Steering wheel adjustment

[pabbage]

Hello everyone - the Elan allows some adjustment of the steering wheel (according to the handbook). Does anyone know by how much? I tried to adjust it and found I had about 1cm adjustment. Does this sound about right?

[Lotusian]

You don’t say which model of Elan. Is it a Sprint with steering lock?
Ian

[pabbage]

Yes - it’s a sprint with steering lock. I’ve been told there is up to 4 inches of movement but I could only get 1cm. Maybe I didn’t loosen all bolts correctly.

[nmauduit]

there is a bit of longitudinal play via the U-shaped clamp on the collapsible columns (Triumph type), but not much I would think (I set it almost all the way forward, the shrouds and levers remaining fixed with respect to the dash)

[Lotusian]

I have lots of adjustment on my Sprint.
My workshop manual doesn’t cover column adjustment where a steering lock is fitted.
The steering lock engages in the inner column through a hole in the outer column. The lock is fixed to a bracket bolted to the upper column clamp. This arrangement is preventing you from adjusting by more than the size of the hole in the outer column.
You need to put the key in the steering lock/ignition in order to withdraw the lock plunger, and loosen the lock clamps, then loosen the top and bottom clamps per the workshop manual.
The column will then move about 100mm, BUT the lock won’t then work, unless you remove everything and drill a new hole in the outer column. I didn’t bother to do this.
Ian

[LaikaTheDog]

From memory (I no longer have my elan) with a triumph column, there is a U shaped carrier up behind the dash, you loosen that, then down by the pedals there is a square block, you need to just slightly loosen that, the column will now be able to move in and out, but the column will move separate to the shroud. If you loosen the u bolt enough you can move both the shroud and the Column towards you, you would add or remove shims on the U bolt to slightly raise or lower the wheel, but not too much as the bulkhead grommet is just a rubber sheet with a hole in it, so if you move things too much you also need to move that.

[pabbage]

Thanks for the replies - I’ll get under the dash as soon as I can and have another play. . . Is there anyway I can mess this up? I.e the steering will stop working and I’ll go straight on at a corner???

[Roland]

I have just done the steering column bushes on my Sprint (fitted with steering lock) and I didn't find there was really much adjustment unless you were to start some re-engineering. I found the upper steering column U clamp effectively fixes the bracket on the steering lock to the dashboard clamp and there is little movement in either of those items. There is a tiny bit of wiggle available through the upper and lower U clamps because of the play within them but it's not much.

I guess a non steering lock car may have more adjustment options.

Roland