BUILDING A VINTAGE BENTLEY PART SIX
THE EXP 2 BODY ASH FRAME UNDER CONSTRUCTION
IN THIS EPISODE WE WILL LOOK INTO THE POSSIBILITIES AND ALTERNATIVES FOR YOUR BITSA.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ADVICE IS MAINLY AIMED AT THE FOUR CYLINDER CARS.
THE CHASSIS
THIS IS A DIFFICULT ONE! THERE IS ALMOST NO PROBABILITY THAT YOU WILL EVER FIND AN ORIGINAL VINTAGE BENTLEY CHASSIS. THE PERSON WHO MADE MOST OF THE REPRODUCTION CHASSIS IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS PASSED AWAY RECENTLY SO THAT THERE IS A GAP IN THE MARKET. SIDEMEMBER STAMPINGS CAN BE OBTAINED BUT NOBODY IS MAKING THE CROSS MEMBERS AS FAR AS I KNOW. IF YOU KNOW OF A SKILLED BLACKSMITH OR SHEET METAL FABRICATOR ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO BUY THE CHASSIS DRAWINGS FROM THE BDC AND PRESENT THEM TO YOUR FRIENDLY METALWORKER FOR A QUOTE.
I FOUND A WONDERFUL CRAFTSMAN THAT PUT MY CHASSIS TOGETHER AND MADE SPRING HANGER BRACKETS, BRAKE AND CLUTCH PEDALS, HANDBRAKE etc. ALAS HE TOOK ON A LARGE ONGOING CONTRACT SO THAT HE HAS BEEN TOO BUSY TO DO ANY FURTHER WORK FOR ME!
FRONT AXLE
ANOTHER DIFFICULT ONE! IF YOU CAN`T FIND AN ORIGINAL FRONT AXLE THERE ARE TWO MAIN SOURCES FOR REPRODUCTION FRONT AXLES. VINTAGE BENTLEY SPARES SELL FORGED FRONT AXLE BEAMS AND STUB AXLES, ALTERNATIVELY, THE VINTAGE GARAGE IN AUSTRALIA CAN SUPPLY THE SAME ITEMS BUT THESE ARE IN CAST STEEL BUT OF THE CORRECT AUSTRALIAN EQUIVALENT FOR 40 TON STEEL AS PER THE ORIGINALS.
WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE IT WON`T BE CHEAP! SOMETIMES THERE WILL BE FRONT AXLE BEAMS FOR SALE THAT HAVE BEEN CAST BUT WITH NO HISTORY. THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO TAKE IT TO A METALLERGIST AND HAVE THE MATERIAL IDENTIFIED. THEN HAVE THE AXLE 100 % RADIOGRAPHED TO SEE WHETHER THERE ARE ANY FLAWS IN THE STRUCTURE THAT MAY CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IN THE FUTURE. YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS ARE AT STAKE!
REAR AXLE
IT`S THE SAME BAD NEWS FOR REAR AXLES, ORIGINALS ARE RARELY AVAILABLE AND THE SAME SOURCES IN THE UK AND AUSTRALIA CAN SUPPLY CASINGS AT A PRICE. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY TO USE ONE OF THE CAST ALUMINIUM CASINGS THAT SURFACE SOMETIMES OR A ROLLS BENTLEY ONE. UNFORTUNATELY MOST SWITCHED ON BENTLEY FOLK WILL SPOT THIS INTERLOPER SO PERHAPS IT`S BEST TO USE A GOOD REPRO CASING.
DON`T BOTHER BUYING USED HALF SHAFTS AS IN MY OPINION IT`S BEST JUST TO FORK OUT FOR A PAIR OF NEW 8 LITRE ONES. SAVINGS CAN BE MADE WITH THE DIFFERENTIAL, A USED SET OF 2 STAR GEARS AND DIFF CASING WILL SUFFICE AS LONG AS THE GEARS ARE NOT WORN TO A POINT WHICH HAPPENS WHEN THE BRONZE BEARINGS THAT THE STAR GEARS RUN IN WEAR AND ALLOW THE GEARS TOO MUCH PLAY.
