Fitting Steering Shaft/Knuckle

[Randal]

Hello
I've finally plucked up enough enthusiasm to look at my 13/60 more closely since the RBRR and the only victim is the steering shaft/knuckle. It has worn to such an extent that the steering wheel can be turned  an inch either direction without turning the road wheels. A definite MOT failure me thinks. Luckily I have found another such bit in my garage made of brass which looks fine, no corrosion or disintegration of the rubber grommets between the two halves. The part is still attached to an old steering column and my question is..........
How do I remove the part from the end of the column without opening the brass bolt holes and potentially destroying the coupling? I have loosened the half inch bolt and i noticed there is a lip at the end of the column which prevents it from slipping out of the coupling if it becomes loose. Presumably thats a safety feature? That question then leads onto my second which is how do I slip the coupling onto the steering column which is in the car?

Many Thanks

Randal

[Casper]

You need to remove the fixing bolts.  You will find tese annoyingly tight to the suspension pillars
Undo the clamp at the bottom of the outer column (in the car) and slide the inner shaft up.
Make sure you keep alignment correct or your indicators won't cancel properly.
C.

[Randal]

Thanks for your reply C which is a great help but my original question still remains, how the heck do I remove the coupling from the old shaft first w/o forcing open the brass bolt holes and possibly breaking it?

[Clive]

They are not made of brass, just not strong enough for this vital part. They are steel (if it is brass I will be gobsmaked! and certainly wouldn't use it on a car) so the normal process is to remove the bolt and use a wedge shaped thingy (cold chisel or whatever) to oped the gap slightly, then a tap or two with a hammer.
Be aware that the part may seem OK, but when the much larger forces are applied through the steering wheel they can have a large amount of play. I like the replacement type with the solid UJ, as the new rubber type tend to be a bit short lived.

[Randal]

Thanks Clifty hanger, I must go to the opticians and get tested for colour blindness cause the replacement bit defininatley looks gold coloured and brassy to me but your comments have spurred me on to find a wedge shaped thingy to do the job. Here goes then!

[Casper]

Quote:

looks gold coloured and brassy to me

Yellow passivating
C

[Randal]

Yellow passivating


Thanks C, I trust that you mean the knuckle and not my eyes cause it sounds painful!

[ARH]

try a magnet on it to be sure it is steel