Heavy steering

Hi
Looking for some advise. I am trying to return a TD to the road, which we think has been laid up for 35 years.
I am currently  trying to free off the steering, which is very heavy with both wheels raised off the ground. On first moving the wheel there is a increased resistance which goes with a slight bang.
So far I have filled the Steering and Idler boxes, greased every nipple in the system.
Seems to be slightly easier but still far off driveable.
Any clues as to further action would be much appreciated.
Thanks Peter

Hello Peter
The steering is heavy on these cars especially at low speeds , at driving speeds the the steering should be light and smooth and for low speeds only solution is PAS
preferably the hydraulic ZF system if you can find the bits. Cross ply tyres at 36psi helps at parking speeds though the road holding will  be compromised when driving in the rain

I suspect the problem lies with the king pins or possibly the the steering box/idler and their mounting.
  With the car jacked up and the front wheels removed and the car supported on the lower wish bones.
To check the king pins, you need to disconnect the steering arms from the track rods which will involve a ball joint splitter and probably heat.+ WD40.Once disconnected the hub & brake assy, should be free to travel from lock to lock with no tight spots.If not free check the upper and lower retaining castle nuts have not been over tightened, try slackening them a couple of turns and see if that helps.There is also a thrust bearing on the lower end of the king pin which is probably seized, Chris Prince had new ones .Take great care that the front spring is retained by the shock absorber before removing the lower castle nut. to replace the bearing. You need to get a copy of the parts book to make sure that all the shims and spacer washers that Mr Alvis fitted are still there in the correct order..If there are still tight spots try lots of WD40 and engine oil rather than grease may work to free things up

The steering box can be checked for tight spots by disconnecting the track rods from the drop arm,ball joint splitter again,more heat, the steering wheel should spin freely from lock to lock once disconnected, if not maybe some internal lubrication of the column will help also check the box and idler box  are attached  firmly to the chassis with no obvious corrosion issues at the mounting point,as  these cars can be very rusty. Idler boxes tend to leak as fast you pour the oil in so may well be very tight after 35 years
Check all  the ball joints for tight spots and remember half of them are LH thread where fitted into the track rods

Good Luck

Peter

Hi Peter
Sorry for delay is answering. You were absolutely correct N/S lower end of kingpin partly seized. Castle nut finally released with use of induction heater (new toy).
I'm hoping not to have to remove the whole kingpin & hub assembly and might try heating coil around lower trunnion. So far soaked in diesel as best I can. A work in progress.
Thanks for your help and advise.
Cheers Peter