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Has anyone cut an access hole in their front splash apron as an access to the VW steering box adjustment? My MiGi front trim/splash apron is right on top of the steering box adjuster. I really think the steering box needs replacing as I am still getting some wandering after doing new ball joints, steering damper and shocks and re-alignment. Oh and wheel bearings as well. I went to see if I could just adjust the steering box and discovered I would have to take a bunch of the front fiberglass off to even get to it. From what I can see it looks like the adjustment screw is down all the way. I have a new box so I guess that will be the next step but the adjustment screw will need somewhere to go. So a hole with some kind of cap will have to be created. Any thoughts?
In wine there is truth, in water health.
Don’t you have a Daytona Migi? According to the manufacturer’s comparison the Daytona MiGi has the separate fiberglass insert between the front fenders that you can remove. I’ve seriously thought of making one or purchasing one for my Fiberfab.
Allen Caron
VW based 53MGTD - "MoneyPenny"
"If one thing matters, everything matters" - from the book The ShackHere is the splash apron/Grill shell housing. The steering adjustment is just about in the middle of the two chrome bolt heads next to the drivers side fog light. I wish it had an access panel. 🙂
In wine there is truth, in water health.
If it’s like my FiberFab, you can take off the hood and grill pretty easily. Once you’re there, it looks like you have the fiberglass insert that newkitman is referring to. Once the hood and grill are off, you would simply remove the entire insert and that would give you the access you need. I wouldn’t lie, it would be some time and work, and it looks scary as heck, but once you get over the fear of seeing your car apart and looking like something ate the front end, it becomes do-able. I don’t even take off the headlights, I can remove the grill end of each headlight support and just put some padding to support it when the grill’s off. I’ve taken off my grill and hood so many times (don’t ask why) that now I can do it in less than an hour with my eyes closed (not really, but you know what I mean). I am a really lousy mechanic, but if I could just earn a living just taking off and putting back MG TD hoods and grills, I’d be rich already.
johnsimion2016-05-28 20:02:16The answer to your question is yes. A couple people on this board have used a hole saw on it, and a plug, painted body color, that fits perfectly in the hole. It’s hardly noticeable when done.
Thank you John for your insight. I will begin the disassembly tomorrow. Thanks also Ed for letting me know that I will not be the only one with this little bit of custom work.
In wine there is truth, in water health.
It’s really scary the first time you start removing body parts, even when they are just body parts on your car. This is my procedure.
First thing you do is put tape or a towel or something else in the crack/gap between the gas tank and the hinge nearest the firewall. You wouldn’t think it would be so easy for stuff to fall into that gap, but the previous owner installed a magnet inside there that has a strong attraction for the nuts and bolts from the hinge. My car is 52 lbs overweight from all the nuts and bolts that I accidentally dropped into that crack before I learned to do this.Once the gap has been neutralized, remove 2 out of 3 bolts from each hood hinge first, then call your wife to help hold the hood up while you remove the last two. Clean it and bring it inside the house where it can’t fall over, be tripped over, or have something fall on it (not that that has ever happened to any of my stuff, hehe). Have a Ziplock bag ready to keep your hood bolts and nuts AND the pins and bottom half of the hinges. Take the bottom half of the hinges OFF and put them and the hinge pins in a Ziplock. They’re going to fall off anyway, and be assured that they will do so at the worst possible place and time, so that the pins will become lost somewhere on your garage floor, preferably after dark and in a part of your garage that lacks light but not dirt for you to get all over yourself while searching. Not that I would ever have a problem finding a tiny gray pin on a concrete garage floor in the dark, hehe.To remove the grill itself (at least on my FiberFab) I started by removing the two bolts that connect the headlights to the grill, then put the bolts back in the hole (so they wouldn’t get lost) and tape a large piece of foam rubber or thick cardboard to the FENDERS under the headlight support brackets so the semi-loose headlights won’t damage the fenders. Don’t try taping the foam to the brackets themselves, the foam won’t stay in place and the brackets will chip your fenders in spite of your best efforts, not that this ever happened to me, hehe.Removing the grille on my car was just a matter of unscrewing