If you need a bushing to support the inner column in the bottom of the outer tube I seem to remember someone using one of these in the past, you'd need to check the measurements though. I'm sure you've done some work for local plant hire firms in the past, most 1.5 ton diggers are pretty much the same.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nylon-Bucket-Bush-fits-JCB-8008-801-Series-Diggers-for-25mm-O-D-Pin-/361478155050?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Never thought of looking at JCB for a bearing - Good Call 

I've been thinking a lot about the steering column, or rather trying to remember all of the problems I have had with it in previous years. If the truth be told, I'm not actually certain that mine is a VW one to start with and have never really seen another up close for comparison. In the early days, mine used to have a lot of play in it and this was eventually solved by using a big spring and aluminum collar behind the wheel to effectively put the whole shaft under tension. I could never find a top bearing that seemed happy, but with the bottom joint secured to the steering box, and the spring trying to pull the wheel towards you, it actually felt really good.

However, with the two universal joint being so flexible in all planes and no lower bearing whatsoever to secure, it did dawn on me that I might need also to lock this shaft in place somehow, else the steering wheel could theoretically be pushed and pulled as well as rotated. A bearing at the lower end is most definitely called for, and whilst searching on google came up with a name that I had not encountered before - A Pillow Block Bearing.

Unlike a standard bearing that just rotates, this one is a fairly loose fit in its cradle and allows a bit of twisting and sideways movement. Not a lot, only five degrees or so, but that would be just enough (I hoped) to cater for a warped steering column that would have an incorrect size shaft stuffed up the end and then badly welded in place by someone who should not be allowed to use a MIG. My steering column would probably be banana shaped and not only should this bearing cope with it, but it also had some grub screws at the end that would lock the shaft in place, thus hopefully also solving my tension problem.





Now the guys in Customer Services at Car Builder Solutions are very good, but then I guess its because they have had a lot of practice in sorting out some of their badly advertised products. ( Remember that U/J operating angle? ) Well I found in their catalogue a 15mm Pillow Block Bearing (quality one made by Dunlop) and a double ended 9/16" 36t splined shaft, milled from a 15mm bar, and ordered them. 

15m bar and a 15mm hole - Its not rocket science to see what I was expecting now is it?   

Even the guys at CBS were a bit bemused to find that the latest batch of shafts were now 15.2mm and bearings at 14.9mm.   




F.F.S. You just couldn't make this up. 


Apologies, I know that this forum is not the place for a rant . . . . but . . . . . .   

What is wrong with Companies these days? 
What happened to quality control and tolerances? 
Makes you wonder what the future will be with poor quality goods, parts made of cheese and the global, lazy,  "that'll do"  attitude.
Maybe Brexit will stop us importing all this crap and we might have to re-establish our name for making overpriced, but quality goods again.

GRRRR . . . 

I've always known them as plummer block bearings. I guess I'm just out of touch.

Quote from: Manxdavid on July 02, 2021, 10:07:44 AM
I've always known them as plummer block bearings. I guess I'm just out of touch.

Probably renamed as you can never find a Plumber when you need one . . .   

Quote from: Dave DND on July 02, 2021, 10:13:36 AM

Quote from: Manxdavid on July 02, 2021, 10:07:44 AM
I've always known them as plummer block bearings. I guess I'm just out of touch.

Probably renamed as you can never find a Plumber when you need one . . .   

All gone back to Poland mate 

Car Builder Solutions confirmed they had a bad batch of the shafts and that they were indeed oversized. Credit where credit is due, the guys on the phone always have a helpful solution to hand, and asked if I was modifying the shaft as they had a slightly longer one that fitted the bearing there and they would rush it out to me asap.

Just arrived by DPD Courier and fits perfectly   




Now why couldn't that have been sent the first time around?   

CBS do a range of double spline bars for making steering columns, and the usual practice is to chop them to length in the middle and then sleeve and weld them to the length that you require. As my universal joints are looking like they might end up touching each other, I'm hoping that the other end of the shaft is just about long enough without having to fabricate anything special. If you are reading this and contemplating making a shaft with limited welding skills, then I would suggest to investigate the Double D shaft options as you can alter the shaft length with a hacksaw.




If I wasn't looking forward to cutting the outer column, trust me when I say that I am REALLY uncomfortable with chopping the inner column, but I cannot avoid doing it for any longer. I have not only chopped out a huge chunk of it, but also slotted and replicated the slot and recess for the clamp bolt at the end so that it resembles the original one.




