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Hi Eddie - I had some ongoing issues with my water pump and eventually replaced it with one supplied by Rod Briggs that, according to his description, has been re-engineered to address the inherent weakness of the original design.  7 years on and it has not given me any problems.  Please see the link below if you want to check it out.

https://www.ac-6.co.uk/water-pumps/

Good luck,
Greg

I also agree with Nick's measurements.

Greg

Dear Michael (and all),

First, thank you for your comments and suggestions.  Some interesting developments to share...  After a referral and a couple of additional phone calls, I was able to find someone to rotate the pin on the sector shaft 90 degrees.  It was mere minutes from when I explained what I wanted to have done to when it was brought back out to me with the operation completed.  After a quick back and forth between the brothers that owned the shop, it was handed back to me at no charge.  I returned their generosity with a couple of bottles of wine later that day and everyone was happy (Merry Christmas to all).

I had every intention of pulling the steering box assembly for rebuilding but first wanted to see what effect, if any, the rotated pin would have.  During the Christmas Holiday, and with the help of a friend, I reinstalled the sector shaft and put the original top plate back into service.  We initially lowered the adjustment screw only checking the slightest side to side motion on the steering wheel for drag but quickly discovered that things tightened up considerably when the wheels were turned much more than that so we jacked up the front end of the car, made some additional adjustments which allowed the wheels to more comfortably achieve lock in either direction, and went for a ride.  What's odd is that the alignment seemed off, with the car pulling a little to the right.  Looking at the wheels, it seems as though the right front wheel is turned out slightly.  This has me scratching my head because, other than rotating the pin, nothing was done to the tie rods.  I need to look into this further and I also want to look at some further fiddling with the pin adjustment screw depth.  What's really interesting what has happened to the free play.  It's gone from 5+ inches down to 1 inch or maybe 1.5 inches (see attached official Q-tip test photos).  And looking at the drag link arm when the steering wheel is being rotated shows immediate movement of the sector shaft, with that 1 to 1.5 inches of free play being absorbed into the steering linkage.  Amazing!  Needless to say I don't have any plans to pull the steering box assembly now.  Could the alignment have been thrown off by things tightening up so much?  You would think that any effect would have been uniform given the whole steering linkage is locked together.  Regardless, I'm hoping a trip to the alignment shop solves things.  More to come once our much-needed California rains subside.

Best,
Greg

All,

I had some further delays to getting my car to my mechanic so I ended up pulling the sector shaft myself.  The most difficult part was finding a suitable puller to engage with the angled "ears" on the drag link.  The shaft seems to be in good shape and to the naked eye and fingers the pin seemed unworn.  I did, however, devise a rather crude way to check wear on the pin by stacking washers incrementally and measuring with my micrometer at each level and did note a small amount of wear.  It's hard to believe the fractional amount could amount to much play but I'm going to have the pin turned 90 degrees just the same.  Here are my findings:

Wear sides
Base = 13.88mm
1 washer = 11.88mm
2 washers = 10.80mm
3 washers = 10.24mm

90 degrees to wear sides
Base = 13.90mm
1 washer = 12.02mm
2 washers = 10.92 mm
3 washers = 10.28mm

I think I will ultimately remove the steering assembly for rebuild.  Checking my tattered AC manual, it states that the offside shock absorber must be removed.  I've not had any experience with this.  Are there any precautions to take into consideration?  Don't want a loaded spring/shock to release suddenly and cause an issue.

Thanks in advance for any advice on this,
Greg 

Michael,

Thank you for your continued contributions to this thread.  I did the drop arm test a while back and, from what I can tell, my grossly abundant free play is related to the steering box.  Since performing this test weeks ago, I've simply been waiting for my turn with my busy mechanic.  Seeing your most recent post regarding the axial check, I performed that test today and noted no axial play.  I will be sure to report back once the steering box is evaluated.

