Hourglass steering column/box endfloat.

[Dennis Nicholas]

I am just re-assembling my hour glass column and box.  The 2 thrust bearings tracks seem ok.  I have put back the same shims on the bottom pinch cover and tightened up 2 bolts and inner seems to turn smoothly....(no side cover on yet.).
I would like to get the end play just right.  As it is newly painted I can only hold the column in the vice with a thick rag so not completely solid.
There seems to be no end float in the bearings (within limited amount of pulling/pushing up/down I can do, with steering wheel bolted on and only held in vice with rags. But I don't know if the bearings are under any pre-load.

I have put in another 0.002 inch shim hoping to feel or measure with a DTI the extra end float but no conclusion due to difficulty of mounting the DTI in relation to the inner/outer columns and the fairly non secure holding of the column in the rags/vice.  I have various spare shims.
Questions
1.Should there be zero pre-load?
2.Should there be zero end float?
3.How much end float would be permissible?

Any cunning way to mount the, magnetic, DTI base so I can reliably measure end float?

I am using a threaded rod and large box spanner for pushing the inner column/bearing out a little when end cover off and then just doing up the 2 cover bolts to push the end race/worm/column back in after fitting/removing shims.

Dennis

[Ian Williams]

Hi Dennis, I cant tell you what the precise pre load should be but they presumably should have a small amount, I clamp the column in couple of large vee blocks to a steel table and set the shims to remove all end float. Seems to work for me.

[Dennis Nicholas]

Thanks Ian.  It usually takes a long time for my ancient grey cells to mull over problems but usually I get there in the end.
Ah, my portable little steel table could be just big enough to clamp the column to and provide the necessary base for the magnetic DTI to fix to relative to the end of the column.
Not being a mechanical engineer is a bit of a handicap when it comes to the "how to" on some jobs.  This forum with all its helpful and knowledgable people that make suggestions is certainly such a help.
At times I think I may be being a bit fussy, but I do like a job "being done proper"
Dennis

[Dennis Nicholas]

Brain cell woke up and  . Found my small bit of angle iron 4" X 2.5" X 1/4" and mounted in vice to give the required steel "work-bench". cut a V in 2 blocks of wood and clamped column in blocks to angle.  Bingo able to set DTI on end to take measurements.  I could feel and measure 0.005" end float of inner column with end/clamp plate screwed down against the existing shims.  Inner column moved fully up against upper thrust bearing and dial set to zero then gently pushed inner back down against lower thrust, removed end plate and added 0.005" shim to end plate and screwed plate in tight and DTI went to zero....success.  

   

   

Thanks again Ian for getting me thinking along the right lines.
Non magnetic wood can be a nuisance at times 

The angle iron can now be considered as part of the Nippy special?  Its first use was making a new floor.  With a second piece clamped in the vice with a suitable spacer between them to form a hollow on top a sheet of metal laid on and a 1/2 inch round bar over the hollow hammered along to gradually form the sunken rib seen in a Nippy floor.  My panel beater friend's idea.

Dennis