SF-66TC
Well-Known Member
Great Buy!!
Steering coupler needed
- Thread starter Frank Brooks
- Start date
Great Buy!!
Gerald Morris
Senior Member
I see they sell in lots of 5. Care to part with any extra ones?
NVM, I found the $7 ones. Thx 4 sharing this data!!
Last edited:
dart4forte
Well-Known Member
Gerald Morris
Senior Member
I saw that, but figure I want to keep the rubberized coupling the Mopar engineers originally intended for the steering. I LIKE how Mathilda steers! I admit I have to replace the rubber for the swaybar again though, and likely need new front shocks after 2 years of hard use in and around Tucson. The roads here are atrocious! I don't frequent the bourgeois hoods which get all the street repair $$ either. If I was going to be driving in races or such I'd refit with more metal in steering, engine mounts, suspension all around, but I'm not.
C-440-300
Member
C-440-300
Member
Hello, Fellow C-Body Mates,
Thank you soooo much for you attention to this forum. So many people helped by not as many. (With FULL respect to Winston Churchill!)
I wanted to share my experience with replacing/fixing the rubber coupler and my solution - all based on the input from ya'll - on my semi-original 1966 300.
I put the pics in first and message, here. If these pics don't last after a while, I'll be glad to re/send to anyone.
My main point in the first pics is to show the angles of the assembly before changing anything. (Grapefruit sized black cover removed on steering shaft near firewall.) There is no straight line, and yet, it didn't seem to make any noise or rubbing sounds.
And, there was no binding to begin with. The steering was never in question, except for the extra slop (today's standards) that I have ever felt since even my first experience 53 years ago in Dad's 300.
The reason for replacement was that I had a very leaky steering box and I decided to replace it with a rebuilt from RockAuto instead of rebuilding with seals.
As I read your inputs, I decided to review the whole thing and saw the cracked rubber coupler. One thing led to another (OTLTA).
In searching the possible solutions, I decided to stay with the idea of a large rubber joint, keeping the hex bolts, horn grounding spring wire, geometry, etc.
Only two possibilities existed, reasonably speaking: the British designed couplers. There was no way I was going to spend for a very old piece at a ridiculous price.
Sadly, there is no recently manufactured American part, so, next best thing is import in this case. Taiwan is making the Triumph (150696) and Land Rover (NTC3486) parts.
I went for the British Leyland designs, choosing the Triumph (150696) at British Parts Northwest (British Parts Northwest - Quality Parts For Austin Healey MG MGB Triumph TR6) over the LR part, because of the extra counter sunk holes.
It made it WAY much easier to continue the drilling with a 29/64 drill than to worry about centering for me.
See pics.
(I chose British Parts because they were fast, reasonable, Pacific time so they were still open, physically checked the part geometry,
and the gent said he would take my order down to USPS that afternoon after the call so that I could get the part by the weekend - and I found two lollipops in the box.
) See more next post, #107.
Thank you soooo much for you attention to this forum. So many people helped by not as many. (With FULL respect to Winston Churchill!)
I wanted to share my experience with replacing/fixing the rubber coupler and my solution - all based on the input from ya'll - on my semi-original 1966 300.
I put the pics in first and message, here. If these pics don't last after a while, I'll be glad to re/send to anyone.
My main point in the first pics is to show the angles of the assembly before changing anything. (Grapefruit sized black cover removed on steering shaft near firewall.) There is no straight line, and yet, it didn't seem to make any noise or rubbing sounds.
And, there was no binding to begin with. The steering was never in question, except for the extra slop (today's standards) that I have ever felt since even my first experience 53 years ago in Dad's 300.
The reason for replacement was that I had a very leaky steering box and I decided to replace it with a rebuilt from RockAuto instead of rebuilding with seals.
As I read your inputs, I decided to review the whole thing and saw the cracked rubber coupler. One thing led to another (OTLTA).
In searching the possible solutions, I decided to stay with the idea of a large rubber joint, keeping the hex bolts, horn grounding spring wire, geometry, etc.
Only two possibilities existed, reasonably speaking: the British designed couplers. There was no way I was going to spend for a very old piece at a ridiculous price.
