Hello. Everything was going so well......
then i put in the lower steering column supplied by the kit and its about 2 inches too long. I then compared it to the old column and it is the same length so it is the wrong column.
Rather than hunt around for a correct length column i will have one of these two cut down BUT i need to get the length of the correct lower column for the burman type two (marked as “hale”) power steering box. It is the one shown by Glyn in his posts on the rebuilding a burman steering box. Can anyone help with those measurements please?

 

Sorry I can't help with length. Just make sure you use an S Type lower column with a basic plunging CV joint on the top end & a UJ on the bottom end. Some Mk2 columns had a rubber knuckle joint on the top end. You will have to shorten by cutting the centre shaft. You need both end pieces.

 

Do you realise that if the steering box is bolted in place and the upper column is secured the two ends are incapable of matching up and will over lap. I recently had the steering box out of my S Type. I have the Adwest Marles box but that is beside the point as the lower steering columns are the same part number. C23605. To remove the lower column and to refit it you have to release the upper column and slide it out towards the driver. To refit you secure the lower column to the steering box then push the upper column down to get the two ends to meet up. Two man job, my wife helped me by pushing the steering wheel down as I lined everything up.
I have a spare lower column in the garage and I will try to get to it and give you some dimensions.

 

Cass
I don't think you have to go through all of that if I'm reading things correctly.
I just removed the 4 Allen head machine screws pointed out and it separates there.
This allows for easy one man installation.
The splined end (# 7) can be fitted after the column is in place.

 

You might be right Jeff I had never thought of taking it out that way as getting to the top spline pinch bolt is hard enough. (One hand down the back of the rear carb whilst leaning over the front wing, by feel as once your hand it in the hole you cannot see anything, 1/8th of a turn at a time with an open ended spanner.) Undoing four allen screws the same way seems almost impossible.
My point was that when the steering column is in place and the steering box is bolted in it might feel like the lower column is two inches two long as once one end is in the splines there is no way the other end is going in.

 

Thanks all for the advice and comments. The steering column I received with the PAS kit is the exact same length as the old steering column that was in place with the non PAS box. It is definitely too long - it hits the firewall and cont even get down to the upper steering wheel column. I removed the nylon bush from the upper column so I could slide the steering sheel and shaft further back into the cabin which allowed me to get the original piece out. Cass3958, if you could measure the lower steering column that would be greatly appreciated.
I will get one of the two that I have cut down if necessary rather than trying to sopurce the correct column I think (at this stage anyway).Cheers

 

RH drive or LH drive makes a huge difference to the ease of doing this job.

 

Yes, I just realized that now, , mine is a left hand drive, so it's pretty open.

Personally, I would remove the carburetor's, I wouldn't have the patience to contort myself in there with them in the way.

 

I am a pretty big person (6'2" and 100kg) and I can eventually contort myself in there. I must admit it would help to have another elbow half way between my current elbow and my wrist and hands the shape of ET's but apart from that it is do-able. Cheers

 

OK, latest in the saga. I cannot get one of the two lower steering columns shortened - not by cutting and welding at least. Seems that's now against the law in NSW. However the custom fabricator that I went to see suggested he could make a new lower steering column using two universal joints with the correct spline no (48 from memory) and a pieces of "approved" metal as the rod. However this would mean that the slip joint *the upper joint with the rubber boot) would then become fixed. Does the system actually need the slip joint as distinct from a solid joint at the top? Also have my feelers out with one of the restorers here in Australia who thinks he mave have a shaft hanging around.Obviously I would prefer the original part but need to have contingency plans just in case thus the question about a fixed upper universal rather than a slip joint.

 

So says someone who has possibly never taken the carbs off a right hand drive classic Jaguar. Four top nuts and two of the lower nuts are easy enough but the other two, especially the lower left of the right carb will take you as long to get out as all seven of the others and you could do the steering column in your meal break of removing that seventh nut.

My spare lower column is 14 inches end to end. If you have such a problem with the lower column and you have bought the whole lot as a kit, why not go back to the supplier and ask them to sort it out. They must have supplied the kit to others who might have come across the same problem? I cannot think why the new supplied lower column would be two inches too long. There is a change in the part number between the manual and auto so there is a difference between them which is not stated. This could be that two inches has been taken out to allow for the larger girth of the PAS Berman box but this should have been compensated for in the new lower column supplied with the kit. Maybe they have sent you the wrong one?

 

Thanks Cass. The unit i have is 16” long so the 14” sounds right. It would have been a set of parts put together in a wrecking yard.

 

Thanks Cass. The unit i have is 16” long so the 14” sounds right. It would have been a set of parts put together in a wrecking yard.

 

if you want to pay the postage and a small amount for the part you can have this one. Good solid U/Js all round. Might cost you less than having one made, it is original and in good order.
I could even set it up as an international buy it now on EBay and you can make use of there cheap worldwide postage. I send it to Leicester in the UK and they forward it on to you in Aus. PM me if you are interested.

 

Thanks Cass. Will let you know. Cheers

 

That sounds like a good plan. Not having a CV joint on one end would end up with steering wheel input not giving constant & even rotation of the lower shaft as it turns through multiple planes. You could also suffer kick back into the upper steering column because you have no plunging action with UJ's.

 

Sorry about that, I just take it for granted that what may be doable or even easy for me, may not be for others.
I'm 6 feet tall with long skinny arms and fingers at 79kg, so I can get places where others can't, or at least with less difficulty.

I know those bolts though, they are a pain, once loosened, I spray WD40 on the threads so I can use my fingers to get them off, assuming that the threads are not damaged.
Funny how the difficult ones to get at always are though.
You know the drill, the wrench goes on and you get a quarter of a turn, then the wrench has to be flipped for another quarter turn _ on and on.
About 20 minutes later with a number of muscle spasms in various parts of ones body, it's off.

 

You have got it Jeff and don't forget the first dozen or so turns of the spanner are fighting against the anti vibration washer. Then you have to count how many times you have dropped the spanner and instead of falling to the floor it has slid down the back of something which then involves calling out the coast guard to try and find it with a torch and a magnet. I am 6'2" 220 lbs or 100 kg and wish at times I had elbow joints halfway down my forearms that bent in the opposite direction.

 

Hi,

I'm in the process of converting my MK2 to PAS and have now gathered all the necessary components (including lower column which I've rebuilt). I'll take some pictures next to a tape measure and post them on this forum later (can't seem to post them using my PC so will do so with my mobile app).

Regards Keith