Adjusting the A7 Drag-Link

 

An important but tricky job is to minimise the ‘free play’ in the steering. The adjustments, especially in the early steering box, are many and complex - moreover, when I do them out of the car on the bench, it all seems very different when re-installed in the car!  Having checked king-pins and cotters all round, it is also necessary to reduce the movement in the drag-link i.e.. the rod between the steering box drop-arm and the steering-arm on the hub.

Now Lord A. in his wisdom saw it necessary to insert small springs in the cup & ball assembly at each end of the rod - possibly to reduced rough feed-back of the road wheels to the steering wheel. However, if you’ve ever tried to compress the assemblies really tight and pop the retaining bolts through, you’ll know what pig of a job this is until I was put on to the following:

Ian Mason-Smith