Forgot I started this thread. At this stage I’ve got the damper plates back on, and if they nullify my steering bearings, I think I’m just so tired from 20 months of reno, that I’m not taking it all back down. I’m going to finish my front brakes, get the valence/wings/cowl back on, do my rear brakes, put the rear deck back in, and just get it back on the road (after a full tuneup of course).
The whole steering dampers/steering bearing question is maddening. I have learned this:
1. If you put a solid bronze plate between the stub axels (which rotate) and a bearing (which facilitates rotation), the bearing won’t really do much
2. There seems to be a modest experience with this process in older cars which reflects less than favorable outcome with bearings alone.
So for now, I’ve got what I’ve got. I’ll get back on the road and if I like the way it drives, I’m leaving it. If not, I’ll pull off the damper blades (which would allow the bronze plate to rotate with the stub axel). This will put my bearings back in play (maybe not as free as without the plate at all but saves me pulling the whole kit off; it’s time consuming). If I don’t like that I can always get a spring sized for no bearing and swap it out. We shall see.
