How to separate a rusty upper outer/inner steering shaft

[smyllie]

My 63 ex Californian car is on its way back from a complete strip - only started 2 years ago!. Have completed chassis which was in good shape, just blasted and coated. Body needed floors, sills and boot floor. Back from paint in original conifer green.

 

Engine and box rebuilt and back in the car. (Pics attached if interested).

 

I am trying to separate the upper steering column (outer upper shaft from inner) to clean before final assembly and refit. I had to grind off the pinch bolt as it was rusty. I have soaked the joint in WD40 stuck the inner in a vice and tried twisting the outer shaft using the steering wheel. Its going nowhere!!

 

Does anyone have a neat trick that I could deploy to slide the inner shaft out. I am tempted not to bother but would rather free these off whilst they are not in the car.

[peejay4A]

Heat the outer possibly?

[Grahamgl]

On my 4A the steering wheel is fixed to the inner shaft so it would be impossible to use the steering wheel to rotate the outer casing. The inner shaft runs through two nylon/non metallic bushes.

Graham

[Motorsport Mickey]

WD is useless as a penetrant, and it doesn't leave a slippy residue which continues to aid "desticking" components. What you need is a cup of diesel, dribble it in where you can or build a small bath with plastic sheet around the steering tube and slosh a portion of diesel there and submerge the shaft into it. The diesel will remain on all the surfaces it penetrates and it's "searching" action will get it in between the closest of finishes.

 

Mick Richards

Edited November 6, 2015 by Motorsport Mickey

[kob666e]

Soak it in diesel for a few weeks, way better than WD. (beaten to it!)

Edited November 6, 2015 by kob666e

[RogerH]

Hi Smylie (have you a name),

Are you referring to items 55 and 63 - 63 slides inside 55. This is the collapsible shaft in the steering - important but of limited effect.

http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/shop-by-model/triumph/tr2-4a/steering-suspension/steering/steering-rack-column-wheel-tr4-4a.html

 

 

If you do not like the smell of diesel use 'Plusgas' or 'Freeway' these are excellent penetrating oils.

Heating the outer and controlled bashing with a hammer along the side of the shaft may help - then apply the Plusgas.

 

You could then try (soft face) hammering the inner shaft further in so that it breaks its hold.

Re-attach the splined pinch clamp and use that to hammer the other way - repeat this until it comes flying out.

 

Roger

[bob-menhennett]

I endorse Roger's suggestion of Plusgas. Assuming it is items 55 & 63 that we are talking about I'd try repeated

application of boiling water. Use thick leather gloves to move the metal to your vice ( protected vice jaws or rags )

and apply Plusgas. Bash the metal with Roger's said soft face hammer or a bit of waste thick wood and a club / large

hammer. You are trying to achieve sufficient movement for the Plusgas to " disappear " down the gap , so little and

often. The boiling water will expand the metal and create a minute gap.

You should look for minute bubbles around the join , indicating that the fluid is seeping down between the metal columns.

Also try alternating the bashing from either end using a metal drift for the internal column. Repeat with more hot water , repeat

Good luck with it. Having " been there " I appreciate how important it is to retain the original item but remember there

are a number of suppliers of second hand parts that will " get you out of jail " if all else fails. Softly , softly

catchee monkey.

Bob

[smyllie]

Thanks for the feedback gents, much appreciated. Yes we are talking about items 55 and 63. I now have it soaking in diesel and will follow your suggestions in an attempt to release the two components from their grip on each other. I will keep you posted. In the meantime I will set to with replacing the universal joints in the prop shaft!

 

Many thanks for the advice

 

Bob

[RogerH]

Hi Bob,

good luck on getting it apart.

 

When you attack the rubber UJ's have a look at the clamps and be clear in your mind that the pinch bolt will actually work unimpeded.

I have not found one that could work correctly.

Have a look at the attached pic - the small cut-away (on one side only) helps to allow the pinch bolt pull it down with no effort.

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

[smyllie]

Hi Roger, thanks for the tip. Everything I tackle on this project is for the first time, as such I have learned two important lessons. 1) listen to others who have experience and 2) If its not going well, walk away, think it through and come back to it later.

[keith1948]

I remember having to separate these two parts on a second hand column. Very unlikely you will be able to twist them apart at first. Plenty of penetrating oil or diesel and then try dropping column end-on onto a piece of wood, first one end then the other. Then some heat as suggested above. Then try twisting it, then back to dropping it onto the bit of wood. Then go and have a beer or a coffee. Back again. Repeat over 2 or 3 days and suddenly it will move a tiny bit and then you are on the home straight. I found dropping column, using weight of column to separate it possibly better than bashing it with a hammer where you might damage the splines on the bottom end or the threaded bit on the top end. For same reason be careful with using a vice.

Best of luck with it.

Also looking at Rogers photo remember to fit the horn earth wire across the rubber gaiter.

Keith

[smyllie]

Thanks for the tips and advice, I soaked the column in diesel heated the outer column and started tapping with a soft mallet. Then found a bigger vice, a bigger hammer, and a nice offcut of oak. Gave it a proper whack and..... movement. Then back to a smaller hammer and tapped in either direction until out it came. Delighted, now I can finish the dash and column installation. Who knows, at this rate I may even start the engine next year.

[john.r.davies]

For a similar soaking project, I constructed a 'bath' from cardboard and gaffer tape that would accommodate the long object, and then draped a plastic sack over the bath to make it waterproof.

The object held the plastic down and the plastic held the degreaser in.

I'm sure it would work with diesel.

But don't use just any old plastic bag - mine leaked!

I had to start again with some new, carefully unwrapped and virgin (literally) floor cloth-type sheet, bought for little on a roll from a DiY store.

But cardboard and gaffer tape are cheap - just be careful where you leave the soaking bath!

 

John

[RogerH]

Hi John,

for some long thin things in the past I have used square section guttering.

The end caps are not that well sealed .

I used a silicon sealant

 

Roger

[bob-menhennett]

Bob

Congratulations on a successful outcome.On to the next problem.A restorer is never lost for things to do...my TR4 kept me out of mischief for 12 years.

keep calm and carry on.

Bob