steering box thrust washer (lower)

[JonE]

I had a brief look for parts with suppliers as seem to have this missing. Is it something I can buy anywhere? 
I'm also missing the steering column bush and a steering box thrust washer upper... are these also unobtainable other than other boxes? thanks

[Dennis Nicholas]

Steering column bush.......do you mean the felt bush at the top of the column? Available at our suppliers. You may have to cut the supplied item down a bit to get it to fit depending on which column you have. Be aware of the thin round ring washer, "support washer" that fits in the top of the column and pushes down onto a small shoulder. BM134 or 2K6787....this is what the top felt bush pushes down on to and it stops the bush going down the outer column too far.
There are some nylon bushes for a Mini that can be slightly modified to fit.

Dennis

[JonE]

THanks Dennis. I've got Platts catalogue - 14 appears to be 1A6024 which is a sort of top hat bush so those might be your mini thing.
The more important thing seems to be 1A 6012 which sits on the control tube socket at the bottom and the whirly thing sits atop it. No idea what material it is, but was aware my column seems to be screw in too far without something there.

[Dennis Nicholas]

Better to look in the original Austin parts lists in the A7CA archives. The Plats catalogue for the later 1936 +hour glass steering shows rather different to what exists and is shown in Austin parts list....suspect also different for the earlier steering.

Dennis

[JonE]

Platts has the older column as well. But agreed, the Austin parts list is better looking and more correct.

I'm now wondering whether the lower thrust washer BM 42 is what I'm thinking is part of the bottom of what I'm withdrawing. It has the same pattern.

BM134 - does that somehow wedge onto the top of the column, presumably after the polished bit and onto the edge of where it gets rougher?
   

[Dennis Nicholas]

BM 42 is fixed on to the bottom of the worm.  You can see it is castellated on its inner diameter and it fits onto bottom which has similar castellations on outer diameter.  It is held in place tight (Peened over?). Due to wear in the thrust washer part the steel castellations become exposed on the end face and become effective end cutters!!!!  They cut into the internal end of the box (can't remember if there is a second thrust in the end face of the box).

Much has been discussed on this set including fixes and roller or ball thrust bearings to take place of original plain thrust washers.  A search should reveal all the info.  Or perhaps someone who has done it would advise what they have done.

BM134- felt support washer is a washer with outer diameter that makes it a push interference fit inside the outer column.  It's internal diameter allows the inner column (with the worm on the end) to fit through easily so you will find it is quite thin from inner diameter to outer diameter, but big enough for the top felt bush to be supported on.  As you say it fits down in the top smoother part of column down to where there is a very small shoulder....where you say it gets rougher.
You may find a previous owner has been over enthusiastic with a long rod poking up from bottom of column to clean out has dislodged and lost this part.  Also if there has been much wear and felt bush gone dried out and thin then I/D of B134 could be very worn......I had one very bad worn and one missing.  Nobody seems to sell a new replacement so I made a couple from a tube of scrap I had.  (As it was not too precision dimensions wise I managed it as a novice lathe turner on my rather worn lathe...ruined parting tool as tube seemed very grainy and kept catching).   One of the 7 workshops may be able to knock a reasonable one out for you from a totally scrap column?
The top felt bush is a flat diamond shape so that when rolled into a tube as shown the vertical edges that come together run spirally down round the column.
If found too long so poking out top it can be easily trimmed off in situ.
I suggest those getting oil drips on their trousers may want to fit a new felt?

   

   

[Oxford Jack]

I covered this subject in some depth in the thread "'33 Steering Box" dated 20/2/21. If you need any further detail please do pm me
Good luck
Jack

[JonE]

thankyou Jack - I'll get to it with the other thread.
Dennis - knowing that lower one is now fixed makes a difference. I really need to disassemble another complete column to see it all in situ for the top part. It feels quite 'held' at the top end when assembled so perhaps something is wedged in the column already.

[JonE]

for others, the excellent 33 steering box thread leads to another old forum post 'steering the beast' too.
i've now discovered:
1. the felt can do a good impression of not being there at all. I realised it was. (very greasy - looked like wall of outer)
2. I've found the other box I dismantled was as Stuart found - had a dent up top on the outer tube but also a slight bend at bottom AND top - enabling full lock up and probably the reason it ended up in someone's spares pile. So, useful to discover but will need dealing with. Are these economic to fix/bend because of the tolerances, or is is better to find another one, or a new tube?

[Dennis Nicholas]

A local friend with big strong lathe straightened out my inner column (the one with the worm wheel at bottom).

Put column on lathe and centred up each end then ran the tool holder with DTI along its length to see where any off centre bends were.  With those points marked he ran the holder along and wound the holder against the high spots and pushed them back to just beyond centre so when released they became central.
I did say it was a big enough lathe so no stress to it!

Dennis