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MG TD TF 1500 - Steering shaft

I have been helping another TD owner restore his TD with email advice.

He came up with an interesting question that I thought would be a good one for the group.

Why did the TD steering shaft have splines and a key?

If you remove the key, will the splines and the nut keep the wheel in place?

Bruce Cunha

I have not had a key in mine for over 40 years. It is my anti-theft device ( that is if they get round the handbrake ;-}.
Rat TF 2884
Ray Lee

The TD/F steering wheel does not have splines. It is held in place on a taper with a key. The other end of the short shaft is splined for adjustment of in and out position. It slides in the steering column. There is a lozenger shaped key that prevents this short shaft from sliding completely out of the column.
Hugh Pite
H.D. Pite

Bruce: I assume you are talking about the splined shaft the steering wheel is mounted to and goes down the steering column?

As Hugh states, it is to allow for the in and out positioning of the steering wheel. If you leave out the key then you can pull the wheel all the way out.
Christopher Couper

Thanks
Bruce Cunha

If you remove the key in the steering wheel splined shaft, with the clamp tight, there is no way you can pull the shaft out by pulling on the wheel. The Brooklins wheel I installed was off-center by 2 splines and since the front end was perfectly aligned and 1/8 tow-in, I wasn't about to adjust the tie rod ends to get the wheel centered, so the key is out, moved the shaft 2 splines, and all are perfectly aligned. PJ
PJ Jennings

P.J. is 100% correct. I have done it several times.
Pull the steering wheel of and you have much more freedom to work around dash.
Sanders

I suppose you could rely on the clamp to hold the steering wheel in place. But I suspect the factory has the key in there to make sure there is sufficient shaft in place.
Christopher Couper

Only thing I can say is, if the key was in and someone pulled the wheel out against the key stop, I have no idea how anyone over 5 inches thick could fit in the seat. Sure must have been some real little people in the UK back then. I put in a 15-inch wheel and have it shoved as far forward as possible, I weigh 170 lbs and 5' 9" tall. ??
PJ Jennings

I think people were generally smaller then, the MG boom was generated by US Service men taking TC's back to the US, so they must have be comfortable. We also had the disadvantage of 5 years of war and 10+ years of food rationing (I did not know what a banana was until I was 6 !)
As anybody knows, if you drive a TC you have to be careful not to take out your passengers eye with your elbow they are so tight.
Ray TF 2884
Ray Lee

This thread was discussed between 28/04/2021 and 10/05/2021

MG TD TF 1500 index

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