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Technical Ford Steering Boxes, yearly changes

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by bambbrose, May 20, 2015.

  1. bambbrose
    Joined: Dec 29, 2008
    Posts: 226

    bambbrose
    Member
    from So. Utah

    Can someone point me in the direction of a thread or post outlining the changes in early ford steering boxes?

    I did some searching but could only find info on 32 boxes and F1 boxes, but nothing about the years in between.
    I caught something about bushings, then bearing in 36, then back to bushings.
    Is a 41 the same as 35-40?
    46-48 different?
    34 has a better ratio, how?
    Why F1 boxes?

    Just trying to educate myself before I go spend some money.

    Thanks guys
     
  2. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    There are many overlapping uses of same BOXES, but the variations in shaft length and the placement of collar for the lock also affect interchangeability becaus of course the shaft is integral with gear.
    1932--13:1, change during 1933 to slower 15-1 ratio, mounting flange and shaft length different 1932 and 1933-4 but same basic innards.
    1935...gears reversed and casting changed for cross steer, but similar design
    1936...bearings added to sector shaft
    1937-48 with roller sector all use same gears and box, but there are a LOT of variations in shaft length and placement of hole for lock collar, variations in pitman arms
    Roughly '35-40 most are the same overall shaft length, so swapping is easy. Drilling and tapping one hole in shaft will put lock collar where you need it.
    There is a chart in the '28-48 book giving shaft length for eac variant and location of lock hole.

    F-1 and early F100 are 2 different variants of the '37-48 design, reoriented for drag link style hookup. One has worm over sector, the other worm under sector. F100 has totally different shank for pitman arm than all oters.
    (when I say gear and shaft are integral...they were made and sold only as a unit, but they are separate parts joined by a ferocious press/shrink fit. It is possible to put a gear onto a different shaft, opening up more interchange without welding steering parts.)
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2015
  3. bambbrose
    Joined: Dec 29, 2008
    Posts: 226

    bambbrose
    Member
    from So. Utah

    Thank you for the detailed answers Bruce. Members like you keep the HAMB going strong.

    What book are you referring to when you say the 28-48 book?
     
  4. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    One of the 1928-1948 Chassis parts catalogs, one issued in '49 (orange Bible), another in 1950 (Green Bible) as Ford's final listings of early Ford parts. There a list of the various shafts, giving total length and lock length just so the parts man could sort out his heap of similar looking shafts...I think that Ford assumed that by 1949, most of the parts tags had fallen off...
    It's just an excellent source on figuring out interchanges and possible interchanges on anything Ford. Without one, you are missing a basic handle on life itself...
     

  5. bambbrose
    Joined: Dec 29, 2008
    Posts: 226

    bambbrose
    Member
    from So. Utah

    Off to find one right now. I don't know how I didn't learn about this book sooner in all my HAMB digging.
     
  6. Baumi
    Joined: Jan 28, 2003
    Posts: 3,043

    Baumi
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    wow, this is some great info... I´ll have to rebuild a 34 box in the near future... What supplier do you think sells good qualitiy parts for the early ford boxes?
     

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