Sadly, there is no recently manufactured American part, so, next best thing is import in this case. Taiwan is making the Triumph (150696) and Land Rover (NTC3486) parts.
I went for the British Leyland designs, choosing the Triumph (150696) at British Parts Northwest (British Parts Northwest - Quality Parts For Austin Healey MG MGB Triumph TR6) over the LR part, because of the extra counter sunk holes.
It made it WAY much easier to continue the drilling with a 29/64 drill than to worry about centering for me.
See pics.
(I chose British Parts because they were fast, reasonable, Pacific time so they were still open, physically checked the part geometry,
and the gent said he would take my order down to USPS that afternoon after the call so that I could get the part by the weekend - and I found two lollipops in the box.
) See more next post, #107.
C-440-300
Member
Continued from #106. I shaved off about 3/16 on each side with a cutoff wheel (like butter), and resunk the two holes on each side to match the heads. Done in less than 30 minutes. See pics.
The LR part is cheaper, yes, but the centering and easy/quick resink was worth it to me. (BPN sell both, I think.)
Plus, the cutoff wheel went a bit faster on four of the eight counter sunk holes.
Finally, as you can see from Detroit Muscle Technologies (Mopar & AMC muscle car restoration gaskets Detroit Muscle Technologies, LLC) the clip (3") and the EPDM BLACK rubber seal - to add some belt and suspenders to the peace of mind!
(I moved the center shaft to one side as I replaced the BLACK seal, thereby not having to stretch it. It is really tight on the shaft! Note the shaft and steel coupler orientation - see leetle holes line up.)
There will be no grease coming out and very little O2 coming in to react with it. (The ingenious idea of putting the Zerk grease fitting did not go unnoticed!
I am saving that for future endeavor. But, I was already ording the BLACK seal, so, I just added the clip from DMT and sort of get 1.5 times the solution of just the fitting.)
British Parts Northwest (British Parts Northwest - Quality Parts For Austin Healey MG MGB Triumph TR6) and RockAuto (RockAuto) and Detroit Muscle Tech (Mopar & AMC muscle car restoration gaskets Detroit Muscle Technologies, LLC).
Again, thank you ALL for your time and help. I am grateful. 'Never take you for granted. Cheers and good health to you.
The LR part is cheaper, yes, but the centering and easy/quick resink was worth it to me. (BPN sell both, I think.)
Plus, the cutoff wheel went a bit faster on four of the eight counter sunk holes.
Finally, as you can see from Detroit Muscle Technologies (Mopar & AMC muscle car restoration gaskets Detroit Muscle Technologies, LLC) the clip (3") and the EPDM BLACK rubber seal - to add some belt and suspenders to the peace of mind!
(I moved the center shaft to one side as I replaced the BLACK seal, thereby not having to stretch it. It is really tight on the shaft! Note the shaft and steel coupler orientation - see leetle holes line up.)
There will be no grease coming out and very little O2 coming in to react with it.
(The ingenious idea of putting the Zerk grease fitting did not go unnoticed! I am saving that for future endeavor. But, I was already ording the BLACK seal, so, I just added the clip from DMT and sort of get 1.5 times the solution of just the fitting.)
British Parts Northwest (British Parts Northwest - Quality Parts For Austin Healey MG MGB Triumph TR6) and RockAuto (RockAuto) and Detroit Muscle Tech (Mopar & AMC muscle car restoration gaskets Detroit Muscle Technologies, LLC).
Again, thank you ALL for your time and help. I am grateful. 'Never take you for granted. Cheers and good health to you.
John Kirby
Active Member
This is a safety critical component. Mine broke when turning in a parking ramp. Fortunately there was a open parking spot in my path or it would have been a wrecker hauling it out of there. Glad it didn't happen when driving down the road. That was in the mid-80's. I was able to find one at a dealer. The parts guy had to cross reference it through a couple manuals to find it. Took a week to ship it in. Had to pay parking for all that time.
I thought I'd update this thread with a solution proposed by @badvs3vil :
Steering coupler found
I plan to order Lares 220 couplers for @71Polara383 and myself, just in case the manufacturer decides to stop producing them...
Steering coupler found
I plan to order Lares 220 couplers for @71Polara383 and myself, just in case the manufacturer decides to stop producing them...
Last edited:
Similar threads
