[TR] speaking of tr-3 steering

[Randall]

> Just wondering what others have found wrong.  Is
> replacement of peg and worm done 100% of the time?

I would say, as a minimum, replace the bushing, seal and peg.  In my case,
the worm should have been changed as well, but they weren't readily
available at the time so I kept the old one.  The wear in the original worm
did result in a small amount of play in the steering at the straight-ahead
position; but it was still far better than before.  Depending on how bad
things are, you may need a new arm as well.

>  Did you 
> find the overhaul
> of the steering box to be as daunting as suggested in some 
> tech. stuff I read?

Not sure what you read; for me the hardest part was getting the Pitman arm
(which I think the Triumph literature calls a "drop arm") off the shaft.  I
didn't have a proper Pitman arm puller, and the jaws of my two-arm gear
puller didn't want to stay on the "ears" of the arm, so I wound up making
some braces to lock them in place.  Tightened the screw until I thought
something was going to break, then smacked the end of the screw with a BFH
and it popped apart.

> I'm also a little worrried about adjustment after 
> overhaul, how complex is that?

IMO, the best method is with a dial indicator and magnetic base.  I got mine
from Enco, who frequently has them on sale for under $30:
http://tinyurl.com/yll8etz

Back off the adjusting screw and use the dial indicator on the end of the
column to measure the end float; then remove shims to equal (or slightly
exceed) the measured clearance.

Another way is to remove all the shims and assemble the box with the 4 bolts
just finger-tight, then measure the clearance between the end plate & box on
all 4 sides.  Fiddle with the bolts until you get equal measurements, then
install a shim pack equal (or slightly less than) the measured clearance.

Once you've got the end float set to zero (or slightly negative), tighten
the adjusting screw gradually while turning the box back and forth through
center with just your fingers on the shaft.  When you can just barely feel
it bind on center, the adjustment is correct.  With my worn worm, there were
two tight spots, one on either side of center.

Not hard at all IMO, if you keep in mind what you are doing.

When re-installing, keep in mind that almost every bolt is a loose fit in
it's hole, to allow for getting everything lined up.  Leave them loose until
it's all installed, then wiggle things around to find the center before
tightening the bolts.

Also, I don't know how much difference it made, but I used free-turning
replacements for the Silentbloc units.  I got the brass and SS ones from
BFE, but the Delrin ones from TRF and ARE that are available now should work
just as well and are significantly less expensive.

I also used full synthetic GL-5 gear oil in my rebuilt box, which I feel
helped as well.

Randall