Cracks steering column

KK66

KK66

Junior Member
Hi,
i found two cracks on my steering column where the control rods came out of it.
It's a 7 tooth steering
How urgent is it to weld the cracks? What can be happened if i leave it like it is?
I don't know how long the have been already there. They don't look new
Thanks for the answers!
Regards from Austria!
 
If you leave it the cracks can grow bigger, my two tooth column had a crack. Had the crack TIG welded a it's good now, this could be welded in the car :-)
 
I have no experience with this repair but getting it Tig welded would be the best way to do it. There would be very little heat other than at the actual weld bead area. Remember the gas tank is close. Having a full tank would be the safest. The person Tig welding can use a heat shield against the tank front.
 
I have a 29 2-tooth column that has two straps brazed, one on each side down where the control rods come out. It's an old repair. Too bad it brass welded :(, top's still good.
 
Pull the steering column w/wheel if ya want and get it tig welded. Not a big worry and your steering will be better
 
Most likely the housing is also bent. Mine was, causing the top and bottom bushings to be out of line. I straightened it in a press before welding the cracks. Pull it out of the car and check it carefully.
 
When it is welded it will distort the housing creating binding, remove the top bushing so you can see what alignment problems you have, I just took apart one that was broke, there was 1/2 turn play with everything moving in different directions

originally the the spark and throttle rod bearing bracket was brazed
 
Kurt in NJ said:
When it is welded it will distort the housing creating binding, remove the top bushing so you can see what alignment problems you have, I just took apart one that was broke, there was 1/2 turn play with everything moving in different directions

originally the the spark and throttle rod bearing bracket was brazed
Click to expand...
I MIG (metal inert gas) welded the two cracks near the spark and throttle holes in the tube with no distortion at all.

The casting with the two holes in it was also re-attached by brazing it. Bead blast these areas before hand to ensure proper fusion.

The tube is way too long to distort. A common fix.

Larry
 
I would have it welded on the car but remove the inside clamp to relieve stress and loosen the hardware on the frame mount, finally replace the inside clamp first then retighten the frame mounting hardware.
 
Our '31 roadster column broke clean through at the same point two months ago. It had been broken some years ago and welded in the car. However, it broke again, likely because the weld was not done completely around the circumference of the column because of lack of enough space to do it. Or, it was just a lousy weld job.

The best bet is to pull the column and weld it out of the car but sometimes getting the steering wheel off is near impossible. (Don't ask me how I know) An alternative would be to leave the column in the car and weld on an approximate 1 1/2" wide collar around the break, overlapping the crack on both sides. Just welding the crack alone may not be good enough to prevent another break at the same point in the future.

Glen
 
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