So I have been collecting parts for an AV8 project for the past several years and the search for the perfect steering box has become sort of an Oddyssey with this project. Following the Bishop/Tardel book I originally planned to use an F1 box and the search began. Found one for a steal on ePay right off the bat. (That should have been my first clue.) The Big Brown van dropped it off and boy was I excited. Unwrapped it to find a locked solid box of rust. Undaunted with newbie enthusiasm I managed to get the box apart to find the only usable part was the housing. Cost $125.00. Plan B, find a good pitman arm and rebuild the box. After all that is what it says to do in the Tardel book on steering. Spend a few weeks searching the HAMB classifieds and ePay for a suitable candidate I can afford. Instead find an F5 steering box for really cheap on ePay. Get excited and hit the " Buy it Now" button before doing any research. Big Brown van deliveries a nice shiny steering box and it turns like butter. Problem solved, except the box looks a little different. Compare it with my other F1 box and sure enough it is much bigger. WTF? Doh! They used different boxes on the big F series. (Which makes sense.) Cost $200, Total cost $325. Back to plan B. Found a good pinion shaft on eBay for $100. Now I just need to buy a steering shaft w/ worm gear and a rebuild kit. But instead I buy a complete '40 column and mast jacket because well I needed a 40 mast jacket to go with my '40 steering wheel. (This all made sense at the time) I figured I could use the guts to rebuild the F1 box. Get it home and the cast part that is below the steering wheel is cracked. Get mad, throw things around in the garage, swear I am going to take up an easier hobby like golf. Cost $100 for pinion shaft, $150 for the '40 steering assembly. Total cost $575.00. Time goes by and more parts accumulate for the AV8 project. It is getting to the point where I could start working on it and get it to roller status. But I need the get the steering pinned down. Been reading the HAMB far to much and decided what I really need is an F100 box for the better angle. A nagging voice in the back of my head says "What about all that F1 stuff you bought?" but with a few beers I manage to ignore it and buy a 1954 F100 off of EPay. Cost $250, total cost $775.00. (At this point I could of bought a new rebuilt box) Get it home and it turns like butter. Decide I don't want to deal with cutting off the flange and decide to send it to Nealinca so he can work his magic. (I have very limited time to work on my projects so I farm out a lot of stuff.) Strip down the box to clean it up and find out the worm gear needs to be replaced. Not sure about the pinion gear so I send it to Neal as well. Cost $100 for the machine work and new flange, $200 for the worm gear and steering shaft. Total cost $1075.00. (If the pinion gear doesn't need to be replaced). I still need to buy a rebuild kit for the box and weld on the new flange. Figure $100 for the parts and I am well into a steering box for $1200.00. Could have bought a new cowl steering for that much. Given a lot of the cost has been through my own stupidity this has been a very expensive lesson in traditional hotroding. Anyone else had a similar Oddyssey with ther project? Thanks, --louis
I've got to give you an "A" for admitting what you've done, but the grade for doing it after the first mistake would be a lot lower. I have had some similar starts but normally my odyssey's stop a little short of yours.
I have done the same things, but have gotten smarter over time. I don't buy much on eBay and particularly not things where condition is critical. Gotta learn what to look for and hold it in your hand before you buy it. Work on your network of local hotrodders, fab shops, parts dealers, etc. These steering parts are stashed everywhere, don't need to go to eBay to find them.
Quit buying parts on EBAY! Go to swap meets. And, learn what you need before you buy it. Little known fact: Dennis Carpenter sells used F1 boxes for cheap. It's even in their new parts catalog.
Ah yes, I've heard this story so many times. Lucky for me I've been on the other side. Patience is a must. Here is my little A V-8. It's built out of take off and discards of many a Hot Rod customer over many years. I never throw anything away and this is one of the results. I'm running a 40 steering gear in this one because like you I had a cherry 40 wheel. This steering gear is thanks to some Knucklehead that just had to have a M-2 in his Coupe. My point to all this is I'm just One guy that has removed stock steering and not thrown them in the Scrap bin. Go talk to some local builders and ask what they might have laying around. The Wizzard
Every time you see something on E-bay or craiglist that you think you want, throw that much money into a bag and hide it from yourself. Once you have a pile of cash, load up and hit the Jalopy showdown, Hershey, etc., every show you can find that has old stuff instead of repro hubcaps for '67 mustangs. Walk through with your little red wagon full of money and swap money for iron as you find everything, touch it, turn it, and accept it as a probable good part. Go home tired but satisfied, with a load of good Ford iron and a bunch of contacts with people you have met and can name. Also, the HAMB want ads are a MUCH higher quality source generally, have some good safeguards in the community, and give you contact with mostly known and knowledgeable people.
I have two of Nealinca's steering boxes in my 32's and they are the best. No problems steer easily and look nice. Try one you will like it, if you don't I will buy it from you. Thanks!
Great story, and we all have been there done that. May-be not to that level, but we have. Look at it this way you have gained a lot of knowledge about steering boxes and should now be an expert.....
funny, I hear all the bad stuff about EBay but I have bought over 200 items and have never gotten burned. Everything has been exactly as described as condition and function. Easier than driving all over the country looking for that elusive part, I sit at my desk and look for that elusive part.
Pinch a penny .. Spend a dollar ,I consider all those boxes are junk inside only sometimes do I get a wonderful surprise ... but besides the sector shaft ( not pinion) the repop parts are fairly cheap , it's rare on a 37-48 box to be so bad you can't just replace the sector roller gear , approx 40.00 and the worm is 80 the rest of the stuff is 50
I'm kind of in the same spot but with transmissions now, I have bought a Cruise-o-matic for my Y block powered model A and now just found some ford-o-matic transmission parts that may get the ford-o-matic that is in the car working better. So I have bought them also, who know what I will end up with but we'll see. Sometimes you have to think outside the box and not go for the popular (high dollar) parts, I found a '57 chevy pick-up steering box, pitman arm and column for $40 at a swap meet and it worked out fine.
I didn't mean for this to be a bitch session about eBay as I have gotten a lot of good parts off there. I just picked up a 1935 Waterfall for my dash that is going in the coupe that cleaned up really nicely. I have also made very questionable purchases that are my fault. (Buyer beware) I will say the best deals I have gotten have been from HAMB and Ford Barn members. Like the glove box door for the same dash for $25 in perfect shape. This story was just one to amuse on a Friday and maybe blow off some steam about dealing with 80 year old parts in the quest to build a traditional hotrod. Thanks, --louis
With the lessons I've learned I feel the need to build several cars. Hoping the last one will go super smooth. I'll sure have fun getting there
I had to do each thing on my 1939 Ford deluxe coupe 2 or 3 times to get it right. You are smart enough to know steering is a very big safety issue. I ended up bending the steering arms on my coupe to clear the 4" drop axle . I don't like it(heating and bending steering arms) so this winter I will change it. i commend you for having the brains to make it right and not cut corners.
Gawd I sure try not to have that experience. I have made a mistake or two over the years though. LOL If it makes you feel any better I have several steering box options for my current A project, none of them are what I am interested in so I am searching. I probably won't do 1200 dollars worth of searching though.
Got your F100 box machined and sector rebuilt. Shipping out tomorrow. Thanks, Neal Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
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