Plugger and The Camel

**Archangel007** · 6th February 2017, 07:20 PM

Hi Guys,

Not sure about the grease nipple thing but mine definitely is an oil-bath type unit. There are galleries in the top plate which allow the oil to fill the unit - you take out one of the top plate bolts and that's the fill point while a 2nd one is the breather. I think the grease nipple may have been an Army modification. And while the grease wont leak out of a bad seal like oil, it does go hard and tacky after a while.

67 I thought I was a pioneer with the silastic nozzle - obviously not (damnit!!) Mine was really stiff too until it 'broke in' when I was working it back and forth - obviously a film of oil now between the bushes and the shaft. I think its still too heavy though and Plugger will most likely complain about the 'Armstrong Steering'.....

Cheers,
Tricky

**OneOff** · 6th February 2017, 08:02 PM

I was hoping you'd come along John.

When you say "early"series, are you talking series 1? Mine is a '58 series 2, I was hoping it was the original steering relay. I guess it doesn't matter now as I have TimNZ's outer from his S3 and my shaft from S2. Will there be any compatibility issues do you think?

Anyway, thanks Tricky for letting me borrow your thread, and for your advice.

Peter.

**JDNSW** · 6th February 2017, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by OneOff

I was hoping you'd come along John.

When you say "early"series, are you talking series 1? Mine is a '58 series 2, I was hoping it was the original steering relay. I guess it doesn't matter now as I have TimNZ's outer from his S3 and my shaft from S2. Will there be any compatibility issues do you think?

Anyway, thanks Tricky for letting me borrow your thread, and for your advice.

Peter.

I'm not sure just when the change was made - I am pretty sure the Series 2 I used to own had it, and none of the 2as I've owned have had it, so it is a reasonable guess that it was during Series 2 production. As far as I know, all relays have interchangeable parts.

John

**Homestar** · 7th February 2017, 05:40 AM

Originally Posted by Archangel007

Hi Guys,

Not sure about the grease nipple thing but mine definitely is an oil-bath type unit. There are galleries in the top plate which allow the oil to fill the unit - you take out one of the top plate bolts and that's the fill point while a 2nd one is the breather. I think the grease nipple may have been an Army modification. And while the grease wont leak out of a bad seal like oil, it does go hard and tacky after a while.

67 I thought I was a pioneer with the silastic nozzle - obviously not (damnit!!) Mine was really stiff too until it 'broke in' when I was working it back and forth - obviously a film of oil now between the bushes and the shaft. I think its still too heavy though and Plugger will most likely complain about the 'Armstrong Steering'.....

Cheers,
Tricky

What the steering realy feels like moving it back and forth with the arms is very different to how it feels when using the steering wheel to turn it - it needs a decent amount of pre load - have you checked to see if it is in spec?

Series steering when all new is not really that heavy anywhere but the Woolies car park and the like, so I'm sure he'll get used to it.

(Says me that's sticking power steering in my Sons...

)

**Archangel007** · 7th February 2017, 07:22 AM

Hi Homestar,

The Haynes manual says preload must be between 12-16 lbs on the upper arm. Ours came in at 14.5 lbs so it is within spec. Still feels stiff to me though!

I guess we need to wait and see with the steering box overhauled etc....

Cheers,
Tricky

**Homestar** · 7th February 2017, 10:55 AM

Spot on then - I gaurentee it will feel light and smooth once the steering box and steering wheel are installed.

The leverage that those 2 items provide is huge.

**67hardtop** · 9th February 2017, 09:48 PM

Hi Tricky n Plugger, i found my pic tonight of the steering relay filling.

I thought it was a good idea and a simple way to fill it. I tried using a syringe but it didnt work well.

Cheers Rod

**Archangel007** · 11th February 2017, 05:49 PM

Top stuff Rod, makes life easier eh???

Cheers,
Tricky

P.S. This morning I noticed some oil on the floor under the steering relay and thought the bottom seal was leaking. It turned out to be a case of the oil expanding inside due to the heat (gets over 40 degrees C in the shop sometimes) and it vented out the top. I did fill it to the brim however!!

Cheers,
Tricky

**67hardtop** · 11th February 2017, 08:44 PM

Yep same happened to mine. I put too much in and in the heat it came out over a few days. It hasnt leaked these last few 40 deg+ days so the level must have set itself now. Incidently mine also leaked out the top and not the bottom. I used seals from CBC.

Cheers Rod

**Archangel007** · 12th February 2017, 08:40 AM

Hi Guys,

Updating today as it is way too hot to go down to the shop today and do any work - so I thought I might as well do something useful! Yesterday we managed a few hours in the shed before the Mercury topped 43 degrees and I called a halt to proceedings - way too hot to continue working so we called it quits and jumped into the pool!!

Anyway yesterday I decided to finish the SSWC carrier as there is a bunch of stuff now that is ready to be sent off to the powdercoaters and I wanted to send them all as one batch. So today I decided to drill the holes in the spare wheel mounting plate for the press-in wheel studs. In hindsight it would have been easier to drill the plate before putting it on the frame but at least with it on the frame it could be clamped securely and the mill has such a big bed I knew it could cater for the whole ensemble!!

I programmed into the DRO all the parameters it needed to drill the holes - the centre of the pattern, the PCD (6.5 inches or 165.1mm), the starting angle, the finishing angle, the number of holes - then I let the DRO do its thing. Firstly I went from holes 1 through 5 with a 9mm pilot bit, then I went back through holes 5 through 1 with the 16mm bit. The shank diameter for the press-in studs is 16.5mm with an interference fit of 0.5mm. Here is a shot of the work in progress:
Plugger and The Camel-20170211_105240.jpg

Plugger and The Camel-20170211_105240.jpg

And this is how it turned out with a wheel superimposed over the top. The DRO says error was within 0.1mm so that was good enough for me:
Plugger and The Camel-20170211_110015.jpg

Plugger and The Camel-20170211_110015.jpg

And here is a shot of the wheel on the SSWC in its correct position - gives you an idea of what it will look like on the back of the Camel:
Plugger and The Camel-20170211_110032.jpg

Plugger and The Camel-20170211_110032.jpg

The press-in studs will be done after it comes back from powdercoating. I am also thinking about putting a small steel 'guide-block' on the wheel mounting face so the threads wont be chewed out by sliding the wheel on and off - it will also make it easier to lift on and off as the guide-block will take the weight while the wheel is orientated to the studs.... maybe a job for next week.

While I was drilling Plugger was attempting to disassemble the clutch mechanism and pedal prior to overhauling this. It didn't go well. The adjusting nut on the master cylinder pushrod was rusted, and the other nut just backed right off the thread. All manner of efforts to stop the shaft turning failed so we had to disassemble the whole clutch pedal assembly to be able to grip the shaft with a set of vice-grips and eventually get it out. Needless to say the M/C shaft was knackered but we were looking likely to replace the whole M/C anyway - and at $40 for a complete new one it will be cheap insurance. Anyway, here is the clutch assembly stripped down to its basic components and awaiting overhauling. I will order the new M/C on Monday and get into this next weekend:
Plugger and The Camel-20170211_120319.jpg