THE DIFFERENTIAL SIDE PLATES CAN BE RECONDITIONED BUT THE ORIGINAL 4 STAR DIFFERENTIAL CASINGS TEND TO CRACK AT THE INSIDE BOSSES OF THE STAR GEAR MOUNTING SHAFTS. EVEN IF THE DIFF CASING LOOKS OK IT`S BEST TO HAVE IT CRACK DETECTED. IF YOU HAVE A LATHE THEN YOU CAN TURN YOUR OWN DIFF CASING FROM HIGH STRENGTH ALUMINIUM AND USE GOOD SECOND HAND FOUR STAR DIFF GEARS. THE CROWN WHEEL AND PINION CAN PROBABLY BE FOUND SECOND HAND BUT THESE ARE USUALLY THE LESS DESIRABLE RATIOS. YOUR BEST FRIEND IS THE BDC TOME "TECHNICAL FACTS OF THE VINTAGE BENTLEY" AVAILABLE FROM THE CLUB. THIS GIVES ALL THE EXISTING CWP RATIOS AND LISTS OF INTERCHANGEABLE BENTLEY PARTS, IT`S A MUST!
ENGINE
IN MY OPINION THE WONDERFUL VINTAGE BENTLEY ENGINES ARE THE HEART OF THE CAR AND ALL EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO FIND ONE FOR YOUR CAR. OF COURSE NEW ENGINES HAVE BEEN MADE BUT THERE ARE DAMAGED ENGINE PARTS SUCH AS CRANCASE, SUMP. CYLINDER BLOCK etc. THAT CAN BE REPAIRED AS GOOD AS NEW BY A FIRST CLASS WELDER. SUCH WELDED PARTS WILL REQUIRE SOME LICKING UP OF THE MATING FACES DUE TO THE DISTORTION OF THE CASTING CREATED BY THE HEAT OF WELDING. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THESE ENGINE PARTS WILL HAVE ENGINE NUMBERS STAMPED ON THEM AND ARE COMPLETELY ORIGINAL.
ANOTHER HOT TIP IS TO USE A BENTLEY 4 LITRE ENGINE, THERE ARE STILL SOME AROUND JUST WAITING TO BE SNAPPED UP AT A MINI PRICE COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHERS. THE NEXT PROBABILITY IS THE ROLLS BENTLEY MK6 ENGINE. NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE MK6 ENGINE DESIGN TEAM TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT THE BENTLEY 4 LITRE ENGINE AND CARRIED OVER SOME OF THE DESIGN FEATURES INTO THE MK6. I`M WRITING AN ARTICLE ABOUT IT WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY APPEAR ON THIS SITE.
GEARBOX
ORIGINAL GEARBOXES ARE NOT EASY TO FIND NOWADAYS AND ARE PRICEY! NEW ONES CAN BE BOUGHT AT A PRICE THAT WILL MAKE YOU WINCE. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE IS TO FIND A VINTAGE ROLLS OR ALVIS ONE WHICH WILL FIT BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THIRD CROSSMEMBERS. THE DIMENSION BETWEEN THESE IS 305mm.
STEERING COLUMN
ORIGINAL NUMBERED STEERING BOX CASINGS ARE HARD TO FIND ALTHOUGH REPRODUCTIONS CAN BE PURCHASED FROM THE BDC SPARES SCHEME AS WELL AS SOME OF THE USUAL BENTLEY SUPPLIERS BUT THESE WILL NOT HAVE THAT IMPORTANT CHASSIS NUMBER STAMPED ON THEM. I HAVE SEEN NEW ITEMS THAT SOME UNSCRUPULOUS PERSON HAS STAMPED WITH A NUMBER BUT WITH MODERN STAMPS NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO FIND A SET OF THE CORRECT 1920`S STYLE WITH THE DECORATIVE SERAFS!
THERE IS A TREND TO CONVERT ALL ORIGINAL STEERING BOXES TO TAKE THE 4.5 LITRE STEERING RATIO AS THE MORE ELDERLY AMONGST US HAVE A PROBLEM WITH STEERING AT PARKING SPEEDS WITH THE 3 LITRE RATIO DUE TO THE PHYSICAL EFFORT REQUIRED. YOU CAN USE AN ORIGINAL STEERING COLUMN COMPLETE FROM ANY VINTAGE BENTLEY MODEL BUT THEN YOU WILL BE COMPETING WITH THE SIX CYLINDER BOYS WHICH WILL MAKE PRICES MUCH HIGHER.
