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According to the official BLMC Toledo & Dolomite manuals and Toledo handbook,...............
The thing is Nigel, there is was only ever two steering rack pinion ratios.
Toledo, 1500TC and all Dolomite racks are exactly the same, as are the other components.
Ian.
I cannot offer any useful testimony, about how many combinations of steering-rack tooth-pitches or number of pinion-teeth, were used by BLMC-Triumph for the Triumph 1300, 1500, 1500TC, Toledo 13/1500 or Dolomite 1300/1500/1850/Sprint. I can only reiterate, that three official BLMC-Triumph documents in my possession, collectively refer to FOUR different steering-rack ratios of 3, 3¼, 3½ & 3¾ (i.e. 3•00, 3•25, 3•50 & 3•75) turns from lock to lock, for the Triumph Toledo & Dolomite.
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My car is presently supported on four axle stands, with all four wheels removed. Turning my steering wheel from lock to lock, I observe something very close to 3-2/3 or 3•66 turns (almost exactly 2/3 of the way between 3½ and 3¾ turns) as seen by placing my finger firmly against my thigh and opposite one of the three steering-wheel spokes, at maximum lock and then turning the steering wheel to reach the maximum opposite lock.
When I further examined my car, I noticed that when on full left-hand lock, the nearside, outboard track-rod-end ball-joint is in intimate contact with the nearside “lower-wishbone” (or “track control arm”, according to “Carledo”), but on full right-hand lock, there is a gap of about ¼-inch between the offside, outboard track-rod-end ball-joint and the offside “lower-wishbone”.
This suggests to me that the steering-rack might not be properly centred and that effectively lengthening of the nearside track-rod in combination with shortening the offside track-rod would achieve this, whilst retaining correct toe-in, and might even increase the effective steering-rack ratio from 3•66 to 3•75 turns lock-to-lock. However, the over-riding consideration is to have the steering-wheel spokes horizontal, when the road-wheels are in the straight ahead position.
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Regards.
Nigel A. Skeet
Independent tutor of mathematics, physics, technology & engineering, for secondary, tertiary, further & higher education.
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Upgraded 1974 Triumph Toledo 1300 (Toledo / Dolomite HL / Sprint hybrid)
Onetime member + magazine editor & technical editor of Volkswagen Type 2 Owners' Club