It finally came to me. For years I've fought with the "Loose Directional Hub Syndrome". You know what I'm talking about if you own one of these. If you flip your directional lever Left or Right, the whole hub rotates, correct? Frustrating. What a silly design.
So, you grab the hub with your left hand and give it a twist and a push to get that little internal clamp to tighten, only to find out that over the years the hub has become egg shaped and doesn't tighten up with your high-tech temporary fix anmore, right? Well, next time you're in there, try the method described below. But after my dissertation of the frustration of removing the hub clamp screw.
I removed the steering wheel and the ring assembly and the switch. I removed the lower mast jacket cover to try to get a long Phillips screwdriver to loosen the clamp screw. Nope. Then I tried to make up a little Phillips bit and a 1/4" Ignition wrench to work in there. Nope. This one was really tight. After about 20 minutes of fiddling to remove that screw, I went over to my toolbox, grabbed a small cold chisel and my ball peen hammer, and had to chisel the screw out by rotating it with a few hammer hits. I loosened it enough to finally get the hub off the column.
I wrapped the hub in a rag and squeezed it back to a round shape in my vice, very carefully to not damage it. The pot metal is quite soft. It needed a repaint so I stripped it and prepped for paint and gave it a few coats of Roman Red using my mini sprayer. It dried overnight and was a perfect match.
So I decided to do 2 modifications. One to the clamp and one to the screw.
I cut a small piece of rubber sheet and glued it to the clamp with some contact cement. This will grab better than a metal to metal arrangement. The clamp pushes on the mast jacket when the screw is tightened to hold the hub, albeit for a relatively short time.
Here is the clamp with the rubber glued on.
0212211115_resized.jpg
Now for the screw..... what to do? Instead of trying to screw that impossible-to-get-at Phillips screw head from the forward side once the hub is installed, how about getting it tight from the "back end" of the screw? Let's cut a slot in the end of the screw and tighten it from the "inside" of the hub. It might just work.
The stock screw is about 0.600" long. It cannot be much longer than that because it would interfere with the flat return spring when activating the directional lever. I took a new screw from my stock and put 2 nuts on it and locked them together. I held the screw in my vice. I then used my Dremel to cut a screwdriver slot in the end.
0212211130_resized.jpg
I removed the locknuts and gave the new screw head a shot of Roman Red since I had my Preval Sprayer all set up after refinishing the hub. I let it sit for a while to dry.
0212211135_Burst01_resized.jpg
The screwdriver will have to fit inside the clamp threaded hole without binding.
0212211131_resized.jpg
After the paint dried I then assembled the screw and clamp to the hub and slid it over the mast jacket. The piece of rubber added to the clamp made it a bit tight to get by the upper bearing outer brass horn contact sleeve, but keeping the screw very loose made it easier to get past it.
0212211121a_resized.jpg
I used that small stout screwdriver to turn the screw counterclockwise just snug. This tightens the clamp screw and binds the clamp to the mast jacket.
0212211157a_resized.jpg
I then installed the directional switch and ring.
0212211236a_resized.jpg
After removing the mast shaft spring, I placed the steering wheel on the shaft to check clearance of the wheel hub to the just installed directional hub. I allowed about a 1/16". I then removed the steering wheel. I tightened the screw at its slotted end counterclockwise as snug as possible. This turns the screw head clockwise to tighten. It helps that the screw does not extend beyond the backside of the clamp. This keeps the screw slot intact against the inner threads of the clamp.
0212211235a_Burst01_resized.jpg
I grabbed the hub and tried to move it. It was now tighter than ever before. I moved the directional lever many times as a test also. The problem is solved and this fix should last quite a while.
Rich
So, you grab the hub with your left hand and give it a twist and a push to get that little internal clamp to tighten, only to find out that over the years the hub has become egg shaped and doesn't tighten up with your high-tech temporary fix anmore, right? Well, next time you're in there, try the method described below. But after my dissertation of the frustration of removing the hub clamp screw.
I removed the steering wheel and the ring assembly and the switch. I removed the lower mast jacket cover to try to get a long Phillips screwdriver to loosen the clamp screw. Nope. Then I tried to make up a little Phillips bit and a 1/4" Ignition wrench to work in there. Nope. This one was really tight. After about 20 minutes of fiddling to remove that screw, I went over to my toolbox, grabbed a small cold chisel and my ball peen hammer, and had to chisel the screw out by rotating it with a few hammer hits. I loosened it enough to finally get the hub off the column.
I wrapped the hub in a rag and squeezed it back to a round shape in my vice, very carefully to not damage it. The pot metal is quite soft. It needed a repaint so I stripped it and prepped for paint and gave it a few coats of Roman Red using my mini sprayer. It dried overnight and was a perfect match.
So I decided to do 2 modifications. One to the clamp and one to the screw.
I cut a small piece of rubber sheet and glued it to the clamp with some contact cement. This will grab better than a metal to metal arrangement. The clamp pushes on the mast jacket when the screw is tightened to hold the hub, albeit for a relatively short time.
Here is the clamp with the rubber glued on.
0212211115_resized.jpg
Now for the screw..... what to do? Instead of trying to screw that impossible-to-get-at Phillips screw head from the forward side once the hub is installed, how about getting it tight from the "back end" of the screw? Let's cut a slot in the end of the screw and tighten it from the "inside" of the hub. It might just work.
The stock screw is about 0.600" long. It cannot be much longer than that because it would interfere with the flat return spring when activating the directional lever. I took a new screw from my stock and put 2 nuts on it and locked them together. I held the screw in my vice. I then used my Dremel to cut a screwdriver slot in the end.
0212211130_resized.jpg
I removed the locknuts and gave the new screw head a shot of Roman Red since I had my Preval Sprayer all set up after refinishing the hub. I let it sit for a while to dry.
0212211135_Burst01_resized.jpg
The screwdriver will have to fit inside the clamp threaded hole without binding.
0212211131_resized.jpg
After the paint dried I then assembled the screw and clamp to the hub and slid it over the mast jacket. The piece of rubber added to the clamp made it a bit tight to get by the upper bearing outer brass horn contact sleeve, but keeping the screw very loose made it easier to get past it.
0212211121a_resized.jpg
I used that small stout screwdriver to turn the screw counterclockwise just snug. This tightens the clamp screw and binds the clamp to the mast jacket.
0212211157a_resized.jpg
I then installed the directional switch and ring.
0212211236a_resized.jpg
After removing the mast shaft spring, I placed the steering wheel on the shaft to check clearance of the wheel hub to the just installed directional hub. I allowed about a 1/16". I then removed the steering wheel. I tightened the screw at its slotted end counterclockwise as snug as possible. This turns the screw head clockwise to tighten. It helps that the screw does not extend beyond the backside of the clamp. This keeps the screw slot intact against the inner threads of the clamp.
0212211235a_Burst01_resized.jpg
I grabbed the hub and tried to move it. It was now tighter than ever before. I moved the directional lever many times as a test also. The problem is solved and this fix should last quite a while.
Rich
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