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[god92b]

Have a 59 TR3A with a broken  "silentbloc bushing" on the drivers side. This connection is the center tie rod with the left wheel rod.  Is this a "do it yourself" repair?  Is this a "pressed on" repair  requiring a hydralic press by a garage, and if so can any reg good mechanic handle it, or should it be done by an English professional? Love driving my 3... need to get back on the road!!

[TR63A]

Gordon,
This is something you can do yourself, but your will need a "ball joint separator".  Look at your local NAPA store.  You are going to have to disassemble your steering to do so.  There are a couple of caveats here.  I found that the silent blocks that I got from one of the big three were not exactly precision when it came to the fit in the steering cross tie rod.  I used a 1000 lb $30 press from Harbor Freight and ended up mushrooming the steel bush as it was going in.  It, of course, would go no further and I had to remove it.  Fortunately I had the foresight to buy two so I got to do it over.  In order to get it to fit I had to ream the tie rod hole a little and press it in.  It took all of the 1000 lbs the press could give it but it worked and they are in place. You are going to have to buy about $100 in tools that you may not already have.  Ball joint tool (don't buy the fork), and a small bench press.  When you use the ball joint tool to separate the ball linkage use a nut on the end of the threads so you don't mash the threads and end up having to buy tie rod ends too.  The nut will be wasted when you are done.  Replace all your nylocs, don't reuse.  Be patient and use PB Blaster.  These things are not going to just slip off.
This is the second caveat.  I understand that there are Silentblocs available with no rubber  that are a brass bush that is oiled and works nore smoothly than the rubber bonded steel silentblocks.  Call British Frame and Engine and ask Ken Gilanders about this.  I only found out about it after I finished mine and wished I had gone this route.

David