7th Dec 2008, 14:18

You do not need to go to rack and pinion for the TR3. Just fix what you have.

Tighten the screw on the steering box and replace all worn joints on the steering arms to the wheels. Then, most importantly, fix the worn splines on where the steering wheel fits onto the steering shaft. Take the steering wheel off (after disconnecting the 4 wires that protrude from the steering box at the front bottom of the car.) Then loop 5 rounds of galvanised wire around the hole in the steering wheel. (Unbraid wire from a braided galvanised guy wire.) Then gently pound the steering wheel back on the splines of the steering shaft. The galvanised wire will take up all the slack caused by 50 years of wear on the splines.

Now, you should have zero, I mean "0" play in your steering, maybe better than rack and pinion. Before I did this I could turn my steering wheel 4 inches while driving and not have any effect!@! That was hair raising for sure. Opie.

29th May 2013, 20:49

Someone was mistaken. A TR4 rack is too wide. A Ford Escort rack is the one to fit, with the tie rods shortened and threaded to accept old Mini tie rod ends.

11th Feb 2018, 22:35

In reply to your statement, old "Bangers" with worm and peg steering are hair raising to drive. My TR3a is in excellent original (mostly) condition, and I am proud it still has its (tight) worm and peg steering; it is not an old "banger" and it handles good.

One reason owners started to fit RandP steering is because when their original boxes suffered excessive wear, no replacements were available.