'76mintgrün'02

They sell cheapo stethoscopes at NAPA which might help you trace the origin of the noise.

It could be that the washers and spacers in the strut to mount assemblies are not all there, or are assembled incorrectly. This will cause binding in those bearings. What condition are your mounts in? Any cracking in the rubber portion? There is not a lot of clearance between the bottom of the strut mounts and the spring caps. When I replaced my mounts I had trouble with the heads of the strut mount bolts rubbing on the caps. I'd swapped the short bolts that were pressed into the mounts with longer flange head bolts (because I was adding a strut brace) and the heads were a little tool tall. I wound up cutting the heads of the bolts off down to the flanges and the problem was solved. I doubt that this is specifically your problem, but is an area you might take a look at. It would not be detectable with the front end jacked up, but you can try reaching up in there with a strip of paper to see if there is clearance while there is weight on the wheels. I discovered it in part due to a rattling noise on small bumps, but also friction felt in the steering. (these photos are simply sharing the fun I had)

a little optimism hits the spot... I am probably going to replace the seals and hope for the best. The steering box has an easier life than a salty boat trailer! If the shaft is visibly damaged I will try a sleeve. I would just like to keep the down time to a minimum. I know I saw photos of someone replacing the seals some place on here... I will start searching. It is nice to see photos before digging in. I will, of course, take photos to share because that is half the fun. Tom

I wish mine had half an inch of thread showing... more like two threads here. A few months ago I gave it the tiniest adjustment and it made a world of difference! One of those 'why didn't I do that a year ago??' fixes. Tom

I have new seals to install, but have heard other people say that theirs still leaked after installing new seals. Has anyone tried using a speedy sleeve on the steering box output shaft? If so, what size did you use? About SPEEDY-SLEEVES: http://www.skf.com/files/264782.pdf Metric sizes: http://www.trywhisle...stingMetric.pdf

That does sound like a trick worth considering. I did a little reading around and found this: "I realize most steering boxes are worn at the sector shaft and also the bottom where the horn/lighting rod on many cars protrudes and it is very difficult to keep gear oil of any viscosity in the box under these conditions, but I caution against Penrite because of the viscosity. I have tried it in a couple of leaky boxes - both worm & nut boxes (1913 Hudson and PI Rolls Royce) and found that it made the steering so heavy that I drained it (no easy task!) The best is gear lube that will not channel under pressure like grease. New seals and a rebuilt pitman/sector shaft & bushings is the way to go and not so difficult to accomplish. For a leaky box, Penrite is worth a try, but it is very hard to remove of you don't like it!" taken from: http://forums.aaca.org/f125/steering-box-grease-325766.html Do you by chance have that in your box now? with 'heavy steering' I have read here of people replacing their box seals and still having a leak. I am thinking a SPEEDY-SLEEVE might do the trick, but need to measure the actual worn shaft dimension before I order one. About SPEEDY-SLEEVES: http://www.skf.com/files/264782.pdf Metric sizes: http://www.trywhisler.com/CRSpeediSleeveSizeListingMetric.pdf Honestly I am not yet familiar enough with the parts and pieces to know whether this is a viable option. For now I might hang a cat food can under my steering box Unfortunately it leaks right on top of my new control arm bushing. I hope it does not cause the rubber to deteriorate.

A friend of mine (who owns a TR6) drove my car recently and commented on the stiff steering. My idler arm bushings are making a creaking noise. (I have replacements, but have yet to install them). I wish they had put some zerk fittings on these cars! I decided to top off the oil in my steering box and it made it a little easier to steer and track a little better. Unfortunately the oil slowly leaked out the bottom seal. I guess I had been driving with a dry steering box. I have the rebuild kit from Blunt (two seals and a gasket)... also on my to-do list. So much fun to look forward to! You might try putting a little oil in the steering box...?

I just put one in a few weeks ago. I thought I had it in upside down, so I pulled it back out, only to learn that I had it right the first time. It seemed to go in easily, when I did it right. In the process it got all sticky from the grease they sent with it... having taken the pillow blocks off and on a couple of times. I did not have to bend tow hooks, but it is very close to the body metal. Just don't do it like I did and you should be fine. The end result was worth the struggle. Sorry I cannot describe a "trick," but twisted just right, it fit right in there for me. I would be disappointed though, if I did not want to scratch the bar. Glad it was my car. I hope you get a better answer than this one. Tom

I recently acquired an alternator and front cover from an owner of a '72 Tii. The holes in the tabs on the cover are elongated and there is a lot of wear on the back tab. I could tig it up and fair it in, but it would be too soft. I am guessing this cover is scrap metal now. The alternator has the narrow mount and some chips out of the housing; probably from prying it to tighten. There is evidence of this activity on the web of the cover as well. I am guessing this is why they went to the separate steel bracket.

I took the hitch off my '76 for the same reason... busted shins. It was not a factory accessory and the attachment seemed a little wimpy. They did a nice job of tapping into the tail lights though, by soldering the wires onto the bulb socket tabs, as opposed to splicing into the wire. I added the connectors to make the light assemblies removable for cleaning and painting. (the blue ones in the photos).

Cool! Good to know. Thank you. What does resistance do within the rotors?

I have been curious about this too. The one on the left came in a vacuum advance dizzy I bought and the other in a mechanical 002 model. I know there is resistance built into some, but don't really understand all this. Not trying to add confusion to your topic, just another angle from which to discuss... or not.

. Are the auxiliary venturis snug in your weber? I recently shimmed mine and it seemed to help. Oh, my brand new wires were defective too. I found the problem by moving the timing light from wire to wire and watching for misses. I was also glad I took the top off the carb and checked for loose screws and jets and things. I found several things to twist a little tighter and it runs a little smoother.

just that one should be fine, so long as you don't drain enough to drag a bubble down the line.

check for fluid by loosening the connection at the front of the flexible line. the hose can look fine, but swell shut on the inside.

Peterschop's chopped shifter's not flopping from slop in the blocks!

I guess you re not wanting to remove the ball joint from the control arm... maybe remove the control arm with the assembly and put it all in once it is together? Just be sure to torque those bolts with weight on the wheels. I guess you would be bleeding the brakes as well this way, but just a thought.

Good to know, thank you for the information.

I see the cable is being bowed and acting like a spring. I thought it was still controlling the defroster, but I checked and it is not. Thank you. Tom

I am sure this is a silly question, but what is the yellow paint applied to suspension connections and such? I assumed it meant that a mechanic had been in there to replace something, but have seen it on too many cars. Did a search, but to no avail. Just curious, Tom

My heater leaks outside air as well. I am planning on rebuilding it, but recently tightened the lever on the valve and got it turned into the hot position. That took the urgency out of the situation. I have another question though. What provides friction for the defrost lever? Mine springs back to the right. I put a stick behind it to keep it on, but would like to find a more elegant solution. Tom

I would pop the top off while you have it out and see if there is any junk in the bowl and record what jets are in it. My H2O choke was full of crud as well. Give the shafts a wiggle side to side to check for play. They sell ball bearings to replace the plastic bushings if they are loose. Tom

Something like this perhaps... http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/4153746555.html

Hey nice work!