[Healeys] Fw: Steering allignment

[Dick Matson]

Tie rod adjustments can affect/change the position of the friction point
relative to the peg.

To answer your specific - how critical is it ? - the answer is: it's
important.  The reason is because if the peg and friction spot are not close
or together when the car is in alignment  - and IF you then adjust freeplay of
the steering box to snug, then in turning the steering wheel in that direction
the snugness you have set will get even snugger as the peg approaches the
friction spot.

Let the discussion begin.

Dick Matson / Bj8


----- Original Message -----
From: PG<mailto:britishcars at shaw.ca>
To: 'Mark LaPierre'<mailto:lapierrem at sbcglobal.net> ;
healeys at Autox.Team.Net<mailto:healeys at Autox.Team.Net>
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2010 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Steering allignment


Hi Mark,

Are you certain that the "friction point" is not in the center? Can you
"feel" it?  Is it possible that the steering wheel is not centered on the
spline and that a previous owner moved it in the past?

I'm having a hard time seeing how adjusting the alignment would change the
center spot of the steering.   Whether you turn the cross rod and move both
ball joints at the same time or adjust one ball joint, I don't think it
should affect the center alignment.

The center point is more dictated by the steering lever which only fits in
the correct positon. I can visualize how an incorrect (too short or too
long) tie rod would affect the centerpoint, but not the cross rod.

I'd be curious on other feedback on this issue.


-----Original Message-----
From: healeys-bounces at autox.team.net<mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net>
[mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Mark LaPierre
Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2010 4:37 AM
To: healeys at Autox.Team.Net<mailto:healeys at Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: [Healeys] Steering allignment

Thanks tons to those  who chimed in on my exhaust question.   The tunnel is
going back on.

I also had the front end checked  while at the local shop just to satisfy my
own curiosity as to
how close I was able to get it set in the garage with the List suggestions.

The tech was able to get it set to about  -.02  on both sides.  I know this
is
"toe out" rather than
"toe in "but they said it was really , really close to being set to zero.
The machine fluctuated so much that this was as close as they could get it
to
the 1/16 " toe in".   I should also mention
that  the only adjustments that they made were done by turning the cross bar
back and forth.
The " cross rod ball joints" were never removed to make individual side to
side adjustments.

I was pretty happy at the time that they were able to get it so close
however,
the steering wheel is now about 3 to 4 inches to the left of dead center
where
I had it set. So this means that the
"slight friction point" of the Healey steering box is now set slightly to
the
left of where it should be and not in the  center of the turning distance.

How critical is it to have the " friction spot" directly in the middle of
the
steering movement?

Mark