GT6 Steering column adjustment

[Doctor slow]

Just got a new 13 inch steering wheel and boss. While fitting it, I discovered from this forum that I can adjust the steering wheel up and down. Now, I have found the top bracket (which was loose), and then I looked down in the footwell. There is a clamp with two bolts on one side, and a large nut on the other side (which was loose!). I  loosened the two bolts, and pulled the steering wheel and shroud upwards. To my surprise, it actually worked, and now the steering wheel is  a better size AND in a position where I could actually drive the car comfortably. However, I'm slightly concerned that in the footwell, the clamp has (obviously) moved about and inch and a half leaving a gap between the clamp and where the steering column goes through the ?bulkhead, and there is a washer moveable up and down the column. So I'm not driving it until a grown-up tells me that this is OK or that I'm going to die if I try. And that loose nut (not me) presumably  should be tight - I can't see any reason why it shouldn't. Must get a Haynes manual.

[Colin Lindsay]

The clamp is able to move up or down the steering column by the length of the cut-out section; as long as you did not disturb the allen bolt on one side and tightened the other two bolts properly - I think it's a torque of 9 ft/lbs then it should grip ok.

If as you say the large nut is loose then it definitely needs tightened, as this is what locks the allen bolt in position on the shaft to prevent movement except in a collision, when it should telescope downwards away from the driver. The big nut should be tightened once you're happy that the allen bolt is screwed in tightly.

That loose washer is puzzling to me, too - no idea of what it does, but it's fitted between the end of the column outer tube and the rubber seal. It may be of use only if the column is adjusted so low that the end of the tube would rub against the clamp behind it; otherwise it just sits loose on the column.

[Doctor slow]

Allen bolt? Allen bolt???? Well it's dark down there, but it's my birthday today, and I've got a new head torch, but I didn't see no allen bolt.  Just had a glass of Ouzo (another birthday present) so i am not entirely capable at present, but tomorrow I'll have a ;look. I think I need to look on Canley classics/moss/ rimmer and see their diagrams. ThanKS..... OOPS OOUZ STRIKES AGAIN. caps off now. goodnight.

[thescrapman]

The washer may be the ne that goes between the slide clamp and the bottom of te column.

[Colin Lindsay]

13 hours ago, thescrapman said:

The washer may be the one that goes between the slide clamp and the bottom of the column.

It's in the catalogue and shown as between the bottom of the tube and over the column shaft itself but on the inside of the bodywork / rubber seal. It doesn't attach to anything but seems to move freely up or down two or three inches of steering column. Part number 122719, shown below the column outer end cap. All I can think of is that when the column is adjusted fully down to it's lowest position, that it stops the tube from rubbing on the collapsable joint and maybe squeaking or grating; if the column is adjusted upwards then it becomes unnecessary due to the larger gap.

You can just about see one in this photo, between the end of the tube and the clamp - which has the allen headed bolt that I mentioned earlier and which is locked by the outer nut.

 

 

[Doctor slow]

Thanks for that, realised this morning what the allen headed bolt was - I'll go back, loosen the nut, and check that the bolt is in the correct position. My real worry, probably irrational, was that pulling the whole column up by about one - to- one and a half inches would somehow pull the column pinion off the rack enough that it would be unsafe. The loose washer doesn't seem, from what you're saying, to be a problem. May even take it for a test drive this afternoon (just going to the supermarket, honestly, officer). Thanks again for all the help.

 

[thescrapman]

I was told the clamp always had to be up against the bottom of the tube and the plastic washer was to stop the clamp rubbing against the  alloy cap on end,

That completely eliminates any in and out movement which may affect horn operation.

[Colin Lindsay]

31 minutes ago, thescrapman said:

I was told the clamp always had to be up against the bottom of the tube and the plastic washer was to stop the clamp rubbing against the  alloy cap on end,

That completely eliminates any in and out movement which may affect horn operation.

Entirely possible and makes a lot of sense. None of the manuals make reference to that in the adjustment sections; they must all assume that the clamp is tight to the tube.

[Doctor slow]

All sorted..... or at least I thought it was. I have a Mountney steering wheel with a springalex boss, and I've made a hash of fitting the horn. I soldered a wire onto the triumph horn "pencil" and attached the other end to the crimp on the horn button. But, soldering the wire to the pencil has broken the plastic tube of the pencil. I can buy another one, of course, but even without that, the pencil just wouldn't maintain contact with the ring on the column. Unless someone knows what I've done wrong, i'm going to try to find the wire to the ring and put a horn button on the dashboard

[NonMember]

The "pencil" needs to be adequately sprung and the right length for your boss. It's likely your after-market boss is a different depth to the original.

