Author Topic: Restoration of 2358R  (Read 166810 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Certified Lotus

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Aug 2016
  • Location: Princeton, NJ
  • Posts: 1,686
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #465 on: Sunday,January 14, 2018, 12:52:02 PM »
Seems someone previously had this steering rack apart as the capture nuts and the large spacer nuts where loctite on. Took a torch to unthread them. I doubt they came from the factory that way......

A number of the internal parts had some rust on them and everything had a black gooey thick grease on it.

Everything is now stripped apart and cleaned.  The sleeve bushing at the end of the rack housing looks ok so I'm not going to replace it. The rack housing needed some more media blasting before painting.  As I had spent an hour getting the inside of the housing very clean in my parts cleaner, I masked off all the openings before putting inside my media blaster. 

« Last Edit: Saturday,January 27, 2018, 12:40:48 PM by Certified Lotus »

Offline dakazman

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Jun 2016
  • Location: Florida
  • Posts: 3,860
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #466 on: Sunday,January 14, 2018, 05:21:14 PM »
 That’s really coming along , very nice work.
Dakazman

Offline surfguitar58

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Joined: Nov 2017
  • Location: Massachusetts, USA
  • Posts: 706
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #467 on: Sunday,January 14, 2018, 07:41:48 PM »
All I know about the steering rack is what I see in Serge's excellent video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi_UhwxRnMs [although I have to say, we should all pitch in and buy him a proper arbor press and a gear puller and ask him to put away that damn hammer]). I don't see the need for air to transit the rack tube as dakazman suggests. It seems to me that runny lube would just ooze out of the steering box and end up collecting in the bellows at either end. I stand to be corrected, but wouldn't a waxy grease have better staying power where it's needed - the rack and pinion interface?
"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Offline jbcollier

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Nov 2013
  • Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
  • Posts: 5,784
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #468 on: Sunday,January 14, 2018, 08:53:44 PM »
If you pack a rack tight with thick grease, as the rack moves through its range, one boot will blow up like a balloon and the other collapse.  I suppose you could leave the clamps loose and then you would suck outside material into the rack.

Offline BDA

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Jul 2012
  • Location: North Carolina
  • Posts: 9,421
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #469 on: Sunday,January 14, 2018, 09:01:02 PM »
I have seen a rack on a race car that had a tube between the belloows for that reason.

Offline 4129R

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: May 2014
  • Location: Norfolk, United Kingdom, not far from Hethel the home of Lotus.
  • Posts: 2,439
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #470 on: Sunday,January 14, 2018, 11:30:31 PM »
Took a torch to unthread them. I doubt they came from the factory that way......

All 4 of the ones I have pulled apart needed heat. Factory glued.

Offline dakazman

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Jun 2016
  • Location: Florida
  • Posts: 3,860
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #471 on: Monday,January 15, 2018, 05:28:28 AM »
Surfguitar ...????). I don't see the need for air to transit the rack tube as dakazman suggests.
Who said what?

Dakazman

Offline Certified Lotus

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Aug 2016
  • Location: Princeton, NJ
  • Posts: 1,686
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #472 on: Monday,January 15, 2018, 05:49:09 AM »
It was JB who said to thin the grease so air could move from one side of the rack to the other. Makes sense as it’s a close tolerance fit.

Got some painting of steering rack parts done last night.

Offline Certified Lotus

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Aug 2016
  • Location: Princeton, NJ
  • Posts: 1,686
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #473 on: Monday,January 15, 2018, 05:57:45 AM »
Of course it’s always a part needed that holds up the reassembly. I tried to be very careful in bending back the tabs on the lock rings that hold the threaded spacers in place with the lock nut on the rack. Unfortunately one tab broke off on one and on the other the tabs are cracked. Will order replacements.

4129R, good to know that loctite was used from the factory. I didn’t see it mentioned in the shop manual regarding reassembly.

« Last Edit: Saturday,January 27, 2018, 12:41:49 PM by Certified Lotus »

Offline Certified Lotus

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Aug 2016
  • Location: Princeton, NJ
  • Posts: 1,686
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #474 on: Monday,January 15, 2018, 06:02:13 AM »
Yahoo! Just realized that 500 posts makes me a hero member  :trophy: :trophy: :trophy:

Guess I’ll have to sharpen up my level of work now that I have some status........

Offline BDA

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Jul 2012
  • Location: North Carolina
  • Posts: 9,421
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #475 on: Monday,January 15, 2018, 06:28:08 AM »
All right! Another Hero member!!! :trophy:

Offline Certified Lotus

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Aug 2016
  • Location: Princeton, NJ
  • Posts: 1,686
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #476 on: Monday,January 15, 2018, 06:33:09 AM »
I’ve got a long way to go to catch up to you BDA. Glad to be part of the Europa community!

Offline dakazman

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Jun 2016
  • Location: Florida
  • Posts: 3,860
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #477 on: Tuesday,January 16, 2018, 05:42:21 AM »
 :beerchug: Congratulations  :beerchug:

dakazman

Offline buzzer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Joined: Mar 2013
  • Location: Beaconsfield UK
  • Posts: 672
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #478 on: Tuesday,January 16, 2018, 08:23:13 AM »
Yep I needed heat too to get them apart as I swapped the extension pieces over from a LH rack to a RH rack.

And only another 20 posts to go before I become a Hero!  :beerchug:

Dave,

Other cars. Westfield SEiW. BMW E90 Alpina D3. BMW 325 E30 convertible and Range Rover CSK

Offline BDA

  • Super Member
  • *******
  • Joined: Jul 2012
  • Location: North Carolina
  • Posts: 9,421
Re: Restoration of 2358R
« Reply #479 on: Tuesday,January 16, 2018, 09:26:12 AM »
Go for it, buzzer!