Tighten throttle lever on steering..how ?

[31Abone]

I have to rattlers that the throttle lever on steering column will not stay down..how to fix this ?

[1930artdeco]

I think you may need new springs on the end.

Mike

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Re-define the detents on the steering column quadrant. Several years ago I did a tech here on Fordbarn (--maybe the old Fordbarn) with pix where I showed how we use heat and a chisel to make the detents pronounced where they will hold the control rod in place. At the same time, the bottom side of the rod must not be worn flat.

[Marshall V. Daut]

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Until you can disassemble the steering column and follow the advice given so far to restore the "click", take a heavy hammer and strike the flat portion of the quadrant below the lever several times until you have bent the "ear" upwards. This will move that portion towards the steering wheel and close the gap between the quadrant and the lever so that they are now in contact. That will create the friction needed to keep the lever from moving up or down on the quadrant all by itself.
As I say, this is only a temporary fix and not one intended to side-step proper rebuilding/restoration techniques. But it WILL solve your wandering lever problem. You just won't hear the desired "click" until the notches on the quadrant have been filed and the back of the lever built up. Then you'll have to knock the bent quadrant "ear" back to where it originally was. Adjust its placement to get the best click and firmest lever action.
Years ago I used to drill the backside (underside) of the levers to create a dimple. Then I used JB Weld to secure a small ball bearing or BB in the indentation. Once the JB Weld had cured and the levers replaced after the notches had been filed, the ball bearing provided a nice loud "click" as it glided over the notches. This worked better than welding and building up the underside of the lever, which will only end up round. Also on later occasions, I applied a bead of thick weld along the same portion of the rod that comes in contact with the quadrant. Then using a grinder, I molded the weld beam into a point across the middle. The lever was then plated. Once the notches on the quadrant had been filed deeper (there's NO avoiding this step no matter what you do), the pointed bead of the weld clicked along the notches and likewise created a nice firm "click". Either method will work. One just doesn't require welding skills or equipment, neither of which I possessed when I used the ball bearing/BB method. The ball bearing method also avoids the need to re-plate the lever(s). Naturally, the welded and sharpened bead method lasted longer. It's a case of six or a half dozen of the other, I guess.
Marshall