With a bit of ingenuity it's possible to fabricate a custom "pencil" out of the remains of your broken one, some alternative springs, and a dead biro.

[Doctor slow]

Thanks for that -strangely, while having a cup of coffee with my glamorous assistant (wife), I came to the same conclusion - a dead biro should do the trick. Just going to try it now.

[Pete Lewis]

many a bic  type ball pen case has revived a broken pencil

getting the length is the faf ,  and get it the right way up  solder end upper the sprung and solid brass brush runs on the cowl ring

you may need to tape it to make the plastic fixed in the hub .

Pete

 

[Colin Lindsay]

43 minutes ago, Doctor slow said:

Thanks for that -strangely, while having a cup of coffee with my glamorous assistant (wife), I came to the same conclusion - a dead biro should do the trick. Just going to try it now.

One for the 'adapted tools' section...

[Doctor slow]

Pete, I'm not sure I've got this. When the pencil came out of  the triumph steering wheel, the longer brass "rod" - bush,  was at the top, with the shorter one at the bottom, making contact with the ring.I have soldered a wire to the longer one  - is that not correct? I've checked with an older MG one, and in both that one and the triumph one, the smaller bush is kind of held captive in the plastic tube at the bottom - i.e. it cannot move any further up into the plastic tube. Incidentally, I cannot for the life of me understand how hey make these in the first place, since you can't get both  ends in at a the same time............ twilight zone.

[Pete Lewis]

well the solid brush should be fitted to rub on the sweep ring, the assy is the braided wire is firmly solder/weld into the end of the brush,  the wire is threaded through the spring which 

is arrested by a small flange inside the pencill the wire is pulled thro the top brass part and soldered to keep some tenison in the spring the bottom brush is able to compress the spring  inside the pencil  the soldered top joint just butts against the hub /wheel contact its static and doesnt wear the lower brush runs all the time under some spring tension against the sweep ring and this does wear / squeak. and if all too close blow the horn on corners as the rng contacts the back of the hand wheel 

makeing one from a biro case is not easy as there is no control over the spring it can all float up/down a bit 

so solder you wire jump lead to the short bush with the solder showing  the solid must be against the ring 

if that makes any sense 

Pete

[NonMember]

1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said:

makeing one from a biro case is not easy as there is no control over the spring it can all float up/down a bit

Not quite sure what you mean here. Yes, the original has a narrow bit against which the spring and top brass rest, but that's not the only possible solution. The spring could act directly on both brass bits, the plastic tube serves only to insulate this from the boss. The tube doesn't move in the boss because the top contact rests against the horn push, which is fixed in the boss. A dab of glue applied to the side of the top contact on assembly will hold it in place to the tube well enough. It doesn't even need to be strong glue.

[Colin Lindsay]

4 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

well the solid brush should be fitted to rub on the sweep ring,

Are you sure? I always thought the spring-mounted end went to the sweep ring and the solid end to the horn; this is because the steering wheel and column may move up and down, but the horn end should be fixed.

[Doctor slow]

Well, what an afternoon. Found a biro case, eventually - tried 5. My previous soldering effort was based on the orientation of the pencil as I removed it, so I had soldered a lead onto the longer bush, and tried that, but it was obviously wrong (how it worked in the original steering wheel, I don't know). I soldered a new lead onto the short bush, then tried to unsolder the previous lead from the long bush. That didn't work, so carefully ground it off with my dremel. all clear so far? ....... it gets better. Reassembled it in the biro case, only to find that the thin wire connecting the two bushes had broken. hahaha. Nearly gave up, but then tried to unsolder the wire at both ends, and re-wire it. that didn't work either, I think they must have used high temperature solder, and my soldering iron wasn't man (?person) enough for the job. So I soldered the two ends of the wire together, then carefully wound the spring back onto the wire. That worked OK. I then sealed the wire from the short bush into the biro case with plastic padding and then went for a walk and used a considerable amount of bad language. Not trying it in the car till tomorrow, after I've learnt some new swearwords

[Pete Lewis]

when i say solid brush i mean the brass plunger end not the short soldered end to me the only working part is the bigger  lump of brass 

does that help 
pete

[Doctor slow]

Yes, of course, it's clear now, but whether this all works ........ the suspense is killing me.... not really. This is it. If this doesn't work, i'm done. its a dash mounted horn button. Thank goodness for my birthday ouzo!

[Doctor slow]

Well, like I said, I'm done - wire snapped again - under too much strain, being under tension because it was too short. So it's a dashboard horn. Although I don't need to remove the dash to do this, I have to remove it anyway to remove and hopefully replace the hazard switch. So, although it's the wrong forum really, can any grown-ups tell me how the hell you remove the right hand dash -  I can't see any obvious screws (except on the centre part) or bolts.