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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Steering Rack Gaiter - 9 or 11 Concertina?

Hi folks, I'm sure you'll manage to clear this up in no time - after finding a pin hole in my 1969 LHD steering rack gaiter, I ordered a new gaiter kit to replace it. As always, the job you thought would be done in an hour is still unfinished, weeks later.

The gaiter that came off my rack had 11 concertina per gaiter, the replacement one had 9 and wouldn't fit over the rack internals. I'd made sure and ordered a gaiter kit for an early rack, have I been sent the wrong one?

This is my steering rack here:

http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/steering-rack-d3a44b.html

11 concertinas clearly visible. I thought maybe it was a LHD rack thing, but I saw a '67 midget at the Linlithgow Classic Car gathering today and immediately stuck my head in the engine bay and started counting concertinas on his rack gaiters. He had 11 too, so I'm thinking I've been sent the wrong ones.

That said, the Moss catalogue shows the gaiter kit for the early rack as having 9 concertina:
http://www.moss-europe.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?search_group=&q=aca6029

I'm officially confused!

Cheers,

Robin
Robin

Hey robin,

Unless your car is concourse... I wouldnt give much thought to 9 or 11... there all made in china these days by 8 year old girls payed 25 cents a 12 hour day

Whaat your watching for is the early rack... its the same for both sides, the later rack known as the triumph rack has 2 differant sizes of graitors made for a specific side of the car.

That said, some gaitors fit better then others, you have to use vasoline or a little cutting along with some nylon zip ties to force fit the gaitors

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

By not fitting over the rack internals, I'm assuming that you mean they are too short. If so I'd send them back and ask for the right length ones. And you shouldn't have to stretch them fit fit to length, just a bit to go over the diameter of the rack.
Martin Washington

I bought some "universal replacement " ones from the local motor factors...

They were difficult to fit, i ended up turning them inside out where they go over the rack body, but once you have the technique sorted out they go on ok.
Andy Phillips (frankenfrog)

Thanks guys. I'm having trouble fitting them diameter wise (as opposed to length wise) - sounds like I just wasn't trying hard enough?

The diameter of the inner end of the gaiter wasn't anywhere near big enough to squeeze over one part of the rack internals, I'll have another shot and see how I get on.

Thanks!

Robin
Robin

Robin, I don't know if you are familiar with those cone things used to stretch CV boots over the joint, but you might fashion something similar from the neck part of a pop bottle




Guy W

Thanks guy,

I wasnt even aware of that... I just lubed mine up with some vasaline (petroleum jelly) and man handled them on

Can you explain the concept a little more... like how you remove the soda bottle top once the gaitor is installed... I get the concept, but I cant visualise how to make it actually happen

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Prop,
The concept is designed for fitting the rubber boot to Constant Velocity joints on FWD driveshafts without having to fully remove the shaft from the car. In that case the narrow end of the rubber boot, designed to fit around a drive shaft of about 1" diameter, has to be stretched over the joint itself where it is around 4 1/2" fat! The cone is fitted over the fat part of the CV joint with the narrow end pointing outwards and lubed up. The rubber boot is then pushed on so that it stretches over the joint and fits back down onto the 1" shaft. The cone is then just removed out of the way.

I have done the same thing using the neck end of a pop bottle and thought that the same principle might be adapted to get a tightly fitting rack gaiter to fit onto the end of the rack
Guy W

Robin, out of curiosity I just checked my '68 Lenham which I know hasn't had new parts for around 25 years, and suspect much of it is original; the rack gaiters have 9 concertina folds.
David Smith

Thanks for the suggestion Guy, I'll make sure and save a pop bottle from the recycling!

Thanks for checking David, there must be batches of 11 and 9 fold gaiters floating about the market, 9's being most common.

When I checked the other week I distinctly remember noticing the diameter of the hole in the (inner) end of the 11-fold gaiter being obviously larger than the replacement 9-fold one. Won't have a chance to man-handle these gaiters onto the rack until next week but I'll get my calipers out and measure them both up and report my findings. I bet you guys will be on the edge of your seats awaiting the results!
Robin

Just to confuse the issue even more.
Q-H rack set with a sticker date of 16/12/2004 is 7 5/8 inches long with 14 ribs. part number ACA 6029.
Aftermarket no part number 8 1/2 inches long 14 ribs with outer two on each end smaller in diameter and rounded.
Leyland box from the '70's ACA 6029 9 rib 5 3/4 inches long.Earlier BMC Leyland box same part number 9 ribs 5 1/4 inches long. The later aftermarket pieces may have been made to fit a variety of racks as they have steps molded into them of different diameters. The originals have no steps. Does it make a difference? Only to one who wants that original look. They just need to keep the dust out.
J Bubela

I have been thinking about this too. My car is a '71 and still uses the early rack. I think it is one of the last ones to do so. It has gaiters with 9 concertinas. I don't think that the number of concertinas is particularly relevant other than possibly identifying which Moss version has been supplied. They would perform the same function. The earlier rack tube outer ends are thicker though so a narrower late style gaiter would be difficult to fit.

The other point is that I think my suggestion of using a cone to stretch the gaiter on is just plain wrong. Not a good idea! The use of a cone to stretch a CV joint boot differs in that the narrow part of the boot is stretched over the joint, but then it contracts back to fit around the drive shaft. It doesn't remain stretched beyond its natural size. Applying the same idea to an undersized rack gaiter would leave it still stretched, probably deformed and certainly weaker and prone to splitting. Apologies for that brain fart!

Bottom line: It seems they have supplied the wrong ones. They need to be a close fit onto the rack end, but not overly stretched.
Never mind the concertinas, feel the width.
Guy W

Thanks guy

I was a bit confused as to how that would work...but still seemed logical on the surface

You are correct... in 1972 the rack changed to the later triumph rack that went to the end of production in 78

I had forgotten until you mentioned it

but my gaitors had a step downs (maybe 5 steps) that I had to cut off at the proper step for the correct size diameter over the tie-rod... I still had grease it woth vasoline then zip tie it into place

I can imagine robin is stretching and heving on those gaitors as we speak, curing us all to hades... poor robin, haha (sorry buddy)

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Haven't been back to the parentals to try fitting the gaiter again - once this gaiter is on and the car is MoTd I'll be able to get it into my own garage and hence work on it more often!

I'll probably not get a chance to have another shot until this weekend, but I might phone up Moss tomorrow and see what they say.

Thanks for mulling it over in my absence though, people!

Cheers,

Robin
Robin

This thread was discussed between 30/08/2015 and 08/09/2015

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