IN THE PAST SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO MAKE A STEERING BOX RATIO THAT CAN BE USED IN A 3L STEERING BOX TO GIVE A 4.5L RATIO. UNFORTUNATELY THEY DID NOT CONSIDER THE LAWS OF PHYSICS SO THAT THESE RATIOS WOULD NOT REVERSE AS THEY SHOULD. DON`T CONSIDER BUYING ONE OF THESE DODGY RATIOS WHATEVER THE VENDOR TELLS YOU AS YOU WILL JUST BE THROWING YOUR MONEY AWAY!
BENTLEY STEERING WORMS WERE MADE FROM THE HIGHEST QUALITY MATERIALS AVAILABLE THEN SO THAT YOU CAN`T GO WRONG IF YOU USE AN ORIGINAL 3 OR 4.5 LITRE RATIO AS LONG AS YOU GET IT 100 % RADIOGRAPHED, THIS WILL COST YOU A FEW BOB BUT SAFETY IS EVERYTHING.
I`M GOING TO HAVE SOME 4.5 LITRE STEERING RATIOS MADE SO THAT I WILL ENSURE THAT THE COMPANY WHO WILL MAKE THEM IS WELL VERSED IN THIS PROCESS AND HAS THE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS TO WORK TO. THE CORRECT MATERIAL HAS TO BE SELECTED, MACHINED TO THE CORRECT TOLERANCES, VERY IMPORTANTLY THE HARDENING HAS TO TO THE CORRECT DEPTH AND THEN I WILL HAVE THE WORM THREAD GROUND WHICH WAS NOT CARRIED OUT ON THE ORIGINALS AND THEN 100% RADIOGRAPHED. YOU WILL BE PROTECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER`S INSURANCE SHOULD ANYTHING UNTOWARD HAPPEN.
WHEN CONVERTING A 3L BOX TO TAKE A 4.5L ORIGINAL STEERING RATIO,(PLEASE NOTE THAT BENTLEYS USED THE SAME ALUMINIUM DIE CASTING FOR BOTH STEERING BOXES) THE 3L STEERING BOX BODY WILL HAVE TO HAVE THE TOP PINION BEARING BORE EXTENDED AND THE DIAMETER OF THE WORM WHEEL BORE HAS TO BE ENLARGED TO ALLOW THE LARGER 4.5L BRONZE WORM WHEEL ACCESS INTO THE BOX. THE ORIGINAL BRONZE MOUNTING BRACKET CAN BE USED WITHOUT MODIFICATION. THE NEW PARTS REQUIRED ARE: THE PINION, BRONZE WORM WHEEL, STEERING SHAFT AND THE LARGE ALUMINIUM ADAPTOR PLATE BETWEEN THE LARGER BORE IN THE STEERING BOX BODY AND THE ORIGINAL STEERING BOX MOUNTING BRACKET.
I AM AMAZED THAT THE 3 & 4.5 LITRE STEERING BOXES HAD NO METHOD OF ADJUSTING FOR WEAR. I ATTRIBUTE THIS TO THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CAR WHEN WO AND BURGESS WERE DESIGNING A CAR THAT MIGHT HAVE A DOUBTFUL FUTURE AND DID NOT ADD THIS DESIRABLE FEATURE TO THE DESIGN IN ORDER TO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND CHEAP TO MANUFACTURE. ALL THE SIX CYLINDER CARS HAD STEERING BOXES WITH CAPABILITY FOR ADJUSTMENT FOR WEAR.
I HAVE CONSIDERED MODIFYING THE 4.5 LITRE STEERING BOX TO ENABLE ADJUSTMENT TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PINION AND THE WORMWHEEL. BENTLEYS MADE THIS DIFFICULT TO DO BY HAVING ALL THE FOUR BOLTS THAT HOLD THE STEERING BOX AND MOUNTING BRACKET TOGETHER, ALTHOUGH ON THE SAME PITCH CIRCLE DIAMETER,THESE ARE NOT EQUISPACED. THIS DESIGN IS ON THE BACK BURNER BUT WILL BE DONE WHEN I HAVE SOME TIME TO SPARE.