six bolts (on my car, there is/was also an inside trunk, but that also just bolted in and out). Before you actually take off the grill, put everything in another Ziplock bag. Not that I’ve ever had to buy nuts and bolts over and over because I lost a bunch of them by failing to follow my own rule, hehe. When I go to Home Depot’s hardware aisle, they all say, “Oh, it’s him again, buying the same nuts and bolts for the umpteenth time.”Once the bolts are removed, take a picture of the inside, showing where all the bolts were and where all the wiring attaches. Once you do that, the grill just lifts out. This, too, is scary, because it feels like it doesn’t want to go. Just be firm and lift straight up, unless the welting is sticking, it will go. If the welting is sticking, you can use a screwdriver or putty knife on the inside to loosen that. Take the grill and put it inside your house in a safe place like where you put the hood. Use towels or dropcloths so your wife won’t divorce you. Better yet, let your wife tell you exactly where and how you are authorized to store this stuff. If she loves you, she will allow this on her terms and conditions. However, the sooner you get this stuff back out of “her” house, the longer her love for you will last.At this point you should be able to remove that apron panel. Putting everything back should be a simple matter of reversing what you already did, except that if you are like me, you will have already forgotten how you did it. This is where I have an advantage, having done it three times, by now I actually have it memorized, hehe.Sorry, I am in a weird mood tonight. I must be in a weird mood, I am giving advice instead of just receiving it. I wouldn’t even be qualified for this except for the fact that I’ve taken off and replaced this *&&^^% stuff no less than three times, but that is another story.johnsimion2016-05-29 01:16:13
I cut a an access hole about 1″ in diameter and fabricated a cover plate from left over fiberglass sheet to cover. Really was very simple.
The hole I would need for mine is pretty much exactly where the light/badge bar mounts on that side.Have new steering gear box to go in and if I could squeeze a small screwdriver-sized hole in there without messing up that bar mount position I think I will try it while the old gear box is out before new goes in. A simple rubber grommet or plug like for car firewall would cover it if not the bar mount itself.I was adjusting the old steering box, with bar mount screws withdrawn and out of the way underneath, by using a tiny screwdriver placed sideways into the slot. Just enough space to do that with difficulty.Thought I had the steering fixed with adjustment screw turned in level with nut until making a turn on a curve in the road and it let loose. Luckily no more than the 2+ inches of play in the steering wheel it had before but for a moment I was expecting to go straight off the road with no steering at all. Obviously bad idea to keep adjusting on an unusable steering gear box.Anyway… I think you could try a hole cut from the underside, if at all possible, without removing stuff. Just so you know the exact lined-up location beforehand and what will be the outside position of that hole and how to best cover it. Good luck with it however you go about it!Well I got it all apart. The Nuts and bolts that were used had chrome head caps but the treads were rusted very badly. I had to destroy the chrome caps to get the bolts out. (vice grips will do that) I plan an replacing all of the nuts and bolts with stainless so If I have to ever do this again it should be a simple process. The previous owner had pop riveted the bonnet sides at the bottom and bolted the top. I will replace the rivets with stainless bolts. Getting the steering box out and back in was actually fairly easy. I removed the pitman arm from the bottom of the of steering box instead of removing the steering linkage, It went back on very easily. While I was at it I replaced the steering column coupler (rubber donut). I plan to get the front-end put back together tomorrow as long as the the local hardware store is open. Phase one took about four hours because of the rusted bolts. Looking forward to trying the new steering box.
In wine there is truth, in water health.
And don’t forget the Anti-sieze.
Bill Ascheman
Fiberfab Ford
Modified 5.0, 5sp., 4:11
Autocross & Hillclimb
"Drive Happy"Back together again. Chrome bolts and nuts and washers with stainless on the bonnet. Took it for a short run and seems to be tracking very nicely. I also cut a one inch hole over the box and bought a 1 inch plastic plug. Need to find a one inch chrome one! 🙂
In wine there is truth, in water health.
Shounds good Schu. Hopefully we can go on a little cruise before that.
In wine there is truth, in water health.
Dbanta: Hardware store has numerous chrome plugs you can buy. If that is what you are looking for.
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