Spark and Throttle rod assembly

[Larry Jenkins]

Any one know of a good way to assemble (guide) those pesky thin rods down and into those little holes in the lower end of the steering wheel tube?

Larry

[mrtexas]

what year column?

[Larry Jenkins]

Originally Posted by mrtexas

what year column?

1930 2 tooth

Larry

[mrtexas]

Removing tube from shaft makes it a lot easier.

[Larry Jenkins]

Originally Posted by mrtexas

Removing tube from shaft makes it a lot easier.

I did. The bare tube is on the bench. I want to insert the bushing with the rods in the top hole and try to figure out how to align the rod ends into the two holes in the bottom of the tube.

Haven't even tried yet.. Still agonizing about how..

Larry

[ursus]

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I just did this last week:
1. Insert rods through upper bushing and attach anti-rattlers about 14 inches down from top.
2. Drop the entire assembly into the top of the tube with the "V" aligned but do not drive the upper bushing home just yet.
3. In a darkened area with a light on below for better viewing, maneuver one rod into its hole just enough that it is started in on the way. Next, maneuver the other rod into its hole the same way. In this effort, you will be sighting down through the steering shaft hole in the upper bushing.
4. With both rods started into their lower holes, next start the upper bushing into its final resting place and tap it home. Tap down the rods carefully to make sure they are fully down, then begin the process of mounting the springs and spark and accelerator control arms.

[Larry Jenkins]

Thank you.

When you talk about "maneuver" what kind of "helper" tools did you use? Did you align the ends of the rods using some kind of tool inserted in the bottom of the tube?

Larry

[ursus]

If you sight down the tube via the upper shaft bushing (aided by light coming up from below) you can move the end of the rods around and eventually get them into their respective holes in the lower end. The first one was easy but then your ability to maneuver the second one is a bit limited so you might have to push up a stick from below to help guide it into the right place. It is hard to describe but once I got the hang of moving the rods around it was easy.

Make sure your rods are a good fit in both upper bushing and lower holes. I had mine replated and they came back a few thousands too thick so some sandpaper got them down to a nice smooth fit.

[ursus]

The maneuvering is done from the upper end - the upper bushing is still loose so the rods can be moved around by the lever ends.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I've done it just as ursus said, and it wasn't too bad of a job.
If you do need a tool to help guide the bottom into place, I'd bet the Y shape on the tack puller could do the job.

[Larry Jenkins]

Son came out and "walla!" his eyes are much better than mine. Popped right through. Pretty lucky.

Looking down the shaft hole works..

Thanks for all the great replies!

Larry

[700rpm]

I hope you put the anti-rattlers on the rods.

[Mitch//pa]

i use the anti rattlers plus a length of vacuum hose on each rod

[Larry Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

i use the anti rattlers plus a length of vacuum hose on each rod

What does the vacuum hose do? An extension of the anti-rattlers? Good idea..

Larry

[Tom Wesenberg]

Every original anti rattler I have removed was a short piece of rubber tubing located near the middle of the rod. The rubber also had a flat side from years of being pressed against the steering tube.

[Dave in MD]

You can buy two wooden dowels each 36 inches long and slightly smaller than the diameter of the spark and throttle rods. Some of the reproduction spark and throttle rods have a slight bevel on the lower end. Drill a recess in one end of each dowel to accept the bevel on the rods. You can push both rods evenly down the tube using the wooden dowels as a guide. Works on both the 7 and 2 tooth boxes and don't forget the anti rattlers.
Dave