Steering Column Bushing

[DMC5180]

To get your wheels reasonably straight ( in the ballpark) take a straight edge or ruler and lay it against the center of the wheel hub with 8-10" sticking forward. ( or the edge of the rotor ). Then measure from the end of the straight edge to a fixed common point on both sides of the car (frame , sway bar, etc ). Mirror the process on both side and adjust the wheel position to equal amounts. Or you can just Eyeball it. Your going to want to take it in for an alignment check anyway. Just request that they center the wheel and that the steering rack is also centered (stop to stop). The only thing adjustable on a stock delorean is front/rear toe position. They will have the info in their data base.

Rear adjustment requires special U-shims. I recommend you get a half dozen from a vendor to take with you just in case. They go on the trailing arm bolt between the arm and mount bushing. They will also need to spin the bolt to verify whether it is straight or bent. To be safe, just replace them with ones from a vendor.

You will also want to remove the trailing arm shields before you take it in, just in case the fasteners cause problems.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Yeah, put silicon on them and inside.

My marks disapeared, so I'm gonna have to adjust the steering wheel once I get it all secured...hehe. What size is the nut?

Got the ujoints back in, not tightened yet.

It's pretty hard to index mark the spline & shaft. We normally just R&R the stg wheel and recenter it. The nut is 22MM and the best way to remove the stg wheel is with an air hammer if you have one. I've posted this procedure before.
Rob

[David T]

It's pretty hard to index mark the spline & shaft. We normally just R&R the stg wheel and recenter it. The nut is 22MM and the best way to remove the stg wheel is with an air hammer if you have one. I've posted this procedure before.
Rob

It is difficult to mark it so you can see it, the parts are usually rusty so it is hard to get anything that sticks and is easily seen. My technique is to use a centerpunch and make a small dimple and then put a drop of nail polish in it. Any bright color will do. The other thing you can do is make sure the wheels are straight ahead before you take it apart and don't turn anything while it is apart. Not always easy to do AND get access to the bolts. As for pulling the steering wheel, if you don't have an air hammer you can make a puller with a plate, a puller screw and a couple of long bolts. Or just pull the whole column out and be careful putting it back in to line up the steering wheel. When you are all done be sure to check that the A/C hose is securely fastened where it can't get damaged by the steering gear.

[Lwanmtr]

Steering is back together, I just measured to check the wheels were pointing straight, and had the wheel centered. Havent driven it yet, still
a couple things to do under there before I put the wheel back on.

I'll take it up to DMCNW for alignment when I have them do a complete inspection to tell me what I need to get fixed, etc. I dont have an
air wrench and not really a fabricator to make custom tools, so I didnt pull the steering wheel...hehe.

When putting in those brackets to reinforce the binnacle I found that putting the column bolts in and then putting a little double sided sticky
tape on those brackets helped to hold them up while you get the nut tightened up to where it will hold them and the column. Otherwise its a
pain to hold them and get the nuts on, at least it made it easier for me.

[David T]

Steering is back together, I just measured to check the wheels were pointing straight, and had the wheel centered. Havent driven it yet, still
a couple things to do under there before I put the wheel back on.

I'll take it up to DMCNW for alignment when I have them do a complete inspection to tell me what I need to get fixed, etc. I dont have an
air wrench and not really a fabricator to make custom tools, so I didnt pull the steering wheel...hehe.

When putting in those brackets to reinforce the binnacle I found that putting the column bolts in and then putting a little double sided sticky
tape on those brackets helped to hold them up while you get the nut tightened up to where it will hold them and the column. Otherwise its a
pain to hold them and get the nuts on, at least it made it easier for me.

Before you do an alignment there are some things you can do to save yourself some money. Get all of the junk out of the car and have the gas tank 1/2 full.
Have good tires on and make sure they are filled to the correct pressures. Remove the trailing arm shields. Lubricate the front end. Grease the upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends and angle drive. Spray silicone on the steering bushing, upper and lower control arm bushings, upper and lower spring perches and sway bar bushings. WD-40 the steering u-joints. Check for anything bent or worn out and replace before the alignment. Of course DMCNW can do all of that and more but they do have to charge you for it. The more you can do on your own the less it will cost at the shop.

[Lwanmtr]

Pretty much I have 34 year old parts on my suspension..I doubt anything was changed at all. So a complete overhaul on suspension is going to
be needed..even being a non mechanic I can tell some of the rubber and other things are old and need replaced..plus I want the updated springs
and shocks.

[David T]

Pretty much I have 34 year old parts on my suspension..I doubt anything was changed at all. So a complete overhaul on suspension is going to
be needed..even being a non mechanic I can tell some of the rubber and other things are old and need replaced..plus I want the updated springs
and shocks.

Depending on your budget it is not necessary to replace everything. If the ball joints and control arm bushings aren't worn out they can be lubricated and the rubber dust covers replaced. Same for the tie rod ends. The stock springs should be OK unless they were cut. Of course if you are "improving" the suspension then you will want to change everything.

[Lwanmtr]

Ideally, I'd like to get the upgraded suspension springs, shocks, etc. But for now, I'm just making a list of minor things I know I can change
myself.