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MG MGB Technical - Steering column - 1970 U.S. version

The steering column bearing at the steering wheel on my 1970 MGB is loose. This column is a collapsable version with an outside tube and inside steel insert that are nominally secured with two plastic pins. The wheel can be rocked up and down and side to side. I have located two columns from junked cars of the same period. One is a bit tighter and the other about the same. There is a column on a junked rubber bumper car that is tight at the wheel. The aluminum bearing cap at the wheel-end of the column has four rivets instead of the three small screws on the older version. The bearing also seems to be of larger diameter so all in all, it is a more robust design.

It appears that the splines at the wheel end are fine on the rubber bumper column while they are course on the 1970 columns. This would necessitate replacing the steering wheel hub and perhaps the wheel itself. I haven't dismantled the rack end of the rubber bumper column at the U-joint assembly to check splines.

Does anyone else have trouble with loose column bearings and if so, what is the best fix? If there is experience adapting the later column to the earlier collapsable version, I would appreciate comments.
Glenn Mallory

Length may be the biggest factor between chrome bumper and rubber bumper. The UJ is recessed much more into the bulkhead on my 75 V8 than it is on my 73 roadster. That implies the RB is shorter, and the rack shaft longer.

Between my 73 and 75 the splines are basically the same, although with the wheels swapped over one of them at least locks when pushed down onto the taper, whereas the other wobbles very slightly until the nut is tightened.

As far as North American cars go there is a list somewhere that indicates that from 1970 to the end of production the splines were the same at 11/16" by 36, as was the thread at 9/16" by 18 tpi. That list indicates 68 and 69 cars were 5/8" by 36 and 9/16" by 27 tpi, and before that were 3/4" by 48 and 11/16" by 27 tpi. That list largely agrees with what Clausager and the Parts Catalogue says.

Your comment about fine and coarse splines doesn't really match up with that, as it shows the earliest column having the finest splines at 48, then they were the same from 68 onwards at 36.
Paul Hunt

You have described a situation with which I am very familiar with in my 1973 B. I struggled with this problem because I certainly did not want to do anything that would compromise the collapsible column.

The flat sided shaft to which the steering wheel is attached originally had a white (nylon?) bush at the bottom. This locates the bush centrally in the column outer part and a) takes up the slop and b) enables the column to collapse.

What I did that I feel like will fix your issue is to remove the upper shaft with steering wheel still on by pulling straight out after all the bits have been removed at the top of the column.

Remove any remaining pieces of the white bush from the groove in the shaft. Buy some fiberglass body patch. Use ONLY the resin. Dip the end of the shaft with the groove into the resin and then, in one movement, insert the shaft and steering wheel into the outer part and shove it home. Let it sit at least overnight to ensure that the resin has hardened. This solved my problem about 20 years ago.

Fortunately for me, the fix has never been tested. That being said, I think that the resin will break loose and allow the shaft to slide in the column if there ever was an accident.

I see Paul Hunt is still here. I haven't been on the board in SEVERAL years and it's good to see the names of some of the old-timers. Paul may not remember me but I was VERY regular back in the 90's.
Richard Smith 1

Hi Richard - sorry I don't really recall you, but then it has been some time :o)

When I repaired my full energy absorbing column I could not get the top section out. I removed a circlip and it would move up and down a little, but that was as far as I got. There were some large pop-rivets at the upper end (top and left here, not the arrowed circlip), but I stopped short of removing those, as I was able to repair it through the mesh.


Paul Hunt

Paul,

You're good - don't really expect a recollection as you reply to an incredible number of folks.

Funny, mine had nothing seriously holding it in. But now that you say it I had to pull quite sharply on it to get it out.
Richard Smith 1

I disassembled the column and cleaned and lubricated the bearings. The bearings were clogged with dirt and hardened grease. I used epoxy along the lines of Richard's recommendation to bond the two pieces. I also replaced the U-joint that had play in it. The column is very tight now and hopefully it will last.
Glenn Mallory

I had the same issue and resolved it with new bearings at the top and bottom. These are delrin bushing supposed to never wear out. It took a steering column with incredible play to solid.

Gerry in Louisiana used to sell them but retired. I thought I saw them in the Moss catalog. Well worth the day's job.
Max71

This thread was discussed between 26/08/2015 and 15/09/2015

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