[Healeys] Steering alignment

[John Harper]

Dick

The ancestor to the 'big' Healey front suspension and steering was the 
A40 Devon. With little modification this was applied to our cars. It was 
beefed up from the BN2 on but still basically the same. Originally the 
A40 design included adjustable length steering side tubes. This allowed 
the high spot in the steering box to be set dead ahead.

Due presumably to a cost reduction exercise, the fixed length side tubes 
were introduced on the A40 and A70 in May 1953 (Austin Service Journal 
Volume 23 steering 13). Therefore all but perhaps the prototype 100 had 
fixed length side tubes and therefore we were 'doomed' to have this 
centring problem.

For very bad cases the old adjustable side tubes can still be 
occasionally found or new ones can be made up using shortened cross 
tubes with new ends.

Regards

>
>Like you I fiddled with getting the peg on the tight spot with tracking
>straight ahead.  I could not get it exact on.  If I remember it is because the
>output steering box shaft is 'keyed' at four locations - meaning the steering
>arm can go on the output shaft in one of only 4 positions - if I remember.
>Anyway the keyed locations were not close enough to get the peg and tight spot
>and straight-ahead tracking all in the same spot.  Shimming to set the tight
>spot was not an option as there are shims in the steering box on only one end
>of the worm.  I didn't want to bend the steering arm to set it.  Could shim
>the whole box out from the frame I guess.
>
>
>
>It's nice to have the peg, the tight spot and tracking together so that free
>play loosens as steering is turned either way from straight ahead.

-- 
John Harper