Just replaced the carpet and on looking at the refitting the steering column the steering rack shaft only has a groove machined out on the fight hand side and not right around the shaft for the clamp bolt too run through/past. With the steering wheel lined up(as it was when I took it out) and the indicator canceler in the correct position on the column and the wheels facing straight ahead the clamp runs parallel with the floor. For the clamp to sit correctly with the grove on the shaft it is 90deg round to the right putting the steering wheel and indicator canceler out 90deg. I was told the clamp can be removed and moved around? Can anyone shed some light on how I can rectify this and if the clamp can infact be adjusted. It appears the car was being driven around by the previous owner with the column not properly secured/ fitted

Any help much appreciated

Andy

The steering rack may not be centered. Do you have the same amount of lock from the "centre" to full lock on each side?

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Whoever rebuilt that rack didn't fit the pinion correctly. As you say the groove should be at bottom, the pinion was fitted 1 or 2 teeth out.
Cure is remove rack, remove pinion, refit. Cannot be done in car.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Will have to double check that

Cheers

can't be moved, it's splined and welded

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Does this mean there are 2 styles of pinion shaft?
The spare pinions I have all have a groove machined all round the splined section so the pinion will fit the column in any position. But I seem to remember fitting columns where the splines can only fit in 1 position because there is only a notch on the pinion that must line up to take the pinchbolt.

What I thought that's why I wanted further conformation, I didn't believe it would be movable

Apparently so, I've got a couple of spares and they've got the grove right around also. Surprised me and I only noticed it 'cause I replaced the carpet although it had been set up like the grove was right around when I took the column out.

Don't want say the obvious but for safety I will...
When you do sort out the pinion position issue and fit the column to the pinion, the rack U bolts that stick out through the floor with 5/16 nuts showing, must be lose enough to allow the rack unit to twist - if necessary - and let the pinion align with the column. With the pinchbolt in, retighten the U-bolt nuts.

Early pinions has a groove all round. If the spline in the column stripped, there was an obvious safety problem. To make it safer, later pinions had the slot instead. So the clamp bolt could prevent it spinning.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Just found a reference to the 2 types of pinion in John Sneddon's Australian Mini and Moke.
As Drmini said, the "circumferential groove" (all the way round) was changed in 1976 to the "Tangential groove" (1 position only) to "provide correct alignment between steering rack and column assembly".