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MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - Steering Column Top Bush

Has anyone made a rigid bush for the top of the steering column? If so what material did they use. Even though I have a new felt in mine there is still some shake and I have considered turning a bush up from Teflon?

Jan T
J Targosz

I take back my suggestion of Teflon. I have just priced a piece and the cost would be £35! Only available in 500 mm lengths


Jan T
J Targosz

UHMW is very slippery and much less expensive.

I use it a lot in tooling for woodworking.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

I have a bronze bush installed. And until I read this post I thought it was original to the car. I never thought that it was a replacement for the felt. You may be able to buy a bronze bushing that size (bigger actually) from a bearing supply, and use that as a blank to machine one that fits.
...CR
C.R. Tyrell

Jim B.

A little OT, but.

Since you mentioned UHMW I thought I would share with you and others of the only pit fall I have found with this product. HEAT! If you know the product you also know that with heat comes expansion. UHMW expands considerably more than many other plastics and can cause serious problems when used in a warm/hot atmosphere. I found this out the hard way.

Flaming River's Steering Columns used UHMW for the center support bushing on their steering columns. In doing so they forgot to take into consideration what exhaust temperature would do to the bushing. It took me two years and a few thousand dollars replacing just about everything steering related to stumble on the problem. Steering worked great until it got a little hot down there (in about 10/15 minutes)and then you needed a crow bar to turn the wheel. Well not really, but it made the car very unsafe to drive. The wheel would not move without a lot of effort creating a constant over correction.
I put this forth only as a precaution when using this product. Leave plenty of space for expansion.

btw, its a great product when used for it's intended purpose. Snowmobile runners are a great example.

Dan
Dan Nordstrom

I had not thought about that Dan but looking it up you are absolutely correct.
It Coefficient of thermal expansion is double that of Teflon, which is already quite large.

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

I have lived with the shaking top bush for 40+ years or longer. Is there something inherently wrong with the felt that is sold? It seems too thin to me.
Christopher Couper

Chris I recently sourced Australian Merino woolen felt for the tool box lining from Melbourne & found it comes in 1/4" thickness & in 3 grades. Sold by the metre I was able to get 3 sets of lining with plenty left over. I was going to use some of that to make dozens of both steering bushes & the ones for the wiper arm. The densest of the 3 felt samples sounds as though it would be very suitable. Also had made a quantity of handbrake bushes in Acetal. Not sure how it handles heat though. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

I've had a strip of oiled leather in there since 1972.....

David
David Provan

Back in may of 1975 Len Renkenberger wrote about this subject and he recommended an oilite bushing of 1 I/8 inside diameter and 1 5/16 outside diameter. Try this part # Bost B-1821-8, in 1975 it would have cost $1.94. The only reason I know this is because it is on the same page as the list of roller bearings he recommended to replace the ball bearings on the TD/TF front wheels.
F. Driver

I did what Dave. did. A piece of leather from an old belt with the smooth side towards the shaft has worked perfectly for over 40 years.
Bruce TD4139 Cunha

Dave, so when we had the TF we did not replace the non original part with felt? Oh Dear.......
Rod Brayshaw

Rod, if you had it would have quit long ago. But I've still got a bit of the original hide, if you want to upgrade.

Regards, David

PS Did you ever see my U2? I put an MGA 1600 engine in it, with a Mungell and Slaughter cam and a single 45 DCOE.
It usually ran with the FF's. Sold it in Wellington after I flew into the hill, and the buyers ran it as an MG Special. Picked up all the local MG trophies.


David Provan

Isn't getting a felt or leather bush into the steering column tube a problem? I don't want to have to remove, or slacken off the bottom clamp which on a TF will probably mean taking the bonnet side off. I simply want to turn up a proper bush and either poke out the felt with a large fishing hook or even push it further down and then tap in my new bush.


Jan T
J Targosz

Dave, I do remember the car (Manfeild?) but no idea where it went, not listed that I can see in Vercoe's book.

Rod Brayshaw

Jan: The bottom one seems to be OK. The top, which is easily changed if you use felt or leather that is cut (at an angle). Just pull the spring cover back and fish out the old and slide in the new.
Christopher Couper

I have now made a "Top Hat" bush from a piece of nylon that I scrounged from a local engineering shop. I pulled the felt out and tapped the new bush in. The clamp runs on the rim of the bush. What a difference! The wheel is now rock solid. I am surprised replacement bushes aren't available from suppliers.

Jan T
J Targosz

I have a flanged ball bearing in my TD. Ace Hardwear has them for small hard rubber wheels. Don,t remember the size. There was a post on this a few years ago. Dave
DL Rezin

Speaking of felt for the upper steering column - I purchased the felt bushing from Moss for my TF and it is so thick it will never fit. Perhaps if I cut the thickness in half it would fit. I pulled the old bushing out and it seemed fine so I put it back in. The leather belt trick sounds good for the future.
D.C. MacNamee

I put a new Moss felt upper bush in the steering column of my TF a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised how easily it went in. I felt that it could have been thicker. Don't know if there are differences I the bush or differences in the steering column assemblies.

Are you going to GOF-South Apr 17-19?
www.gofsouth.com

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

There are differences for sure. The first felt bush that I bought was too thin, so when next at the mg spares Day (Stoneleigh, Coventry, UK), I bought another from the MG Octagon club, of which I am a member. They had several in the parts box for sale, but thicknesses differed. I got one that was just right, i.e. so tight that I could only just fit it when I got it home. I lubricated it with graphite grease as recommended. Perfect now.
Dave H
Dave Hill

This thread was discussed between 19/03/2015 and 01/04/2015

MG TD TF 1500 index

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