CLICK HERE FOR PART SEVEN
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ADVICE IS MAINLY AIMED AT THE FOUR CYLINDER CARS.
THE CHASSIS
THIS IS A DIFFICULT ONE! THERE IS ALMOST NO PROBABILITY THAT YOU WILL EVER FIND AN ORIGINAL VINTAGE BENTLEY CHASSIS. THE PERSON WHO MADE MOST OF THE REPRODUCTION CHASSIS IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS PASSED AWAY RECENTLY SO THAT THERE IS A GAP IN THE MARKET. SIDEMEMBER STAMPINGS CAN BE OBTAINED BUT NOBODY IS MAKING THE CROSS MEMBERS AS FAR AS I KNOW. IF YOU KNOW OF A SKILLED BLACKSMITH OR SHEET METAL FABRICATOR ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO BUY THE CHASSIS DRAWINGS FROM THE BDC AND PRESENT THEM TO YOUR FRIENDLY METALWORKER FOR A QUOTE.
I FOUND A WONDERFUL CRAFTSMAN THAT PUT MY CHASSIS TOGETHER AND MADE SPRING HANGER BRACKETS, BRAKE AND CLUTCH PEDALS, HANDBRAKE etc. ALAS HE TOOK ON A LARGE ONGOING CONTRACT SO THAT HE HAS BEEN TOO BUSY TO DO ANY FURTHER WORK FOR ME!
FRONT AXLE
ANOTHER DIFFICULT ONE! IF YOU CAN`T FIND AN ORIGINAL FRONT AXLE THERE ARE TWO MAIN SOURCES FOR REPRODUCTION FRONT AXLES. VINTAGE BENTLEY SPARES SELL FORGED FRONT AXLE BEAMS AND STUB AXLES, ALTERNATIVELY, THE VINTAGE GARAGE IN AUSTRALIA CAN SUPPLY THE SAME ITEMS BUT THESE ARE IN CAST STEEL BUT OF THE CORRECT AUSTRALIAN EQUIVALENT FOR 40 TON STEEL AS PER THE ORIGINALS.
WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE IT WON`T BE CHEAP! SOMETIMES THERE WILL BE FRONT AXLE BEAMS FOR SALE THAT HAVE BEEN CAST BUT WITH NO HISTORY. THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO TAKE IT TO A METALLERGIST AND HAVE THE MATERIAL IDENTIFIED. THEN HAVE THE AXLE 100 % RADIOGRAPHED TO SEE WHETHER THERE ARE ANY FLAWS IN THE STRUCTURE THAT MAY CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IN THE FUTURE. YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS ARE AT STAKE!
REAR AXLE
IT`S THE SAME BAD NEWS FOR REAR AXLES, ORIGINALS ARE RARELY AVAILABLE AND THE SAME SOURCES IN THE UK AND AUSTRALIA CAN SUPPLY CASINGS AT A PRICE. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY TO USE ONE OF THE CAST ALUMINIUM CASINGS THAT SURFACE SOMETIMES OR A ROLLS BENTLEY ONE. UNFORTUNATELY MOST SWITCHED ON BENTLEY FOLK WILL SPOT THIS INTERLOPER SO PERHAPS IT`S BEST TO USE A GOOD REPRO CASING.
DON`T BOTHER BUYING USED HALF SHAFTS AS IN MY OPINION IT`S BEST JUST TO FORK OUT FOR A PAIR OF NEW 8 LITRE ONES. SAVINGS CAN BE MADE WITH THE DIFFERENTIAL, A USED SET OF 2 STAR GEARS AND DIFF CASING WILL SUFFICE AS LONG AS THE GEARS ARE NOT WORN TO A POINT WHICH HAPPENS WHEN THE BRONZE BEARINGS THAT THE STAR GEARS RUN IN WEAR AND ALLOW THE GEARS TOO MUCH PLAY.
