Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello, all. I've been rather busy but I have finally sat down to have a look at what's going on in Moggieland!

Firstly, Watford Classic Cars, St Albans, can supply a RHD spridget rack for 60 GB quid, no exchange. Maybe it's less if you give them back a Moggie rack....you'd have to ask. Very nice service. I have no affiliation with this company.

However, me being me, I have decided not to go down the easy route, for several reasons. Firstly, I have two Minors needing racks, so that would cost me 200 quid using the services of Watford Classic Cars (postage to Poland is 40 quid each).
Secondly, because I have a friend with a lathe here, I can carry out my plan at very low cost.
Thirdly, I love messing about - a great way to learn!

So, here is the plan.....as yet in it's formative phase.

Take a standard Minor RHD rack and 'flip' it. Take out the pinion and slacken off the large bolt which holds the adjacent rack tensioner spring and plunger. Re-insert the pinion upside down. Screw in the tensioner to take up most of the free play. Even without the two necessary modified bushes in place, this works just dandy......except fot the angle of the column coming up from the floor. The steering wheel ends up towards the speedo, rather than towards the door!

Never mind. In Poland I can get a shaft with universal joints at each end from a Fiat 126p steering column assembly. This will be used to connect the Minor column to the rack, by shortening the column shaft and doing some carefully-thought-out welding with a 'tube sleeve' over the join just to make sure. A second mounting point will be needed for the column outer tube, but that's a simple operation. I have a spare column clamp, which I can use at the bottom of the outer tube. I get the feeling I may need to weld a steel plate into the inner dash area to provide a rigid mounting point in the optimum place.

Having said all that, I think a shaft with a single universal joint would be better than a shaft with the two. I am researching this on the web. A single universal joint seems good up to 35 degrees of deflection, which seems way more than enough.

It works out that what was the bottom pinion bush can be 'lathed' and reamed out to become the top pinion bush. It's a simple matter to make the new bottom bush. I plan to make a plug to hold and seal this from an engine block core plug - I'll angle-grind it to the right size and tap into place with a sharp hammer blow. I once had to reduce the size of a core plug using a hand file!

Any comments and observations would be most welcome. Personally, I am satisfied that the modification will be totally safe. An advantage of doing is actually improved safety.......the universal joint and shaft should collapse in the event of a severe head-on collision, and the steering wheel not be forced up towards the driver's upper body.

By the way, a quick tip. I took the steering column to pieces, because I had never done this and was curious. Also, there was free play between the shaft and the upper felt bush. The remedy - simplicity itself! Just take out the felt bushes from the column outer tube, oil them, turn them inside out, and put them back in! Snug as the proverbial bug!

I bought a RHD midget steering rack for £2.60 on ebay...
I think that + postage might be less trouble!

Steering column bush - new felt is not so expensive, but to remake the bush using the old felt is 'normal'. Last week I did that with a Trabant 601 steering column (plastic) bush, and modified the old parts to remove the clearance.

If you ad 1 UJ to the column it is not much more 'safe' ina crash. If you want to add 2 universal joints to the column, this can help more. The column needs to be supported differently (the normal column support is not desinged to give any axial support)

Sounds like a LOT of work - to save v little.
I believe Mini top bush - plastic - can be fitted to the top end of the Minor column - it's essentially the same design on both Mini and Minor.

The last time I imported parts, sent by Dad from England, I got stung for a 100 per cent import tax by the Polish customs. Maybe things have changed since Poland joined the EEC, but I decided I don't want all the bother. The last time, I had to go all the way to Warsaw (40 miles) because the parcel was intercepted and not delivered straight to where we live, and then wait for ages. They waited until I got there and I opened the parcel.

Further, what if the rack never arrived? Should I pay insurance just in case, and how long would that take to resolve from Poland, in the event of loss in transit? At what cost on the phone?

You could say I have an aversion to importing anything.

So, coupled with the fact that I will save money, I will enjoy doing the modification with good friends. nice and relaxed - it can be a long winter in Poland !

Edit PS: re the felt bushes....I always try to use things to the end if possible. I just superglued back together the little clear plasic tube with fits into the top of the steering column shaft. It was in four pieces. I repaired it even though I have two spares!
Perhaps this comes from my early days in Poland, fifteen years ago. I came in a Moggie (still in the garage here). With no spares at all in Poland, I had to do the best I could. I once modified two gearbox mountings from another car, by cutting and (slowly!) welding. I suppose I got into this kind of stuff.....imagine you're in the middle of Africa with a Moggie problem - no help, no shop, just basic tools. How do it? Necessity really is the mother of invention, and it's more fun than just shopping!

imagine you're in the middle of Africa with a Moggie problem - no help, no shop, just basic tools. How do it?

That does make it far more interesting

However, Poland is now part of the EU and I doubt that shipping is anywhere near as problematic as it used to be.

You are probably right, Ray, but as I said I like the messing about.
It all adds an extra dimension to doing cars. Today I went to the local scrapyard, to check what the guy had in the way of steering column paraphernalia.
As I walked into the shed, I saw this steering column on the bench. It looked interesting. I asked how much. He said (GB rates): two quid. Took it home.........I have almost no work to do to complete the modification.
The column came off an Opel Corsa, whatever that is. The UJ unit at the end is perfect for my needs. I can do the modification without any welding! Just have to turn the Morris column shaft on a lathe, to reduce the diameter for the bolted join. I will then have to file two flats, by not very much!

The thing that really amazed me.......the splines and diameter on the Opel shaft which take the steering wheel are EXACTLY the same as the diameter and splines of the Morris steering rack pinion.
No use whatsoever to me.....I just enjoyed being amazed at the coincidence!
Having thought briefly about this .....the Opel Corsa steering wheel can be fitted to the steering rack directly, doing away with the need for a column.
All I'd need is a strong spine and a periscope! Or I could just steer with my feet!!!! Shift the pedals over for the passenger to deal with! Or rather leave them where they are now - much less work!

I simply adore doing Moggies!