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MG MG Y Type - Spider
| As part of the arduous task of replacing the steering column loom, I have to open the column spider. Needless to say, the splitpins had disintegrated. I tried everything bar Fisholene, hot and cold, not a sausage. I tried grinding a nut off, but stopped as I was wounding the mounting bracket. The water pump stay, water pump, radiator and carbs are off.
So, I ground off flush the bolt heads, but they won’t drive out, but I haven’t belted it hard. Now, I wondered if the bolts might be threaded into the bottom spider flange? Until I know, I’m stuck. Sans sunroof, sporting a plywood mortar board for six weeks in a Deucalion Flood, the tent has at last arrived. Gertrude will not fit in our workshop, so stands outside in the interminable rain. Imagine my surprise when I find out that the tent will not fit in the gap between our house and next door. 6” too wide. I only had to cut two pieces of pipe with my dad’s old plumber’s pipe cutter, redesign the top of the frame, and with good old Gorilla tape tightened her up. Bingo. Gertrude is under cover at last. |
| A J R Felthouse |
| What is a column spider Andrew? Never heard that one before! Paul |
| Paul Barrow |
| I thought that the three bolt yoke on the column where the wiring comes out is called the spider. |
| A J R Felthouse |
| Andrew
Yes the three bolt are threaded into the bottom flange. As far as I know, the column does not have to be replaced, when changing the loom. But since you have ground off the bolts' heads you need to replace them. Have you tried to drive out the remains of the splitpins with a thin drift? From remembrance, you should be able to pull back the column enough to get access to the un-threaded shafts of the bols and hold them tight with a ViceGrip, while loosening the nuts with a spanner. If nothing works - with the steering collumn out of the way, you will at least be able to take the steering rack off the car and do the repair job on a stable work bench (heating up the nuts with a blow torch might loosen any rust on the threads). good luck Anton |
| Anton Piller |
| Danke Schoen Anton (no umlauts on my keyboard) I shudder at taking the steering rack off, but I think that you are right. I was thinking of removing the bottom flange from the lower steering column. I have the nut and crinkly washer off, and have soaked it in Plusgas. Turning the reattached column and wheel, I have put it on driver’s anti-clockwise full lock and tried too loosen it. I assume that the thread is regular. No movement so far for 24 hours. |
| A J R Felthouse |
| hi,
The bolts are not threaded into the flange. both flanges are to thin !! to take a thread ,if andy has cut the head off the bolts he should be able to drive whats left of the bolt downwards he will have to turn the column for each cutoff bolt ( as you remove whats left of the bolt put a slightly smaller dia bolt in its place,is when you get to turn the column for the last bolt without the slaves it will try to twist round the rack flange. the cutoff bolts will be quite hard to drive out as the rubber and rust over time have bonded to the shaft of the bolt. John YB0362 |
| JC Jebb |
| Hello taken off the steering collum today if you nedd some pictures i can make some. https://www.mgexp.com/forum/t-series-and-prewar-forum.46/mg-ya-no-1675-from-1948.4022768/page-5 some work left Regards Franz new here |
| FT Franz |
| Anton is correct, John Jebb you are mistaken - the bolts are threaded into the pinion flange. These are stepped bolts, and provide a fixed distance for the bushes. The nuts and split pins are a safety item should the bolts come loose.
Andrew - for future reference, split pins are softer steel than the nuts. If you can't drift out the split pins, just unscrew the nut & shear them off, you won't damage the nut or bolt. When you refit the new bolts, you can use nyloc nuts (BSF) so you don't have to bother with split pins in the future. Good Luck Tony The Classic Workshop |
| A L SLATTERY |
Gentlemen Yesterday, before answering Andrews mail, I had checked a spare TD steering rack: The three holes are threaded (see attached picture). Today, after reading John's reply, I checked a mate's Y steering rack and it had three unthreaded holes - for all I know, these threads might have been drilled out by a previous owner.... Besides, as Tony points out, the bolts are stepped and thus cannot be driven downwards. One make brake the thin flange by trying!!! Kind regards Anton 
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| Anton Piller |
| Gentlemen, The bolt threads into the flange. I’ve drilled out two of the blighters so far. Bit tight for room, so resurrected my ceased up tiny Bosch 400 drill and so far I haven’t set fire to the car. Beginning to wish that I should have gone for the “Handsignals-and-Bolt-a-Klaxon-to-the-Door” option, but that might spoil her lines. |
| A J R Felthouse |
| One more thing: there is a thing in the top of the steering column with a circular bottom plate attached to a long thin steel cylinder with four downward- pointing thin metal tags attached to it. I know neither what it is nor what it is supposed to do. The is no evident way that the loom can pass down past this device. It will not move. This has turned into an Herculean task. |
| A J R Felthouse |
| Andrew Photograph please? Anton |
| Anton Piller |
| Hi all, i was wrong about the bolts, they are shouldered but are not threaded into bottom spider/yoke?? Take the nut off the bolt and they just pull out without a problem, just tryed one on my car must have been a mod for the YB model |
| JC Jebb |
| Is this what you are looking at on the steering column ?. Behind the choke lever & body stay. This is the slip ring - your outer tube may be missing, and you are looking at the inner sleeve with the contacts for the horn & trafficators. Photos will help us to help you. Good Luck Tony 
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| A L SLATTERY |
| if you need photos, i can make some i have my steering out of the car, so no problem |
| FT Franz |
| hi all, Picture of one of the flange to inner column using (mg parts book names) bolts for a YB anyone got one of a YA bolt so we can see the difference. John YB0362 
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| JC Jebb |
| John There should not be a difference between YA and YB bolts. Anton |
| Anton Piller |
| I agree, those look like the bolts I have removed from lot's & lot's of YA's & Yt's over the decades. Tony The Classic Workshop |
| A L SLATTERY |
| hi all, could somebody with a Y (A)parts book ( NOT YB) have a look to see what part number the flange (Pinion) is?. the same part unthreaded for a YB is MG899/110. John YB0362 |
| JC Jebb |
John The two big parts suppliers do not offer Piniion Shaft Flanges. You probably need to look for a second hand one. As far as I know, there is no difference between YA and YB ones. They should all be threaded. Regards Anton |
| Anton Piller |
| Hi John Jebb I am surprised you have not yet bought a copy of the Y/YT Manuals on CD - you will get that answer and more inside the CD. Excellent value at $25 plus shipping. Order quickly if you want one - I currently charge about $11 - $12 for international shipping and it currently costs me about $15 so I am thinking about having to adjust my prices up as International Air Mail is stupidly expensive now. https://www.mg-cars.org.uk/imgytr/stores/yzpublications.shtml Paul |
| Paul Barrow |
| I can supply a used rack & pinion flange if you can't source one closer to home. Cheers Tony The Classic Workshop Black Mountain Australia |
| A L SLATTERY |
This thread was discussed between 18/10/2019 and 29/10/2019
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