Kit 2, Steering gear; fully assembled

 

The steering gear is fully assembled and the car is right way up again.  The next job is to paint all the non-moving metal parts.  I had to open out a thread on the steering king pin which I had damaged during my inexpert assembly efforts; the correct screw tap was applied to good effect.  I also shortened each of the long tracking rods by 2-3 threads (carefully this time!) A hacksaw, lubricating oil and a swiss file seemed to make the job easier; I didn't have to use the die which I had in reserve just in case of problems.  How often does one prepare for a mistake and it never happens!  The steering is now showing just a touch of toe-out when the adjustment is at its full limit.  As well as painting, the moving parts will be lightly oiled and inaccessible metal surfaces treated with Waxoyl to reduce the risk of corrosion.  Before the wheels go on, I expect to re-check that all the nuts and bolts are secure.  As I assembled the tiller I wondered what the handle was made of on the original Locomobiles; was it wood, or rubber as per the current incarnation?  I also noticed that the welding might need some tidying up, but I am reluctant to do much to the welds - a well designed and made weld (or other assembly) has an aesthetic appeal all of its own.

Kit 2 - Steering installed

The steering is now installed, after a few mistakes.  Here is the chassis, painted, with the steering installed.

The chassis has been painted.  It is shown here upside down, for ease of assembling the steering.  It was also easier to see the small patches I had missed when painting by floodlight; the painting will have to be touched up when the relevant parts of the steering are being painted.

This is the stub axle as mounted.  The lower jaw (upmost in the picture) was filed until the assembly fitted into place.  The stub axle, the steering bearing and steering arm are supplied as a welded assembly.  The weight of the car is transferred to the wheels through the thrust ball-bearing which can be seen as a short silver cylinder.  The king pin keeps everything together, with a domed nut at one end and a penny washer at the other end.  The king pin is fixed to the axle assembly with a grub screw and a tight fit.  There are steel bushes in the jaws which provide a bearing surface for the king pin.
My insufficient experience showed itself in several ways!  The steel bushes were an interference fit in the jaws - I only destroyed one of the four whle trying to force it into place.  "It should go together with a soft faced hammer, using the king pin as a guide to ensure correct alignment"  Even with deburring, the bushes were a tight fit.  I ended up putting the bushes in the freezer for 24 hours; this provided just enough slack to force it into place correctly aligned. (I calculated that I would gain 0.2 thou by doing this).  Then I had a problem with the king pin getting stuck in the hole through the welded assembly.  I was too impatient and had neglected to check the fit of the king pin before trying to force it home.  It had to be released using 'penetrant' (penetrating oil) from three-in-one.  I remembered how useful it was from the olden days when I once had to remove a half shaft from my old Hillman Minx - it only moved afer soaking overnight.  I then checked the fit and filed down the burrs from within the mounting.  More haste, less speed.

I suspect that I might have to shorten the linkage if the wheels need any further toe-out.  When fully adjusted, one rod has 23 turns, the other 16 turns when the turnbuckle is fully adjusted - perhaps 16 turns each would be better.
All I have to do now is to turn the car right way up and attach the tiller.  Then I can do some more painting.

Here is the Assistant Chief Engineer casting a critical eye over the work.