So, if I have got this shaft assembly right, I should be able to slide the splined part in and out to set the correct length for the universal joints, lock it in place with the clamp so I can then weld it for strength, and then secure the whole lot in place with the grub screws on the pillow bearing. Sounds so simple.




One more alignment to make before trial fitting, and that is to make sure the pillow block bearing keeps the shaft as central as possible.




I wasn't proud of this photo as it looks absolutely bloody awful. It is my own fault for trying to multi task. Sun was shining and I was painting the metal railings down the side with black hammerite. Finished that job and fell into that dangerous trap that we all do with a brush in one hand and an open tin of paint in the other. We have all been there, and we all have the same though going through our minds - What can I paint next?  Not sure what I was thinking as the only thing that I saw was a bare metal bracket. I know that everyone reading will be nodding their heads. Nuff said.

In all seriousness though, there are probably better and tidier ways to do this bit, but this seems to work with what I had available at the time. Besides, it won't actually be seen.




And now comes the clever bit, or at least I hope so. Everything is lining up quite nicely and is a lot closer than I had originally envisaged which is a good thing. The next stage is to push the shaft inwards until the two faces of the universal joints are in the same plane whilst trying to keep the operating angle of each one identical. If they touch that's a bonus for me, and if not then I can measure what length of shaft needs to go between them. For an extra bit of wriggle room the rack can also be rotated as long as the overall angle does not exceed 60 degrees. Everything here can move and then be locked in place once it has found its correct position.




I have now determined the correct shaft length and locked it in place so that the column can be removed once more without anything moving. My plan is to remove the bolts and clamps (which turned out to be a bit of a schoolboy error) as they foul the bracket and will not let me turn the steering wheel, but I am quietly confident that I have got the orientation right. For those contemplating IVA, there are collapsible column sections available that you could use here instead, but I intend to just weld it all up.




Before dismantling it, I took a measurement and was very pleased to see that the operating angle had been reduced and was now 57.5 degrees   




Time to take it all apart again and send it off for powder coat 

The laser cut plates arrived from Ed the other day in various thicknesses, so I have just had them powder coated




It is a very big gap to fill, but doesn't look too out of place when you see it for real - looks far worse in these pictures.




I'm not sure how else this could be done, but at least these spacer plates look far more "Bespoke" than a bag full of washers.

Other parts have also returned from being powder coated and have all been reassembled.




The column line up perfectly with the universal joints touching each other as planned. Do not underestimate how strong these joints are and how much torque you need to do the bolts up. I ended up having to use a breaker bar to get them tight enough to stop them slipping.




This really was the moment of truth, to see if I could actually turn the steering wheel. The column was indeed a bit banana shaped after my welding as expected, but the overall movement seemed pretty smooth if not a bit stiff which is not unexpected given that everything is brand new. Most of the stiffness is coming from the rack itself, so I an not unduly concerned.




I am not connecting the hubs yet as I still need to play about with the rack in order to determine how far the wheels will turn and whether I need to put any end stops in place to prevent the tyres from rubbing anything when on full lock.

If you needed breaker bar to stop slippage it means they are just tight enough at highish torque figures so I would consider a couple of good short welds or tacks on the joins to be 100% when you have it fully working.

Quote from: snoopy on July 08, 2021, 10:39:11 AM
If you needed breaker bar to stop slippage it means they are just tight enough at highish torque figures so I would consider a couple of good short welds or tacks on the joins to be 100% when you have it fully working.

I gave them a really good nip, but that's not a bad suggestion at all once I know it all works 

I keep tripping over my towing bar, so I thought I would fit it back onto the front. It fits perfectly, and exactly as it did with the original beam.




Not entirely sure how well this would have fitted on the Imohr though, which is another big plus for me as I don't have to remake this.

The steering rack gaitors were slid to one side so that the tightness of all the joints could be checked - glad I did as they were supplied quite loose. Looking at these, it would not be that difficult to introduce some sort of collar or large washer here if some form of end stop was required for the steering.




The Mini steering rack has a much larger turning circle than the VW one, and whilst this may present a problem for some, for me it worked out quite nicely as I am running 235/60/14 tyres on 7J rims, and it would appear that at full lock, I have some clearance against the bodywork.






I just hope that the other side is the same sort of clearance 

Looking good. Didn't think you where so wide on the front