Hi Group. Several on the lists have asked about my experience with the
Dale A conversion for the R&P.
First off, Dale A of Dale's Restoration, is the developer and producer
of this
conversion, and is to be given credit for the work in providing this
modification to Tiger steering. I have talked to several Tiger owners who
have in installed the kit, and they are very happy with the final results.
The following are my installation experiences with my car, but you
should ask
Dale for anything that is associated with his modification.
The following is also a combination of Dale's instructions and my own
experience
in installing the kit. Dale's instructions are below, as are mine,
which are in
brackets, i.e. (I did the following).
First, you will receive the following parts from Dale.
1. An aluminum adapter, with bolts, to bolt the MG Miget R&P to the Tiger
crossmember, without modification to the Tiger crossmember. You can
restore the Tiger to it's original condition, as no cutting or other
modifications are required.
2. Adjustable Extensions for the ends of the R&P arms to connect the R&P
arms to the tie rod ends.
Next, you provide the following.
1. R&P from a 1961-72 MG Miget. This R&P is identified by a
"ring/collar" on
the ends of the tube that holds the R&P mechanics. This is what the
adapter grabs onto.
This R&P has provision for a grease fitting, as provided by the PO, and
I elected to pack the R&P with Mobil 1 synthetic grease, and install new
rubber boots. The R&P moves very smoothly with this addition, and if
needed, I can use a grease gun to add more lubricant.
2. MGB steering arms. There are left and right arms, and depending on
what model you get, there may or may not be an identification on the arm
itself for the left and right. I have seen both. They will not be
identical,
and should be a pair of left and right or mirror image, and certainly
not the same in
looks, i.e. 2 lefts. Pay attention to the taper in the end that accepts
the
tie rod ends. This will come up latter.
Make sure they are in good shape, not bent or damaged. These are cast
pieces, receive a lot of stress in the suspension duty, and need to be
in excellent shape. You can buy then new, expensive, or get them from a
used source.
3. Left and right Alpine 4 or 5 tie rod ends. Get new ones as they are cheap.
Note I - Remember, used front suspension parts, may have been in a front end
wreck, and could be damaged, so know your source, or have them checked
out by a pro, as this is too important to make a mistake.
I put my R&P on with the front crossmember out of the car, as I was
doing a ground up resto, and had rebuilt everything, and reinforced the
crossmember per previous articles appearing in the club mags.
It is easier to put the R&P in with the crossmember out of the car, as there
is some grinding and fitting, but it can be done on the car.
I would suggest that if your car has not had new a arm bushings, and a
check of the crossmember, for cracks and reinforcing, now is the time to
do
all of this. Brakes and suspension are real important, as I like to
turn and stop safety.
Now, lets get started. Again, the regular printing is from Dale's instruction,
and the (Bracket, like this, is my additions for my car).
1. Place Aluminum Rack Mounts (I called them Adapters) on Steering Rack
with cambered edge on the bottom. (Note the angle of the R&P pinion with
the stock Tiger R&P bolted to the crossmember for reference, when
putting the MG R&P onto the Dale Adapter, as the adapter allows the MG
R&P to rotate in the adapter. Fit the MG R&P pinion to the same angle as
the stock Tiger R&P pinion. Remember you are bolting the new R&P to the
steering column universals, so you want it at the same angle as the stock.)
2. Tighten bolts allowing rack to move. (With the adapter on
loose/snug, check to see if the "ring/collar as I called it, on the MG
R&P needs to be ground for the bolts to pass through without hitting the
ring/collar. I had to grind the ring/collar, with a die grinder so that
the bolts would go through the 2 halves of the adapter. Remember, you
have
the pinion in the correct angle, so your grinding will allow the bolts
to go
through the 2 half's of the adapter to place the pinion at the proper angle.)
3. Place rack on crossmember positioning pinion shaft to the same angle
as the Tiger rack, tighten bolts. (Your work in #2 above will insure
that
the angle is correct.)
4. Remove rack from crossmember, mark or note on rack to trim the
clearance needed for the remaining 4 bolts. (This is really the same as
my instructions on #2 above.)
5. Remove mounts from rack, grind, reinstall rack and mounts on
crossmember. (Same again.)
(6. The MGB steering arms are reversed, i.e. left arm to right side, so
check with your supplier to see which is the left side, etc. Another
way is
to look at the taper where the tie rod ends mount. The tie rod ends are
mounted so that the bolt is on the top, not the bottom. Since the tie
rods
will only go in one way with the taper on the steering arms, this should
give
you the proper sequence of parts.)
(7. The MGB steering arms bolt holes do not align exactly with the
stock bolt
holes in the spindles, so you will need to file the steering arm holes,
oval in shape,
to fit properly. I chose to file the rear holes, which can be done with
a good
hand file. Fit and file, fit and file, so that he steering arm bolt
holes fit
properly to the spindles. Take your time, as you don't want slopping holes.
Also, use Grade 8 bolts, that are tightened to spec, with lock-tight, to
do the job properly.)
(8. The front steering arm needs to have a 5/8" spacer to position the
steering arm properly. The spacer which has a hole for the bolt to go
through, and is 5/8" thick, and is used to align the steering arm properly.)
(9. The Alpine tie rods are now placed on the ends of the Dale R&P
extensions. They are placed so that the stud portion of the tie rods,
"go up", or the reverse of the normal installation. This is done to
allow the R&P to be at the proper horizontal plane, and not at an
abbreviated vertical angle.)
(10. If you are using the brake rotor dust shields, you will have to cut
the sheet metal shield to clear the a arm, tie rod connection/junction,
as this junction, is now forward and farther outside of the car than
the original junction. This is what makes the difference in ackerman
angle in this installation.)
(11. You now need to make sure the steering wheel is centered, and then
adjust the toe in of the car. This is also a good time to check the
alignment of the car, as it may have changed with the addition of a new
R&P and other various parts, or may have been off anyway. In any event,
with your new R&P, you want to have the correct alignment.)
Note II - I am using a 13.75" vs the stock 15.75" diameter steering
wheel,
and 195/50-15 tires in the front. The steering effort at rest is
increased,
but after the car is under way, 3 plus mph, the effort of steering is
very
good, and because the turn to turn is less, 2:7 vs 3:7 turn lock to
lock,
the response is very quick, but not twitchy.
I put the front tires on a turntable, to check the final ackerman angle.
The new Dale A kit puts the ackerman angle at a neutral angle, and not
the wrong ackerman angle that the stock Tiger suffer from. A gain of 3
degrees, in the right direction.
The ideal ackerman angle allows the inside wheel to turn at a smaller
radius than the outside tire. The stock Tiger is just the reverse, and
lets the tire scrub on turns, giving the wrong geometry for the
suspension.
The failure that has been reported on the lower fulcrum pin, is also
reported
to be a result of the ackerman angle being incorrect, especially when
the car
is backing up with the wheels turned a lot.
I hope this helps you install the kit with relative ease. I think this
is a
worthwhile addition to making the Tiger an even better car.
Larry
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