Seasons' Greetings!!!!!

From time to time, I like to post things that many members of the forum will find helpful. Recently, I began to notice that the steering coupler on my 116.120 had started to loosen up and was clunking over bumps.



The cheapest I could find was around $70.00. As I began to look at the coupler, I saw little if any reason to keep it insulated in rubber. I decided to come up with a method to replace it with a solid assembly, do it with common hand tools and use only parts I could get at my local ACE hardware store. The result is a solid, sturdy steering coupler that requires no modifications

First, you drill out the mushroomed section of the two pins that hold the coupler together. Then, you simply drive out the two pins.



Once the rubber is picked out, you are ready to start the reassembly process.



I used (2) 1/4" aluminum cable button stops (ACE #5192901) to replace the missing rubber. I costed the OD with RTV before slipping them in place.



Next, I used (2) 1/4" ID x 3/8" OD bronze flange bushings (A Midwest Fastner part by size) which slipped into the other half of the coupler. I filed off about .030" of the bushing (opposite the flange) until it was flush with the coupler's surface.



I then used (2) 1/4" x 2.00" grade 8 bolts. I chose 1/4" because the hex is 11mm and it fits the other pieces without modification. I used (2) 1/4" flat washers and (2) 1/4" locking flange nuts to round out the parts list.



All of these were bought from my local ACE hardware store for a little over $5.00. The finsihed product is easy to install, easy to adjust for steering wheel centering and gives the car a very solid feel.

Best of all, anyone can do this in a driveway, with basic hand tools, a 3/8" drill and a sharp bit.



I hope you find this information helpful....Robert

__________________
Did you just pass my 740 at 200 kmh in a 300SD?????

1978 300SD 'Phil' - 1,315,853 Miles And Counting - 1, 317,885 as of 12/27/2012 - 1,333,000 as of 05/10/2013, 1,337,850 as of July 15, 2013, 1,339,000 as of August 13, 2013



100,000 miles since June 2005 Overhaul - Sold January 25th, 2014 After 1,344,246 Miles & 20 Years of Ownership