What you may be feeling is the olive/seal on the long/lower tube coming up against the steering box. Whenever I did any of this (done it on each of the 3 Consorts) I had an assistant watch what was happening to the wires and tube at the far end while I pushed/pulled/levered the Control head Unit.Vulgalour wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 10:44 pm That sounds frighteningly like a pull-and-pray job, even if I hadn't messed up by partially disassembling the hub unit incorrectly. The thing is, when you try and move any of it, it feels like it's hitting a stop somewhere rather than it feels tight. There is play and then a definite thunk, or so it feels, as if I've missed a grub screw or similar somewhere.
The first time I did this was on my grandfather's Consort ~35 years ago. I wanted to remove all the wood in the car to renovate it all, and knew that the easiest way to remove the dash was to remove the steering wheel first.
These concise instructions told me entirely how to do it (part of "steering column removal" on Consort) Now the Lanchester may be different see this link on "steering column removal" http://ld10.awardspace.co.uk/controls/steering.htm where it says
1) To gain sufficient access, either remove front wing and radiator assembly, or remove O/S wing and horn.
2) Unscrew central retainer nut from bottom of steering box.
3) Drain oil from box before removing olive (under the central retainer nut).
4) Disconnect wiring through the central tube.
5) Pull horn and indicator assembly (with central tube attached) slowly into the cabin, preventing excess oil from soiling the interior.
6) For disassembly of the horn and indicator assembly click here
7) Draw off wheel (taper and key).
8) Loosen all screws/bolts securing the selector controls and disconnect support bracket from dash.
9) Remove split pin and nut on lower ball joint, then disconnect drag link (the fit is tapered so may need persuasion). Then remove single transverse bolt holding gear to frame and draw out to front.
We're only interested in 2) to 7) because those relate to the very concise Consort instructions. The notable difference is that the steering wheel is held onto the column differently. On the Consort, it's on splines, because the steering wheel can be adjusted forwards or backwards to suit leg and arm length. This means that, in the lifetime of the car, the short/upper tube is moved several times over the long/lower tube (note that the cable also runs in and out through the end of the long/lower tube).
So on the Consort, the tubes are expected to slide over one another. But, a very big but, they don't slide easily if you rely on the Control head unit alone i.e. the steering wheel has more mass and is bigger so it can be grabbed and moved more easily. I can assure you that, having done it ~35 years ago, and again a couple of years ago on the Consort I bought in 2018, and only yesterday on the one I bought in 2008 (as a check) :- you still have to lever the Control head Unit outwards when the steering wheel is at the end of its travel. It doesn't move easily, tends to be in fits and starts.
The only other way is to follow the LD10 instructions and somehow remove the olive from the long/lower tube, then pull the whole lot into the car. Note that when you've done that, you'll still have to pull the tubes apart anyway - and that does not get mentioned anywhere in the LD10 instructions
Even more ambiguity can be found towards the end of this link http://ld10.awardspace.co.uk/controls/control.htm
I recommend cutting the bullet connectors off the wires, solder the wire or tie the fishing line left in the steering column, to the new wires and slowly pull the new wiring harness through the stator tube and out the end of the steering box.
The fit of the harness in the tube is tight so it might be best to tape the wire ends together as they are pulled through.
The short stator tube fits down and into the longer stator tube in the column.
The tubes go together in only one orientation, directed by the dimples found on the side of the short tube.
i.e. either the long/lower tube has been put back in without any mention of doing so, or, it was never removed and he used fishing wire on the wires as the short/upper tube was pulled out (leaving the long/lower tube behind).
In your shoes I'd print out both links
http://ld10.awardspace.co.uk/controls/steering.htm
http://ld10.awardspace.co.uk/controls/control.htm
then thoroughly read and re-read them, track the ambiguities, and then choose whether to remove the olive and pull the entire tube and split afterwards, or do as on the Consort and split the tubes while pulling.
Final thought - "The tubes go together in only one orientation, directed by the dimples found on the side of the short tube." - yes this is so on the Consort, but if some previous bodge artist has incorrectly put the long/lower tube in, and then forced the short/upper tube in such that the dimples don't align, well it's tight as a duck's ..... as I found out on the bodged unit on the 2018 Consort, but it did come out.
EDIT - later today I'll remove the steering column on the Consort here http://forum.dloc.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=37716#p37716 and then pull the Control head Unit out from the top(again), and pull the long/lower tube out from the bottom, and take pics of the tubes and how they fit together. It won't take long as the car's up on ramps and front bodywork already removed as a unit - easy access etc etc - only difficulty might be pulling the swing arm off the steering box as I've only got a 3-leg puller (arm has to come off to get steering column out)