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 Steering Column

 Created by: KimB
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 Posted: Sep 6, 2019 02:16PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KimB
Thanks 
I did loosen the bracket and the outer column does indeed just turn.  I have turned it 180 but reassembly and testing awaits repainting.  I am curious about whether turn signal cancellation will still work properly.  It is just a stud tapped into the inner column.  Have a large original wheel.  Center horn button is not currently working though I am hoping to revive it as part of this. All the bits seem to be there-will clean contacts and rewire as needed.  Also looking to revive the light on the end of the stalk. Should keep me entertained for the balance of the weekend if I can just get the garage cooled enough. BMC Workshop Manual has nothing. Thankfully Haynes has a decent drawing and it arrived yesterday. 

Kim
If you don't remove the column itself and just re position the turn signal arm it will still cancel but will take more of a turn to do so.
If your steering rack is the type with the groove around the pinch bolt locating area you can turn the column 180 degrees and the turn signal will cancel with a small turn of the wheel.
If you have the steering rack with the slot in the rack splines you are limited to the first choice but you can also re drill the column and mount the signal cancel wherever you want.
On a side not i owned a Mini once where a previous owner installed/ bodged a hose clamp to the column to make it work and it worked fine, it was not until i removed the shrouds that i discovered the "fix".

I hope you can make sense of this.

If in doubt, flat out. Colin Mc Rae MBE 1968-2007.

Give a car more power and it goes faster on the straights,
make a car lighter and it's faster everywhere. Colin Chapman.

 Posted: Sep 6, 2019 01:27PM
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Thanks 
I did loosen the bracket and the outer column does indeed just turn.  I have turned it 180 but reassembly and testing awaits repainting.  I am curious about whether turn signal cancellation will still work properly.  It is just a stud tapped into the inner column.  Have a large original wheel.  Center horn button is not currently working though I am hoping to revive it as part of this. All the bits seem to be there-will clean contacts and rewire as needed.  Also looking to revive the light on the end of the stalk. Should keep me entertained for the balance of the weekend if I can just get the garage cooled enough. BMC Workshop Manual has nothing. Thankfully Haynes has a decent drawing and it arrived yesterday. 

Kim

 Posted: Sep 6, 2019 12:07PM
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US
Kim reading thru this the question that comes to mind is do you have a workshop manual or some reference on how to remove the steering wheel and the covers, inner and outer columns?  Start with the car pointing straight ahead.
Thoughts are you could easily loosen the bolt that holds the clamp on the outer column and rotate it the 180 degrees, but there are other considerations like the wires attached and the little piece on the inner column that is needed for the self-cancellation of the turn signals.
Not knowing exactly what you have - the is it the large "bus drivers" steering wheel with the horn button in the center or ?  Also it might not be 180 degrees as it wasn't at 3 o'clock on the rhd and 9 o'clock on lhd more like 2 and 10.

Maybe this will get the thread started with others adding info for you
The Mk1 mini has a wire coming thru the center of the inner column connecting the horn button to the brass outer part (also a spring, plastic insulator and a clip)  what horn original or? a lot went to air horns

 Posted: Sep 4, 2019 04:09PM
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Morris MK1 850.  The car was converted to LHD before I got it.  Doesn't matter to me but what is driving me nuts is that the turn signal stalk is on the right hand side of the column. I would like to just flip the column 180 so the stalk is on the side expected.  Looks like the whole outer column must be flipped as there is a welded bracket for the plastic cowling the must make the journey too.  Since I don't see LHD or RHD columns I am assuming if I loosen enough bolts I can make it happen.  The question is how many and where?  It is not worth it if I have to go too far and be messing with the rack underneath. I'll just live with it. Also it is steering just fine now but is there anything I should service while I am wandering down this path. I will be trying to make the center horn button live again and painting the wheel as part of this. 
Kim