Steering box change

[RoyBatty]

Just to make sure I don't forget this I'm going to put it right up front.
My Haynes manual LIED TO ME!!!!!
Take the clamp bolt and nut from the steering shaft it says... 13mm wrenches
Break loose the ball joints from the steering arm it says....17mm wrenches
Remove the bolts that mount the box to the frame it says...17mm wrenches
Then "Lift the steering box away from the frame and take it to a bench for repair"
The freaking Haynes manual DID NOT tell me I was going to have to remove the STARTER to make room for the extraction of the steering box!
So silly me enters into the project right after we close our shop at 4:30 this afternoon.

So to get the sequence right, keeping in mind I have a carbureted 1800 in a '75
Jack and secure the front end.
1) Disconnect the battery negative.
2) Disconnect the electrical leads from the starter. 13mm wrench and a spade connector.
3) Remove the three starter bolts. Use extensions and wobbles.
4) Slide starter forward out of the way above the oil filter and let it rest there.
5) Take the clamp bolt and nut from the steering shaft ... 13mm wrenches
6) Break loose the ball joints from the steering arm ....17mm wrenches
7) Remove the bolts that mount the box to the frame...17mm wrenches
8 ) Now slide the box forward and down and shove the steering arm to the right to clear any obstacles.
Installation was, as a Chiltons likes to say, "The reverse of removal"
Take care to center the box when you reconnect the steering wheel.

So what I thought was going to be a 1 to 1-1/2 hour job took me 3-1/2 hours.
I still had fun doing it though, Didn't scrape any knuckles or cut myself. Nor did I break anything else in the R & I process. And the car drives a LOT better now that it has a steering box that works as it should, and hold the oil when you top it off!
It's strange, I am having more fun working on this little Spider than I do working on planes.
Maybe it's time for a change.

[ace124]

Thats not so bad, try taking out a right hand drive steering box with extractors. Remove extractors, which in my case means removing the battery, brake master cylinder, distributer, water overflow bottle etc. I dont know why people winge about the starter motor...i find it quite easy to remove on a RHD vehicle. Maybe im missing something on the LHD?
I thought the Hanes manual was English hence for a RHD car? Plz confirm for my curiosity.

[RoyBatty]

I wasn't whining about the starter removal.
Just the fact that they didn't cover that in the repair manual.
And the Haynes manual I have is for a US spec car. You know, the ones with everything where it belongs.
The starter in my LHD Spider has the intake manifold/carburetor and brake master cylinder/booster assy over the top of it.
Again it wasn't really a problem. Just wasn't expecting to have to do the extra bit.
Just posted what I went thru so that anyone else new to the Spiders could read this and be informed going in.

[manoa matt]

What the manual should have said: "Lift the steering box away from the frame,then drop it out the bottom, and take it to a bench for repair"