Bulkhead steering bush alternatives?

[GrahamFountain]

Are there any even stronger, longer lasting inserts for the steering bush in the bulkhead than the blue poly ones? I got one fitted 3 weeks ago, and it's gone already. Something in polyamide/Nylon perhaps?

Graham

[Carledo]

Are there any even stronger, longer lasting inserts for the steering bush in the bulkhead than the blue poly ones? I got one fitted 3 weeks ago, and it's gone already. Something in polyamide/Nylon perhaps?

Graham

I've fitted dozens of these, but i've never had to do one twice! Even the standard ones will last a year or two!

There has to be something else amiss here.

Steve

[new to this]

Ive bought one not fitted it yet waiting on powder coating on parts, what way did you fit it ? im surprised its gone after 2-3 weeks,

[GrahamFountain]

Ive bought one not fitted it yet waiting on powder coating on parts, what way did you fit it ? im surprised its gone after 2-3 weeks,

I've fitted dozens of these, but i've never had to do one twice! Even the standard ones will last a year or two!

There has to be something else amiss here.

Steve

I know this isn't helpful, but I took the rack gaiters, the rod ends, the bulkhead bush, and the car to the garage and said, fit this lot to that and MOT it.

They could have made a hash of the job, but they are one of the better locals garages. They did that lot and got the column aligned with the indicator cancelling lug in the right place. That alone is a minor miracle by usual standards.

I wonder if part of the problem is that I was running without one for quite a while, and the hole the bush should fit in is damaged? If it is, is it likely to be repairable?

It passed the MOT after fixing the brake light switch, one numberplate light, and the earth to the horns, by the way.

I will need new horns soon though.

Graham

[new to this]

The worst that can happen is the hole in the steering bulkhead plate, could become elong gated, but i dont think that would make the ploy bush brake up/get damaged, ive read the poly bush can be hard to fit, maybe the garage was a bit heavey handed fitting it

[xvivalve]

The hole can go ‘keyhole’ shaped if used without a bush and a sharp edge can destroy a new bush in no time.

The good news is the plate that the hole is in is a bolt on and I must have a dozen or so good used ones.

The poly version can be a tight fit, I used a long socket to drift my last one in. If they left it lose ie not properly home, a few turns would see it gone.

Properly fitted, they are fit and forget compared to OE

[Carledo]

Ive bought one not fitted it yet waiting on powder coating on parts, what way did you fit it ? im surprised its gone after 2-3 weeks,

I've fitted dozens of these, but i've never had to do one twice! Even the standard ones will last a year or two!

There has to be something else amiss here.

Steve

I wonder if part of the problem is that I was running without one for quite a while, and the hole the bush should fit in is damaged? If it is, is it likely to be repairable?

Graham

This is possible, more than possible! I've seen the plates with egg shaped holes and razor sharp edges. When I bought the Carledo, it's lower bush (and you can disbelieve if you want) was made of body filler! The state of the plate when I chipped it all off was predictably awful, i'd wasted my time cleaning it!

I can probably find you a usable plate if it turns out you need one.

Steve

[GrahamFountain]

Thanks. I was wondering about that plate, though I couldn't see it as a part at gRimmer's. If either of yous has a good one I can buy, please PM me.

Graham

[Carledo]

I'll let Alun have this one , I have only one or maybe 2 good ones left in stock!

Steve

[Carledo]

Ive bought one not fitted it yet waiting on powder coating on parts, what way did you fit it ? im surprised its gone after 2-3 weeks,

I'm not getting dragged into that old chestnut of an argument again!

Even Triumph won't give a definitive answer to that, parts books and manuals contradict each other. The 75 Sprint parts book shows it fitted from inside and the 76> parts book shows it fitted from outside. ETC. My advice, choose which appeals most to your engineering sensibilities.

FWIW, I fit them from inside.

Steve

[soe8m]

All I can contribute is that all my LHD Dolomites and the two RHD I have/had were fitted from the outside. A few were original for sure and some would likely be replaced in their lifetime but can't see why if an original one was fitted from the inside that replacement would be replaced pushing the new one in from the outside.

I never ever have seen one fitted from the inside. Replaced recently one from a RHD bodged UK car and that one was fitted from the outside also.

I can think of that lazy mechanics or the home mechanics without a ramp are tempted to fit the easy way from the inside.

Tr7 and tr8 have the same and are fitted from the outside. A Rover sd1 uses also the same with a seperate plate/bracket and guess, also from the outside.

Jeroen.

[Mad Mart]

I've had this debate lots of times over the years & I'm with Jeroen. I've had many Sprints pass through my hands and have never come across a bush fitted from the inside. I'm not a mechanic like Steve or Jeroen, but I know what I know about Sprints. If you want to fit it from the inside, that's up to you, it's your car.

[GrahamFountain]

On the issue of why the bush failed - if what side it fits from isn't part of that -, do the washers mentioned in the ROM, plastic one inboard and steel one outboard, have any possible impact? I can't see either in the car, and don't know if they were there before.

If they are significant, any ideas where to get them washers? Or dimensions if no suppliers?

Graham

[Carledo]

Just replaced another OE one today with a Superflex, probably NOT the original but it was fitted from inside. I don't REMEMBER doing this car myself in the past, so somebody else agrees with me!

Well chewed up, but someone had managed to fit a pressed lower UJ coupling without shortening the intermediate shaft, the clamp above the upper UJ was halfway through the bulkhead, which, I think, accounts for the damage to the bush.

Which way round the bush is fitted seems to bear no relationship to wear rates.

If a car i'm working on has the washers, I replace them, if it doesn't, I don't! Certainly i've never gone looking for them, it doesn't seem to make much (or indeed ANY) difference to performance. Having said that, there must be SOME reason they were fitted or Triumph wouldn't have wasted the 0.03d on them. I just don't know what it was! Todays car had the nylon washer inside but no washer outside.

Steve

[new to this]

I assumed the bush would have been fitted from inside the car, my reasoning would have been so the bush cant fall out, but now hearing what you lot say, maybe it was fitted from the out side so when connecting the steering knuckle you dont push the bush out ? who knows

both ways have a good point