I have had a new 16.9:1 ratio steering box from ICS steering fitted a while back and just wanted to know if there is any adjustment that can be made to reduce the steering input required to keep the thing on the straight and narrow or is this just the way they are.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi a1lry,
It sounds like you may want more caster (wheel alignment) and not adjusting the steering box. The caster adjustment helps keep the vehicle/tires going straight down the road. If there is too much play (side to side) movement of the steering wheel before the wheels/tires react, then it maybe a steering box adjustment

 

I have just noticed that one of the threads on the front of the front cross member that goes through the sandwich mount has been stripped and the nut is just turning, would this be a possble cause and how can I change the bolt without removing the crossmember ?

Thanks

 

Unfortunately the bolt is welded to the crossmember, you would have to fabricate a replacement and weld it in, it may be possible to do on the car, but not easy, probably easier to drop the cross member out which is pretty straight forward, however this alone is unlikely to cause the wandering steering.

If there is too much play as Bob S says, check the steering linkage with someone moving the steering wheel side to side just enough to get a small amount of movement, and see where the play is, it could be in any part of the steering from the steering column to the track rods ends.

 

Many thanks for the help.
Does the bolt run through a sleeve that is welded to the cross member or is that part of the bolt as well.
I am not sure how much movement in the steering is normal for a steering box, had a different setup before and didn't notice anything like this.

 

The bolt is not actually a bolt, it is a shaft welded to the crossmember with a thread on the end.




There should not be much play as such in the steering box, however due to the number of linkages in the steering generally and the age of these cars, some play is inevitable, but worn joints will give excessive play and should be replaced, there are a number of joints in the whole steering linkage so get someone to wiggle the steering and check each joint for any play then you can see where any potential issues are and address them.

 

Many thanks for this TilleyJon.

 

[QUOTE=a1lry;2079701]I have just noticed that one of the threads on the front of the front cross member that goes through the sandwich mount has been stripped and the nut is just turning, would this be a possble cause and how can I change the bolt without removing the crossmember ? /QUOTE]


Not sure if there is room with out removing cross-member, but running a smaller die to reduce bolt thread size may be easier than welding new bolt, ie. 1/2" NF NUT would have 20 threads per inch as would a 7/16 NF NUT. The sizing of the bolt is for shear loads, so one size smaller nut should not be a strength issue. Once cross threaded and/ or use of 1/2" socket drive, the threads are easily stripped. Old aviation custom, was to paint the special nut red to help the next guy see something was amiss.
Rgds David

 

It's probably also worth pointing out that, unless they have been uprated, it's quite likely that your Tie Rod Pin & Bush assemblies (Part number 133101 or C17099) at each end of the centre tie rod will be worn or sloppy and causing (or contributing to) the 'constant need for correction' effect you describe. My last set of standard ones lasted 6,000 miles. I've now fitted the uprated ones.



All that said, I think even with everything in absolutely perfect condition, it's unlikely you will get that rock-solid stability you get from a rack and pinion setup in a modern car. You will always need to correct a little from time to time.