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MG TD TF 1500 - Steering column bushings

My steering column bushings arrived from Moss so I began the annoying task of getting the old bushing out of the lower steering shaft. Those little bolts are a total PITA..I'm almost tempted to use new bolts so I can have hex heads, they would be much easier to lock onto than the domed screw heads on the originals.
In other news, looks like the Moss felt bushing is a bit narrower on the bottom and a lot narrower on the top end than what is currently installed. Not sure if this is because the bushings were made by a previous PO or whether Moss is taking shortcuts on the material.
I'll be soaking them in oil and adding some graphite, that seems to be the consensus on what best to use.
Once I get this job done I'll close up the steering column and get back to finishing the carpet; on Monday I time and tune the engine.
Progress!
Geoffrey M Baker

You may have already figured this out, but Note there are two part numbers for the upper and lower bushings and one is thicker than the other.
David Littlefield

Thanks for the tip, David.
I had bought the correct bushings for upper and lower, but hadn't noticed there was any difference between them. Now I know... so tomorrow they will go in the right places!
Geoffrey M Baker

Geoff "they would be much easier to lock onto than the domed screw heads on the originals." If you are referring to the Phillips head screws, go to Sears and get a Posi set driver. 99% of "Phillips head screws in MGs are actual Posi drive heads. Having the correct screwdriver makes a big difference in getting the screws out. Cheers - Dave
DW DuBois

Dave, mine are standard slotted head, not Phillips...? Perhaps a later addition? (I am referring to the three bolts on the lower bushing for a 51 TD).
They were also installed with the nuts facing out, making the screw heads almost impossible to get to :)

I'm thinking I'll just replace with metric small bolts with hex heads; easier to remove. What have other people done? This is a hard job any way you look at it.
Geoffrey M Baker

Geoffrey: Yours are correct and original. I also think the Moss felt is too thin. Its been that way forever.
Christopher Couper

Just a handy tip: I just poured some oil into the plastic packets with the bushings still in them. It's clean and lets you squeeze the oil all around and work it in, and keeps it off your hands. Plus, the packets have the labels so you still know which bushing is which.
Then when they've soaked a while, I'll just take them out, add some graphite powder and put in place.
Geoffrey M Baker

Done!
I used the original bolts but I put the slotted dome heads facing forwards (to the front of the car) and down - it should be much easier to open it up next time. It was next to impossible to grip the round heads with only a half inch of room when they faced backwards...
I put powdered graphite on the oiled bushings and rubbed it all in, then worked them in. Not as difficult a job as I thought, you just need to get one end started and then twist the outer shaft around and around pushing it down over the bushing, rather than trying to push the bushing in. Same with the top end, get it started, then twist the outer shaft around and work it up around the bushing. They both went in pretty easily.
Now I just need to tighten it all down, but once again, a lot learned, plenty of help from the forum, and job done!
Geoffrey M Baker

Graphite powder, great idea. I'll do it to the A's column before buttoning it up.
MAndrus

Geoffrey: I am still kind of wondering why you had a problem accessing the little nuts. One trick is that you just deal with the top one and then when you have it hand tight you turn the wheel to put the next one at the top and so on. Once they are all hand tight go back and repeat the process with the screwdriver and open end wrench for the nuts.

Christopher Couper

Chris, my difficulty was that the bolts were in backwards. So you couldn't get a screwdriver tip onto the head, there was no room. Mine now look like yours. Much easier...
Geoffrey M Baker

Guys, thanks for having this conversation! I'm about to do my bushings with the column out. With my luck, I'd put those screws in the "wrong" way, which would have caused problems in the future.
David Littlefield

Geoffrey: Ah. Must have missed the backwards statement.

It's amazing what our cars have had done to 'improve' them from time to time that we are either unaware of and now have to undo. In most cases original was probably best but somebody thought they had a better idea and then we end up with unintended consequences.

David: It's alway great to work through the gallery pages of the unrestored cars that everyone has submitted whenever you do work just to refresh your brain. I still do it even though I have had my car for almost 65 years. And I still find little things that need correcting that showed up in the pictures.
Christopher Couper

I don't think they were in there backwards because a PO thought it was an improvement; I think the PO did them that way either totally by accident or perhaps because it's easier to get those tiny little nuts on using your big hammy fingers with the bolts facing forwards (more room to work with)... but they didn't think about what a PITA it would be for the next guy in line :)

I still think this is one of those issues that owners should feel free to improve on. Like the cylinder head rear plate, which had slotted head bolts in a hard to reach area, many owners have replaced with either standard hex bolts or even socket head bolts, to make installation and removal easier.
In this situation, a small hex head bolt would be much easier to remove and install, with two small wrenches. The problem with the slotted heads installed at the factory is that a) they fill up with gunk over time so they will often need cleaning first before trying to access with a screwdriver, and b) it's still probably pretty easy to strip those heads if they are really tight.
A hex bolt head (or socket cap head) would be much easier to work with.
I'm keeping the originals, just because, well, they are original, and now they are installed correctly they should be much LESS difficult to remove than they were this time around... but they definitely can, and perhaps should, be improved on!
Geoffrey M Baker

Chris, I was just browsing the unrestored pics on your site this past week looking for clues about wiring. Thanks very much for maintaining all of that information. You probably don't realize how much and often it gets used. I've found your site and Dave Braun's invaluable in my restoration. Here is a pic of current status.

David Littlefield

There is a tool for every design flaw:


Christopher Couper

Lol.. Yes I used exactly that tool. It was still a PITA. Correct solution... Put the bolt in the right way to start with 😃
Geoffrey M Baker

This thread was discussed between 14/01/2016 and 16/01/2016

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