THE DIFFERENTIAL SIDE PLATES CAN BE RECONDITIONED BUT THE ORIGINAL 4 STAR DIFFERENTIAL CASINGS TEND TO CRACK AT THE INSIDE BOSSES OF THE STAR GEAR MOUNTING SHAFTS. EVEN IF THE DIFF CASING LOOKS OK IT`S BEST TO HAVE IT CRACK DETECTED. IF YOU HAVE A LATHE THEN YOU CAN TURN YOUR OWN DIFF CASING FROM HIGH STRENGTH ALUMINIUM AND USE GOOD SECOND HAND FOUR STAR DIFF GEARS. THE CROWN WHEEL AND PINION CAN PROBABLY BE FOUND SECOND HAND BUT THESE ARE USUALLY THE LESS DESIRABLE RATIOS. YOUR BEST FRIEND IS THE BDC TOME "TECHNICAL FACTS OF THE VINTAGE BENTLEY" AVAILABLE FROM THE CLUB. THIS GIVES ALL THE EXISTING CWP RATIOS AND LISTS OF INTERCHANGEABLE BENTLEY PARTS, IT`S A MUST!
ENGINE
IN MY OPINION THE WONDERFUL VINTAGE BENTLEY ENGINES ARE THE HEART OF THE CAR AND ALL EFFORTS SHOULD BE MADE TO FIND ONE FOR YOUR CAR. OF COURSE NEW ENGINES HAVE BEEN MADE BUT THERE ARE DAMAGED ENGINE PARTS SUCH AS CRANCASE, SUMP. CYLINDER BLOCK etc. THAT CAN BE REPAIRED AS GOOD AS NEW BY A FIRST CLASS WELDER. SUCH WELDED PARTS WILL REQUIRE SOME LICKING UP OF THE MATING FACES DUE TO THE DISTORTION OF THE CASTING CREATED BY THE HEAT OF WELDING. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THESE ENGINE PARTS WILL HAVE ENGINE NUMBERS STAMPED ON THEM AND ARE COMPLETELY ORIGINAL.
ANOTHER HOT TIP IS TO USE A BENTLEY 4 LITRE ENGINE, THERE ARE STILL SOME AROUND JUST WAITING TO BE SNAPPED UP AT A MINI PRICE COMPARED TO ALL THE OTHERS. THE NEXT PROBABILITY IS THE ROLLS BENTLEY MK6 ENGINE. NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE MK6 ENGINE DESIGN TEAM TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT THE BENTLEY 4 LITRE ENGINE AND CARRIED OVER SOME OF THE DESIGN FEATURES INTO THE MK6. I`M WRITING AN ARTICLE ABOUT IT WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY APPEAR ON THIS SITE.
GEARBOX
ORIGINAL GEARBOXES ARE NOT EASY TO FIND NOWADAYS AND ARE PRICEY! NEW ONES CAN BE BOUGHT AT A PRICE THAT WILL MAKE YOU WINCE. THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE IS TO FIND A VINTAGE ROLLS OR ALVIS ONE WHICH WILL FIT BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THIRD CROSSMEMBERS. THE DIMENSION BETWEEN THESE IS 305mm.
STEERING COLUMN
ORIGINAL NUMBERED STEERING BOX CASINGS ARE HARD TO FIND ALTHOUGH REPRODUCTIONS CAN BE PURCHASED FROM THE BDC SPARES SCHEME AS WELL AS SOME OF THE USUAL BENTLEY SUPPLIERS BUT THESE WILL NOT HAVE THAT IMPORTANT CHASSIS NUMBER STAMPED ON THEM. I HAVE SEEN NEW ITEMS THAT SOME UNSCRUPULOUS PERSON HAS STAMPED WITH A NUMBER BUT WITH MODERN STAMPS NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO FIND A SET OF THE CORRECT 1920`S STYLE WITH THE DECORATIVE SERAFS!
THERE IS A TREND TO CONVERT ALL ORIGINAL STEERING BOXES TO TAKE THE 4.5 LITRE STEERING RATIO AS THE MORE ELDERLY AMONGST US HAVE A PROBLEM WITH STEERING AT PARKING SPEEDS WITH THE 3 LITRE RATIO DUE TO THE PHYSICAL EFFORT REQUIRED. YOU CAN USE AN ORIGINAL STEERING COLUMN COMPLETE FROM ANY VINTAGE BENTLEY MODEL BUT THEN YOU WILL BE COMPETING WITH THE SIX CYLINDER BOYS WHICH WILL MAKE PRICES MUCH HIGHER.
