> How hard is it to replace the seal
> and would it
> just be a stop-gap fix? Could someone please give me the skinny on Moss's
> steering box oil and how hard it is to replace that rocker shaft seal and
> any tips before I rip it apart?
I don't know anything about Moss' oil; but after redoing my steering box a
few years back, I wonder why I put it off so long ! It really does make a
huge difference in how the car drives, and answers the age-old question of
why Triumph chose to stick with the old worm and peg steering ... it really
is pretty good !
However, there's no practical way to change the seal in the car and it is a
bit of a hassle to remove the box, although it's made much easier by having
a "split column" car. I was able to get the box out by taking everything
loose, including the pinch bolts that hold the box into it's bracket, then
taking the motor mount loose and jacking the motor up a bit. That gave me
just enough room to swing the steering shaft over and up between the motor
and the shaft brace, then lift the box out (with the bracket and Pitman arm
still attached) at an angle. ISTR it took me about 4 hours, with plenty of
time wondering "how do I do this?".
It's probably best to have a Pitman arm puller (that joint is really tight),
but I made do with a two-arm puller and some fabricated side braces to keep
the arms from sliding off the tabs on the arm. Don't forget to mark it
first, so you can put it back in the same relative position. Support the
arm firmly (eg clamp it in a vise) while you undo the locking plate and the
nut, you don't want to put all that force on the steering peg.
After you've stripped the box, the easiest way to remove the seal is to pull
out the bushing behind it. I just assembled an assortment of flat washers,
sockets and threaded rod to make a puller; it came right out. Used a
similar assortment to pull the new bushing in, discovered I didn't have to
ream (even though I think some of the manuals say you do), and drove the new
seal into place. I replaced the peg but not the worm or bearings (not that
they didn't need it, I just didn't have the money at the time); and used
crocus cloth to clean up the seal area on the shaft. I used a cheap dial
indicator to select the right number of shims (Tried it by hand first, was
off by .005"), and adjusted the screw to give a just barely detectable tight
spot. (My worm is worn enough that I actually had two tight spots, at either
side of center.)
Put it all back together, refilled the box with Valvoline SynPower 75W90
gear oil.
Result : for under $30 the car's handling was absolutely transformed! (Of
course, I'd already rebuilt the rest of the front suspension the year
before, without doing the box.) Someone teased me the other day about not
being able to park with only thumb and forefinger ... well I tried it and
it's not all that hard. Most of the time I only use one hand to parallel
park.
YMMV of course, I also changed tires at the same time which may have had
some effect on steering effort; but I sure am happy with the result. At
this point, you couldn't give me a R&P conversion! There's still a bit of
looseness on-center, probably due to the (original!) worn worm, but it
doesn't bother me.
BTW, I did add oil once or twice during the year after I did this; the oil
runs through the fill hole on the column very slowly and my guess is that I
didn't get it completely full the first few times. But I haven't added oil
in a long time, even though I check it every time I do a lube job.
Randall
59 TR3A TS39781LO daily driver (currently sidelined for OD transplant)
63 Sports 6 HB7826LCV rustoration project
71 Stag LE1473L daily driver
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