Steering (damper?) question

[Dick McNaney]

My steering acts fine in all respects. It has been this way for a very long time, maybe forever. But after being on this list for a while I am getting a little picky. I notice that when the front end is off the ground that the steering wheel will turn slightly more in one direction than the other. Looking at the diagram of the steering damper there is a 140mm dimension that should be adhered to when installing it. I am wondering if misplacement of this attachment could account for the slight difference?

The wheel is centered when the gear box marks are lined up.

Thanks,
Dick Mc 63B

[Dick McNaney]

I just measured, I have 150mm instead of 140mm. The steering damper was replaced once in the car's life (by me) and I am sure I never changed the position of the clamp.

[john fletcher]

Dick,
Full lock in either direction is limited by one of the bolts which attach the brake backplate to the steering knuckle. Whether your car is an A,B or C one bolt protrudes more than the others so that the bridging piece of the knuckle contacts the bolt. The RH bolt is the limit for full left lock and vice versa. You have to file or grind the tip of the bolt to achieve the correct lock. Not one of Porsches best ideas really.
The position of the clamp for the damper is important in that it ensures that the damper does not act as the limit of travel.

John

[Dick Weiss]

The VW damper has a shorter stroke than the original damper (or a Koni); thusly, the clamp must be moved to allow equal steering lock in both directions.,
The forward stop bolt (retaining the backing plate) were 3-different lengths, but make sure they're the same length on both sides; you needn't grind to suit the stroke.

Dick

[Dick McNaney]

I'll check on the stop bolts. But they were installed at the factory.

Is the Boge sold by Stoddard identical to the original Boge or is it what you call a VW damper?

The one in there I'm pretty sure is a Boge installed by me in place of the original one installed by Porsche which I always assumed was a Boge like the original shocks. The rubber bushings are looking a little tired and I am not opposed to replacing it if necessary.

Thanks,
Dick 63 N

[Jim Liberty]

I have reproduced a set-up for Pre-A cars. I copied one I found on a '54 Speedster race car. The hardware clamps to the top tube, and to the outer end of the right side tie rod. I've put them on my '52 and '55 coupes.

I always use the Koni damper. Can't say it's better, just like them on my cars.......................................Jim.

[Joris Schweitzer]

Another avenue would be be to have your original Stabilus rebuilt. Cost is about the same as new Koni.

[Dick McNaney]

This is all starting to make sense. The steering is stopped on both sides by the brake backing bolts that appear flush. So the damper is out of the loop. Correct me if I am wrong. If I want to get equal travel on each side (right now the left wheel barely grazes the longiitudinal while the right side is slightly less than an inch away) I take equal turns on the tie rod ends in opposite directions. That way the steering box marks line up as they do now and the steering wheel stays centered as it is now. If I am good at that I get one half inch clearance on each side and the steering wheel gets equal turns in each direction. Right?

Thanks

[Vic Skirmants]

And your toe-in is all screwed up and you'll be "crabbing" down the road.

[Larry Coreth]

Guys
Just to throw in some pertinent facts here are some steering damper measurements I made some time ago and wrote down, just incase :
1. Stabilus from 356A, length 415mm stroke 135
2. Boge from 356 C P/N 695.347.501.00 Length 435mm stroke 150mm
3. VW bus Boge as sold by Stoddard as length 400 mm stroke 135mm
replacement for the original Boge above
I am using the replacement Boge on my Speedster and am getting more or less equal wheel turning capability in either direction. So with the proper stop bolts in place on the stub axles the steering damper stroke is not the limiting factor. I have not tried the replacement Boge on the my C coupe yet.

[Dick McNaney]

I got the following response from PELICAN when I questioned them about their part number PCG-347-501-00-M10. It is listed as a Sachs-Boge.

"This PCG number is the latest Porsche factory part number for this steering damper. Regretfully, I have no cross reference for anything regarding the fitment of the transporter. I checked another system as well, and it also only shows to be for the Porsche 356."

Dick Mc

[Tom Tate]

I just addressed a similiar problem in my '57 sunroof coupe. Restoration finished, I am now getting the bugs out. I had lots of travel on the wheel (1 1/2 turns) when turning right but only about 3/4 of a steering wheel turn when turning left. This required some careful planning at slow speeds as the turning radius going right was 33' but 85' when turning left. I read this thread on Sat and went looking for the stop bolts, great suggestion. The stop bolts barely protruded but one side contacted the king pin and left a mark in the fresh paint, the other never got close. I took off the inspection plate and looked at the steering box. The marker was lined up when the wheels were straight so that was OK but I still couldn't turn the box through it's full range of travel. I looked at the pitman arm thinking that maybe I had mounted it wrong but then remembered that I hadn't taken it off, just cleaned it when I had the box out. Idea: maybe the new steering shock I installed was actually a VW part (I have a tendency to 'cheap it out' as my wife says) and wasn't long enough when fully extended. I disconnected the clamp end, and measured the expanded length. I then compared that measurement with the original that I had saved (never throw anything away). They were the same. Now what?
I went back to the car looked down at the box and started turning in each direction again. Maybe I was looking for inspiration. It turned the same amount, about 1 3/8 turns, in each direction from center now that the shock was not connected. It was fixed. What happened?
Turns out that I had mounted the clamp that holds the steering dampner about 1 inch too close to the steering box. I would've sworn that I put it back exactly where I found it after a good cleaning and paint. That caused the shock to bottom out before the steering box reached the end of it's travel thereby limiting the angle of the wheels when turning left.
With everything connected it only took two tries to set the toe in and I was done. A test drive confirmed that the great 356 feel was back in the car. I love the simplicity of these old cars and the help that this List provides. KTF

[Larry Coreth]

Tom,
It would seem you did not consult the manual before you changed steering damper or while you were diagnosing the steering travel problem ! See pg.S35 of the B/C shop manual where you will see the recommended distance from the center of the torsion bat tube to the steering damper mount is 140mm (5 ½”), Now if you had a “C” this would have been a non-problem as there is a locating pin in the torsion bar tube for the steering damper mount.