IN THE PAST SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO MAKE A STEERING BOX RATIO THAT CAN BE USED IN A 3L STEERING BOX TO GIVE A 4.5L RATIO. UNFORTUNATELY THEY DID NOT CONSIDER THE LAWS OF PHYSICS SO THAT THESE RATIOS WOULD NOT REVERSE AS THEY SHOULD. DON`T CONSIDER BUYING ONE OF THESE DODGY RATIOS WHATEVER THE VENDOR TELLS YOU AS YOU WILL JUST BE THROWING YOUR MONEY AWAY!
BENTLEY STEERING WORMS WERE MADE FROM THE HIGHEST QUALITY MATERIALS AVAILABLE THEN SO THAT YOU CAN`T GO WRONG IF YOU USE AN ORIGINAL 3 OR 4.5 LITRE RATIO AS LONG AS YOU GET IT 100 % RADIOGRAPHED, THIS WILL COST YOU A FEW BOB BUT SAFETY IS EVERYTHING.
I`M GOING TO HAVE SOME 4.5 LITRE STEERING RATIOS MADE SO THAT I WILL ENSURE THAT THE COMPANY WHO WILL MAKE THEM IS WELL VERSED IN THIS PROCESS AND HAS THE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS TO WORK TO. THE CORRECT MATERIAL HAS TO BE SELECTED, MACHINED TO THE CORRECT TOLERANCES, VERY IMPORTANTLY THE HARDENING HAS TO TO THE CORRECT DEPTH AND THEN I WILL HAVE THE WORM THREAD GROUND WHICH WAS NOT CARRIED OUT ON THE ORIGINALS AND THEN 100% RADIOGRAPHED. YOU WILL BE PROTECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER`S INSURANCE SHOULD ANYTHING UNTOWARD HAPPEN.
WHEN CONVERTING A 3L BOX TO TAKE A 4.5L ORIGINAL STEERING RATIO,(PLEASE NOTE THAT BENTLEYS USED THE SAME ALUMINIUM DIE CASTING FOR BOTH STEERING BOXES) THE 3L STEERING BOX BODY WILL HAVE TO HAVE THE TOP PINION BEARING BORE EXTENDED AND THE DIAMETER OF THE WORM WHEEL BORE HAS TO BE ENLARGED TO ALLOW THE LARGER 4.5L BRONZE WORM WHEEL ACCESS INTO THE BOX. THE ORIGINAL BRONZE MOUNTING BRACKET CAN BE USED WITHOUT MODIFICATION. THE NEW PARTS REQUIRED ARE: THE PINION, BRONZE WORM WHEEL, STEERING SHAFT AND THE LARGE ALUMINIUM ADAPTOR PLATE BETWEEN THE LARGER BORE IN THE STEERING BOX BODY AND THE ORIGINAL STEERING BOX MOUNTING BRACKET.
I AM AMAZED THAT THE 3 & 4.5 LITRE STEERING BOXES HAD NO METHOD OF ADJUSTING FOR WEAR. I ATTRIBUTE THIS TO THE BEGINNINGS OF THE CAR WHEN WO AND BURGESS WERE DESIGNING A CAR THAT MIGHT HAVE A DOUBTFUL FUTURE AND DID NOT ADD THIS DESIRABLE FEATURE TO THE DESIGN IN ORDER TO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND CHEAP TO MANUFACTURE. ALL THE SIX CYLINDER CARS HAD STEERING BOXES WITH CAPABILITY FOR ADJUSTMENT FOR WEAR.
I HAVE CONSIDERED MODIFYING THE 4.5 LITRE STEERING BOX TO ENABLE ADJUSTMENT TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PINION AND THE WORMWHEEL. BENTLEYS MADE THIS DIFFICULT TO DO BY HAVING ALL THE FOUR BOLTS THAT HOLD THE STEERING BOX AND MOUNTING BRACKET TOGETHER, ALTHOUGH ON THE SAME PITCH CIRCLE DIAMETER,THESE ARE NOT EQUISPACED. THIS DESIGN IS ON THE BACK BURNER BUT WILL BE DONE WHEN I HAVE SOME TIME TO SPARE.
CLICK HERE FOR PART SEVEN