Is this piece supposed to come undone? | FerrariChat

Is this piece supposed to come undone?

Discussion in '308/328' started by Miklas, May 23, 2020.

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  1. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
    I was swapping to a new steering rack today and when I removed the old one I realised that the lower part of the steering column was loose from the rest of the steering column (see pic below).
    This is the very last piece of the steering column that attaches to the steering rack.

    It's splined so it won't rotate on the column but it can slide up and down a bit. Shall it be welded to the column or is it normal that it can slide up and down?


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  2. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    Was there a pinch bolt in the hole at the end ? The drawings on Eurospares web site give 2 good pictures of the setup
     
  3. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 7, 2012
    3,322
    Tallahassee, FL
    It is not welded. There should be a bolt + washer in the pinched end, tightened securely.
     
  4. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
    Yes, pinch bolt was installed correctly. In the diagram below I've marked in yellow the part that is in the pic in my first post. In the diagram it looks like one piece but on my car it's two pieces.

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  5. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    25,040
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
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    Steve Magnusson
    #5 Steve Magnusson, May 23, 2020
    Last edited: May 23, 2020
    As far as I know, part #7:
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    should be a single monolithic part -- looks likes the lower part of yours has separated from the upper part (and should be rewelded in some fashion).

    The reason it's made in two piece is that it would be difficult, and expensive, to make a blind female spline feature. This way (using 2-pieces), the female spline goes all the way thru the lower part in your hand, and the upper part can have a male spline that fits into it -- but then they should then be permanently joined together to make a single part #7.
     
  6. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
    Thank you Steve, that's what I suspected.

    Can this be welded with a normal inverter welder or does it require something MIG/TIG?
     
  7. mike32

    mike32 F1 Veteran

    May 13, 2016
    5,828
    Isle of man- uk
    Look to see if u can find sign of the original weld, might just be a few spot welds.
     
  8. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
  9. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    25,040
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
    Full Name:
    Steve Magnusson
    Making small, high-quality tack welds with a large-diameter, flux-coated welding "stick" can be tricky, but would probably be OK. Try an internet search on something like "Tack welding with a stick welder" for some tips/hints if you can't have it MIGed or TIGed.
     
  10. Brian A

    Brian A F1 Rookie

    Dec 21, 2012
    3,079
    SanFrancisco BayArea
    Full Name:
    1983 US 308 GTS QV
    I bring jobs like this to my friendly neighborhood muffler shop. They MIG day in and day out. For $20 they'll take 5 minutes out of their day to do a job like this for me.
     
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  11. thorn

    thorn F1 Rookie
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    Aug 7, 2012
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    Tallahassee, FL
    Agreed. It will take longer to drive to a decent shop than it will take the guy to MIG weld it. 3 good contacts and you're done.
     
  12. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
    Thank you all. I will have a go at stick welding the two pieces together.
     
  13. kcabpilot

    kcabpilot Formula 3

    Apr 17, 2014
    1,527
    California SF bay area
    Full Name:
    Paul
    It's not like your welding body panels, doesn't have to be pretty.
     
  14. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
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  15. Saabguy

    Saabguy Formula 3
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    Mar 28, 2012
    1,753
    Shreveport, LA
    Are you certain that you don't need to turn that on a lathe, polish it, then plate in chrome? ;-) Looks terribly functional!
     
  16. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
    I might go as far as giving it a lick of paint. ;)
     
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  17. Saabguy

    Saabguy Formula 3
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    Mar 28, 2012
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    Shreveport, LA
    Heretic! ;-)

     
  18. Miklas

    Miklas Karting

    Dec 10, 2018
    79
    Luxembourg
    By the way, I'm reinstalling everything now and I bought new bulkhead bushings (items 30 and 31). Do these need any lubricants or are they supposed to be installed dry?
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