DPO. Then again I bought the car as a keeper and have documented all the stuff done, plus kept all the stuff to put it to stock if desired. A major part of the modification plan was to keep things reversible in case I or someone else wanted to go back to a stock configuration in the future.

For the first few years after I bought this car, something would quit working, I'd go in and start chasing it down and find some abomination in the wiring. I would then have to undo what was there and make a proper repair. It was a bit of a shock since I had not found another of these wiring fiascos in about a dozen years until the other night. The rest of the car was pretty much surprise free.
SteveP

Steve--Any words of wisdom on R&R of the steering shaft bushings? That's a pending task for me once I get the bushings (been on BO at TRF for 6 months now).

Rick O.
Rick Orthen

Steve,
I am now for nearly one year the proud owner of a'74 TR6. I spend the winter restoring the full interior. I took the dash out restored all meters and came across a lot of suspect & weird wiring, most probably the cause for many malfunctions.
After some advice on this BBS I decided to buy the Dan Masters electrical maintenance handbook. One of the best investments made yet on my project. The wealth of info led me to take the dash loom out and restore it to original. On the rebuild I experienced zero electrical problems (not fully true, I bypassed the dash-light retrostat).
Erik
E. Creyghton

Rick,

I have not reinstalled yet, so that part of the answer will be somewhat speculative, but the removal has a trick that I wish I had known about up front.

First the Bentley book sends you on a wild goose chase to several different locations. You need to:
1) disconnect the battery
2) remove the Speedo and Tach
3) remove the wire cover on the lower side of the column and disconnect the wires to to the column switches and horn slip ring
4) disconnect the ignition switch (for steering lock cars, more on this later)
5) clamp onto the domed nuts with vise grips or channel locks and loosen but do not completely remove, the column mount nuts near the dash panel and near the firewall
6) disconnect the flange at the rubber coupling from the splined steering column or undo the clamp at the flat on the upper steering column
7) now go back and remove those column mount fasteners inside the car
8) withdraw the column toward the interior (easier if you have some help from someone guiding in the engine campartment until you clear the firewall)
9) remove the horn cover and pad, remove steering wheel, switch escuteons, switches and horn slip ring (you have to carefully bend up a retaining tabto remove the slip ring. I am repainting the column, if you are not, you may not have to remove the switchs)
10) NOW THE THING I WISH I HAD KNOWN. The Bentley book states that you are to depress the tabs that retain the bushing in place and withdraw the steering shaft from the bottom of the column. Not knowing what they looked like on the inside, I dutifully tried and eventually after much struggle and the use of a third and fourth hand managed to extract the lower bushing and shaft.

It turns out that the places you are to depress on the bushings are nothing more than molded rubber knobs that protrude out into side holes on the column and do nothing to release any sort of a mechanism or relieve any spring pressure. All they are there for is to hold the bushings in place by sticking out of those holes.

Now knowing this, here is my recommendation for the bushing removal.
A) get out you handy dandy Dremel and grind away those little rubber knobs
B) spray some penetrating oil onto the lower bushing from the lower end of the column
C) let the shaft drop down until it stops
D) clamp the shaft into a vise with a couple of inches between the vise and the column
E) let the knot on the shaft for the steering lock act as a slide hammer and knock that bushing out
F) reverse shaft in the column and repeat the slide hammer process for the upper bushing, taking it out from the top of the column (the shaft is reversed so you are not clamping on threads/splines where the steering wheel mounts)

To reinstall, I will be using a piece of pipe that is a larger ID than the OD of the steering shaft and smaller OD than the ID of the column. The plan is to dip the bushing in some soapy water and slide/drift the upper bushing into place. Then the shaft will be inserted and the lower bushing will be dipped and slid/drifted into place. After that it will be a matter of putting all the other bits back in place.
SteveP

Thank you for a very instructional R&R procedure Steve. I will be sure to follow it when it's my turn!

Rick O.
Rick Orthen

SteveP
I have had the bushings since last fall. Talk about putting something off:) This is a must do this winter.
Thanks for the info. Any problems with the new bushing rubber knobs not being alligned with the holes?

Rick C
Rick Crawford

Steve
D'oh is right. If I had read your last post correctly, would have seen you have not installed yet....D'OH! Oh well..still a valid question when you do the reinstall.
Rick C

I was lucky. When I did the restore on my 6 The PO gave me everything in boxes so the dreaded " anti-theft" bolt was already removed. Replaced with standard nut and bolt.


End of this thread:)
Rick Crawford

This thread was discussed between 06/09/2003 and 07/09/2003

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