Steering Column Bush Fitting

[Bordfunker]

Before I go and trash another set of steering column bushes, is there a knack to fitting these without ripping the lugs off?

Thanks in advance.

Karl

[Colin Lindsay]

You can try to compress them with a hose clip or similar and slide them into the tube that way, same as you would do piston rings, but otherwise use plenty of lubrication. The end of the tube is like a circular knife and will slice them off nicely.

[chrishawley]

Hardest to get in are the uprated bushes from Revington - very stiff and tight fit.

Yup, 'piston ring' approach is good. Grease - ideally proper red rubber grease (£10 a tub, dozens of uses). Also warm the bushes up in hot water (just short of boiling) for a few minutes - more pliable that way. If column is off car then warm that as well with the bushes (even 2% expansion can help make the difference). One can also chamfer the leading edge of the lugs with a fresh razor blade which gives them a lead-in.

Are you pushing the bushes in or drawing them in? Drawing is much more controlled and means that as the lugs come into contact with the cutting edge of the column they can be helped over with the flat face of a screwdriver.

Cheers

Chris

 

[Bordfunker]

Thanks guys.

Tried heat, tried lube (fnarr, fnarr!), but couldn’t get it it.

Went through the garage looking for a jubilee clip, but appears I have everything but.

If the local factor isn’t open tomorrow, I’ll pay a visit to Wickes, as I don’t want to strip another set of lugs.

Karl

[Mjit]

Having stripped the lugs off fitting rubber ones years ago I found jubilee clips (and lube) did the trick fitting uprated ones last year.

That said I wasn't fitting the new ones because the old ones had worn or moved due to the missing nipples, but rather a kinked tube that started randomly tooting the horn with a new steering wheel fitted.  The bushes were still fine and still perfectly positioned in the old steering colum, with the 'scars' of the missing nippels still perfectly aligned in the outer column holes - so if you DO lose the nipples again on fitting...just fit and forget.

[Pete Lewis]

many leave the old bush inplace press the new one in on top of it  ...ha  can you get a tube full of bushes over the years ???

jubilee clip has always worked well from me so +1 for that tip

[Bordfunker]

Bushes are in!

Combination of jubilee clip, lube and a Birmingham screwdriver.

Lugs are a little ragged, but still there and in the right place.

I can now get on with rebuilding the rest of the column.

Thanks all

Karl

[Nigel Clark]

I fitted uprated column bushes by lubing with Vaseline then pushing into the ends of the outer column by hand, squeezing the lugs into the column with my thumbnails.

Once the lugs were safely in, I used an appropriate size socket and extension bar to drift the bushes into place, and the lugs popped into their holes. Again, hand pressure only.

Nigel

[Bordfunker]

I wish hand pressure would have worked with mine, but mine required serious persuasion.

Maybe I’ve just got weak thumbs!

Karl

 

[Mjit]

Hand pressure, Nigel!  Either you have REALLY strong tumbs or, umm, my nipples were a lot harder than yours.

 

One other tip for Bordfunker - keep an eye on the alignment of the nipples and target tube holes as you fight the bush in.  They are tricksy devils and will try to end up rotated out of alignment, and the further they go in the bigger a PITA they are to try and rotate back!  (One of many t-shirts in my collection).