Minion Missile - 1973 Colombian Patrol Project

Builds, refurbishments, restorations, upgrades

Postby mad4hws » Thu May 21, 2020 7:53 am

Waiting on some parts for the windshield. So, dug into something that I have been dreading. When we re-wired the patrol, we put the fuseblock behind the dash - between the glovebox and steering wheel. When we did this, we ran wires underneath the steering column. That looks terrible with that amount of wires hanging down, so we need to position them above the steering column. So, we had to remove the steering wheel and steering column. in the process of doing this, I noticed that the splines on both the wheel and the column are worn.

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The wheel is much more worn than the column. Is there a way to remedy this? Was thinking about taking it to a machine shop and seeing what they could do. Not sure if that is a pressed in part, or if it's part of the wheel. If it is pressed in, does anyone have a replacement part number?

thx.
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Postby RiverPatrol » Thu May 21, 2020 9:02 am

You sure find some of the strangest unpleasant surprises on this Patrol. It's amazing how much of it has been molested. I don't know if this can be fixed. You're probably going to need at least a new steering wheel.
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Postby mad4hws » Thu May 21, 2020 9:24 am

RiverPatrol wrote:You sure find some of the strangest unpleasant surprises on this Patrol. It's amazing how much of it has been molested. I don't know if this can be fixed. You're probably going to need at least a new steering wheel.


I like to think of it as the gift that keeps giving.... This thing is full of surprises. It's also a really good lesson to never buy a car sight unseen - this is what can happen ... :lol:

That being said, we wanted a project car and this one certainly hasn't disappointed. I think if it wasn't for this forum it would have headed to the scrap heap long ago. Appreciate everyone's help. Hopefully my posts are at least somewhat entertaining..
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Postby moore_rb » Thu May 21, 2020 9:38 am

If the steering shaft spines in the pic are indicative of the condition of the entire shaft, then I think those can be saved with some tedious attention with a Dremel tool and a small cutoff wheel, or better yet, a set of thread-files. I wouldn't use a die grinder- they spin too fast.

I would not try to save the steering wheel splines- they look too far gone (going by the pics) :(

I'm trying to imagine how many times a steering wheel would need to have been pulled, then re-seated incorrectly, in order to induce that much wear on the splines... :think:

I imagine that your steering wheel is the same as a 69's ? if so, there might possibly be one somewhere in the states, otherwise, I'd get in touch with our master Aussie Patrol parts-gopher (G60Micheal) and see if he can track one down for you in the land down-under...
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Postby Daner » Thu May 21, 2020 9:43 am

I’ve never seen that before, usually they are intact as they are locked together, protecting both sides of the spline. Was there any play in the steering wheel?
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Postby mad4hws » Thu May 21, 2020 9:55 am

Daner wrote:I’ve never seen that before, usually they are intact as they are locked together, protecting both sides of the spline. Was there any play in the steering wheel?


There was some play in the steering wheel - I put that on the list of things to address at some point. It wasn't excessive and I figured it just needed some tuning up. Looking at this, I'm glad that I pulled it. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The shaft has a pretty significant flat spot on the other side, so that will need to be replaced too. I'm now on the hunt for some new (old) parts....
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Postby RiverPatrol » Thu May 21, 2020 12:47 pm

For the shaft, you're best off replacing the entire gear box. You'll need one for a '69 since they changed how they mount on the frame then as I recall. Here's one, horribly overpriced and on the wrong coast: https://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-NISSAN-PA ... 1438.l2649
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Postby mad4hws » Thu May 21, 2020 1:56 pm

Thanks River. I have a partial gearbox from the '67 chassis that I dismantled a while back. Unfortunately, the shaft has been cut-off; however, I can look at the gearbox assembly and see if there are any differences. Once I figure that out, I'll post a separate message soliciting this group for parts. I suspect there's more than a few in the corners of our garages from the parts patrols that we have disassembled.
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Postby RiverPatrol » Thu May 21, 2020 2:46 pm

The shaft on the earlier Patrols is different also. That is why the early and later steering wheels are not interchangeable. Looking forward to your progress posts on this. You're always so diligent, and ultimately successful.
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Postby mad4hws » Thu May 21, 2020 5:15 pm

Here's a comparison of the two steering gear boxes. The one on the bottom is from the 1967 chassis. The one on top is from mine, which is a later version. The earlier version is different - it looks like it is two pieces whereas the later version is just one. I put the 1967 gearbox on my frame and it bolted right up. The steering shaft is cut, but it looks like it lines up and is angled identically to the later version. I also connected the pitman arm to the draglink with no issues. So, I think If i can find a matching pair of gearbox/steering wheel, regardless of year, I should be fine.

7046
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