Tech Tip – TR6 Steering Conversion

From Moss Motoring 1986

by Dave Polarek Art Director

Those of us with a TR6 that is less than perfect (but still trying) have put a lot of time, effort and money into the beast to get it the way we want it. I have owned my ’74 for only a couple of years and it was a pretty decent example when I got it, but I seem to have managed to have worked on just about every system on the car in one way or another – from quick fix to complete restoration – since then.

One system that I completely restored was the front sus­pension and steering. (I know the workshop manual and the Moss catalog list these as two separate systems, but they are so inter-related that they really should be con­sidered as one.) After replacing all the bushings, bearings, ball joints and trunnions in the front suspension and rebuilding the steering rack, steering column and rear sus­pension I had the wheels spin- balanced on the car and both front and rear axles aligned. On the first test drive it felt like a completely different car, but something still felt wrong. There was still a fair amount of free- play in the steering sys­tem. Standing outside the car with the hood open I moved the steering wheel back and forth slightly while watching the rack assembly. As I did this I noticed the whole steering rack moved a good quarter inch in either direction before turning the wheels. The rack mounts were tight and pro­perly installed, so I determined that it was a design flaw rather than my mechanical ability that was allowing all of that slop in the steering system. It’s usually the other way around.

The solution was to fit the early TR4 (up to commission #20063) solid alloy steering rack tube mounts. They fit perfectly in the existing holes and lock the rack solidly in position. Be sure to re-fit the lower reinforcing plates and use new nyloc nuts. The result of this modification was virtually no play in the steering and no harshness or vibration, presumably the things the rubber bushes were designed to absorb. Now I’m ready for the fun stuff like a set of Koni shocks, competition springs, a Moss tube shock conversion kit, and wider, 205/70-15 tires.

A message I would like to get across here (as I get up on my soapbox) is not to expect this modification to do much for you if your suspension and steering systems aren’t in first class condition. Bolting on ‘go-fast’ accessories will only disappoint you if your basic components are history. You wouldn’t put a Weber carb set-up on an engine that burns a quart of oil weekly and only fires on three cylinders, would you? The same theory applies to suspension and steering systems. OK, I’m off my soapbox now. Go have fun with your Triumph.