Steering box replacement.....splined arm stuck on steering box!

[knac1234]

Hello all,

So finally back from vacation, and took the wing off yesterday to tackle the exhaust leak (already have the manifold off and the gasket was toast); the alternator conversion; and my reverse bleed on the clutch system.

Anyway, this all ties in with my steering box replacement. I took it to a Rover specialist, as the steering seemed wrong to me. He said it was the box. Labor to do it is a whole lot less with the wing off (hence my plan here), and I had planned on having the guy do it.

I have a NOS box from Ike now, and am debating whether to try to do it myself. It is a Series III, and the Haynes book does not go into great detail. Are the any pitfalls and how difficult is it??

Some specific questions based upon what Haynes says:

-It says to reattach the arm to the steering box with the wheels centered and the steering column centered between left and right. Obviously I can visually set the wheels close to straight ahead, but how do I figure out where the center is on the box. Would it not be a wild guess (turn the column all the way left and all the way right and somewhere is the middle)??

-It says I have to remove the ignition column lock. Shear screws and the such. How difficult to get it off and to reattach properly?

Thanks.....would be great to save some $$ if I can while doing the other stuff!

Julian

[siii8873]

Julian,
fairly straight forward, pretty musch as you note. Having the manifold off will make it easier also. I centered my boxs as you noted by counting turns. withe it in center location install the drop arm so it's vertical, with the wheels at center the top arm on the steering relay should be perpendicular to the frame rail...,,,

[siiirhd88]

The shear screws on the column lock assembly can be removed by using a punch and hammer to "turn" them loose. The original screws when new have a narrow neck below the bolt head, and this neck area breaks when the bolts are torqued breaking off the bolt head. To loosen the screw place the punch point near the edge of the screw top at an angle and tap it counter clockwise. You might have to use a small chisel instead of a punch.

I think the screw threads are 5/16-18 coarse thread, and the original screws have a tapered area below the head. I usually just replace them with regular bolts.

The column lock assembly will just drop off when the upper clamp shell is removed. The column has a slot to locate the tooth of the lock assembly, so alignment is simple when reinstalled.

Bob

[knac1234]

Bob/siii8873--

Thanks for the input! I think I am going to give it a try!

I did notice the steering relay arm is perpendicular to the frame with the wheels in the forward position. And, I am going to leave the exhaust manifold off (glad I read your reply before putting it back on today!). Will count turns to get the box to the center position before connecting it back to the upper arm.

I also saw the notch where the steering lock goes on the new box, so that makes perfect sense. More as I get into it.....

Thanks!
Julian

[knac1234]

Update--

No steering lock, and no sheared bolts.....someone's been in there before!

I cannot for the life of me remove the splined drop arm from the steering box. Haynes says to use Leyland tool 600000, which of course I do not have. PB Blaster has not helped. Any ideas how to remove the arm???

Thanks,
Julian

[siii8873]

yea, those can be a pita. best way is to use a puller that will grab the ears on the drop arm, needs to be the correct size (that's what the tool is).
I think IIRC I used a pickle fork to wedge ot off. Because you are changing out the box with a new one this should work without worrying about damaging anything.

[siiirhd88]

I used a pitman arm puller from the generic auto parts store. They are "U" shaped with ears to go under the steering arm and a threaded drive to push on the shaft while the ears pull up on the arm. They seem to be universal for most older U.S. cars, and while the fit to the Series arm wasn't perfect the function was OK. Most of the generic auto parts stores around here have a tool loan policy where you can use the tools at no cost after leaving a deposit.

I'm not sure what year the Series trucks started using a locking column. I think the 1970 model year most English cars used a locking column, but my '77 SIII was not a locking column while my '80 SIII was. I eliminated the lock setup on the '80 and went with an earlier SIII ignition switch setup.

Bob

[knac1234]

Thanks again!

As I did not have a grenade lying about, I gave it some thought!

I am going to try 2 different ideas: the pitman arm puller suggested by Bob (if Autozone has such a tool to rent), and then a puller kit I bought from HF a few years back and never opened. I am going to try to adapt the kit using some thick washers that might not bend when placed on the backside of the arm, and see what happens.

Will report back!!!

Julian

[4flattires]

Does that bracket from the frame to the steering box just unbolt?

If so, it seems pretty straightforward to pull both the box and bracket, allowing you room to get to it. At that point I would apply heat to the arm (expanding it), and I'll bet it will be easy at that point.

[siii8873]

you can unbolt the box as noted, but you would need to remove the ball joint at the bottom of the drop arm also to remove the box.
With the box out your puller options would not need to be as short.

[bkreutz]

I would suggest getting the proper pittman arm puller (beg,borrow, or steal). If you use a cheap one make sure you're wearing multiple layers of clothing and a crash helmet with face shield. There's a lot of force involved. Personally, I wouldn't use any heat on the arm and then reinstall it. There are 2 areas of repair that it doesn't make sense to do things improperly, steering and brakes.

[knac1234]

All,

Steering box is removed! Pulling the arm off the steering box took 5 minutes--maybe less--with the pitman puller tool recommended. For those interested, it is available for rent for free at Autozone.

Cleaned up the area, and will reinstall the new one in the next day or two as I may be having Lasik surgery Thurs and am a bit nervous and not sure how quickly my vision will be back (they say a day or two).

Anyway, more later!

Julian

[knac1234]

All,

So at long last I am back to working on the Rover after my vision surgery (still a little blurry, but able to do most things).

Anyway, I got the NOS steering box from Ike put in over the weekend. All new bolts and had the brackets powdercoated as I couldn't resist since the shop did it in 6 hours with another order for me

Before reconnecting the pitman arm, I will find the center of the steering box. After connecting the arm, how tight is too tight on the adjuster nut? The adjuster nut on my old box did nothing really, so I have no prior experience. Haynes book says not to overtighten......any more direction than that? Don't want to mess up my new box!

Hope to have it running with my new ex man gasket and alt conversion by Wednesday! Then will try the reverse bleeder on my soft clutch pedal.


Thanks,
Julian