Steering Straight
The most intimidating obstacle, when I was eyeballing Maggie, was the open steering box. The inards were rusty, and apparently there were parts missing. I have never rebuilt a steering box. This was obviously a part that would warrant replacement, but I wasn't sure I could find what I needed. I considered it to be of primary importance because it is nice to have steering even if you are pushing the vehicle around. I was wanting to go with a banjo type steering wheel, but Ron Brown up in New York let me know he had a steering sector out of a '73 Rover up for grabs. I grabbed. Ron agreed to pull it apart the easy way, leave the bracketry attached. We agreed to delete the steering wheel to save on shipping costs.
When the sector finally arrived, it was a bit different from Maggie's, but adaptable. I found myself wishing I had the original steering wheel as well, to insure everything fit.I was hoping that I could use the extra balljoint Ron left attached to the sector to replace one that had snapped in two on Maggie at the relay. As it turned out, the threads were reverse of what I needed, so I found myself ordering my first part from the good folks at British Pacific.
With a bit of part swapping, a smidgen of cursing, and a sprinkle of luck, the steering box and column fit into place.
Next came the balljoint, and putting the arms back on the relay. Surprisingly, the arms were still with Maggie, although loose in the back. I installed them at 90 degrees to each other, the lower one pointing straight forward. I then straightened up the wheels as best as I could with a calibrated eyeball. I hooked up the drag link and track bar, filled the steering box and relay with 90wt, and viola! She steers! The column is a bit different, with a nifty little clip to cover an opening. I am guessing that opening is for lubrication. Working out the horn circuitry at the steering wheel will be a bridge to cross later.
[ Rover Assessment ] [ Steering Straight ]
[ Minimal Wiring ] [ Worth $500? ] [ Fuel Supply ]
[ Idle Thoughts ] [ Tough Decisions ] [ Spinning Wheels ]
[ Stripping Down ] [ The Bulkhead ] [ The Bulkhead 2 ]
[ Maggie's Motor ] [ Chassis Prep ] [ POR15 & Parabolics ]
[ Synergy ] [ The Breakfast ] [ Waking the Neighbors ]
[ A New Look ] [ Test Drive! ] [ Designing Woman ]
[ Mystery Solved ] [ More Juju ] [ Whoa Maggie! ]
[ Finish Line! ] [ Epilogue ]
[ Due Thank Yous ]
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