Greg

All,

This string has been an eye opener for me in terms of confirming what I have suspected for the many years I have owned AEX734.  The steering definitely has some issues.  What's ironic is that I have simply grown accustomed to all the play.  Initially, the play was simply attributed to the vague feel of the antiquated Bishop Cam box.  Seeing my ear swab test duplicated (thank you, Jonas!) provides some quantifiable evidence that what I have been accepting all of these years is far from in spec!  What's frustrating is that I recently had my car at a "reputable" shop in northern California for some unrelated work and I asked them to look at the steering box for wear.  They pulled it apart, reported that all appeared okay, and proceeded to put it back together.

Yesterday evening, with the help of my wife turning the steering wheel, I performed the drop arm test.  Sure enough, the drop arm remained fixed as my wife gently moved the wheel from side to side through its range of motion.  More quantifiable evidence that something is amiss in the steering box.  Very exciting stuff as I now know where to focus the attention!  My first step will be to rotate the pin 90 degrees and see what kind of improvement results.  As suggested here I will also remove the Revington top plate and replace it with the original plate, although I don't believe that is a contributing factor to all of the play.

Thanks very much to all who have contributed to this string as it has been incredibly helpful.  I'll be sure to report back once the changes have been made to my steering.

Best regards,
Greg   

Graham,

Thank you very much for the helpful suggestion.  I will definitely perform this test.

Greg

Gentlemen,

The diameter of my steering wheel is just under 15" and the Revington modified top plate is, indeed, the type with a spring-loaded pin.  I replaced the original top plate a number of years ago with the Revington version and, to my recollection, it did improve things a bit.  I still retain the original top plate and will definitely have it available as I work to resolve the larger issue of considerably excessive play.  Thank you for all of your comments.  They have been very helpful.

Greg

Dear Jonas,

Many thanks for providing some perspective as it relates to AEX 31.  This is really good information to validate my suspicions that something is amiss with my steering setup.

If anyone else has any experience with pre and post pin replacement/rotation as it relates to steering play I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,
Greg

All,

This is a topic which grabbed my attention because I've always wondered if what I am experiencing with the original steering set up in my 1959 AC Aceca is normal.  Note that my suspension has been rebuilt, including tie rod ends.  I also have a Revington TR modified top plate installed on the top of my steering box.  All of these things have helped tighten things up to some degree, but it seems there is still a lot of excessive play at the center position.  In essence, I estimate to have about 5-1/2 inches of travel before I meet some moderate resistance in the steering wheel.  The "highly technical" ;) photos attached demonstrate what I am experiencing.  All this play makes going through the twisties somewhat challenging, particularly when changing directions quickly.  Frankly, it's hard to imagine Aces dominating the race circuits back in the day with this kind of vague steering.  I should also note that the steering box was out and I was told that there was nothing obviously worn but I am second guessing that.  I've heard steering can be significantly improved by rotating the pin 90 degrees, exposing a fresh/unworn surface for it to engage with the sector.  Would appreciate any thoughts on my what the photos are demonstrating, pin rotation as a solution, and/or anything else obvious to check.

Thanks,
Greg

Well, that explains it.  Thanks Robin, much appreciated.

Greg

Robin,

Thank you for doing the additional checking!  Is there an alternate contact for AC Club Spares?  I've sent a couple of emails to Brian Eacott and never heard back.  Are you able to post the drawing of the original design here so I can compare to the dimensions of mine?  I'm assuming my pulley is original but you never know with a 60+ year old car what may have been replaced at some point!

Best regards,
Greg

All,

Thank you for your helpful suggestions.  I will check them out.

Best regards,
Greg

Happy Holidays all,

I'm hoping someone knows of a source (or has an extra they would be willing to part with) for a cast pulley/fan for a Lucas C39 PV2 dynamo.  Mine suffered the ultimate indignity on the return trip from getting its bushing and bearing replaced, compliments of UPS here in the USA.  Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Greg

Hi Luke,

I would be interested in a set for my Aceca as well.  Thanks for your efforts on this project!

Greg