MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
1970 GT
I noticed I have about 1/16 of an inch of play in the column. Is there anyway to tighten it up? I looked in the Moss Catalog and for the 70 model they don't sell any bearings, or anything for that matter. Is it okay to drive withthis much play? Or should I look for a better used one?
Thanks Ken
Hi Ken the 70 dosn't have bearings only the RB's have bearings but I'm sure you can still get the bushes the early cars use.
yep,thought so ,heres the column on the uk site,
column parts
Might PM Gerry Masterman to see if he has any of his kits available.
Thanks for the info. Les I will look into the UK site. The funny thing is the pictures you show in the UK site for up to 71 look like the same for 62-67 US Moss. Now I am really confused. Clay is Gerry still on this web site? I tried to PM him by his full name and nothing came up. I do remember reading things he said and he was in Louisiana. Another one of the questions I asked is this Okay to drive like this? Or is there a safety issue I might be missing
Thanks Ken
I think its the same if you look at the list it states 62 to 71,could be worth checking because as far as I know the spoked MK1 wheel won't fit from 69,but that might just be the splines.
I wouldn't worry about that much play. It's safe to drive.
Gerry posted just a few days ago...
http://www.mgexperience.net/phorum/read.php?1,1275575,1275575#msg-1275575
For the USA market a collapsible column was used in the MGB from 1968 on. They do have
bearings in each end. The bearings are on the small side, they wear the race and cause the
looseness Ken describes. It isn't unsafe to drive, but you will get some clunking on bumpy roads.
Replacement bearings don't seem to be available anywhere.
In a recent thread it was mentioned that the collapsible columns were made in the USA.
Gerry used to make bushings to replace the bearings, or he would rework a worn column.
Sometimes you can find a used column in better condition. In some old John Twist
technical articles there was a discussion on peening the upper bearing sleeve to remove
the play. That was long before Gerry offered his parts. I used the John Twist information
to tighten the bearings in a MGB column, it worked very well for many miles. If you do too much
hammering in the wrong place you can ruin the bearing.
The photo below shows the upper end of a disassembled column. The top bearing is still
installed in the column.
Clifton
In the photo below the pointer shows the area that is peened to tighten the bearing.
I used a small ball peen hammer and kept rotating the bearing as I hammered. It
took me about an hour to get the bearing tight enough to remove the play.
I'm not suggesting this is the correct procedure for making a repair but it worked
for me. It made a noticeable improvement in the steering of the car I tried it on.
Clifton
