i bought a '31 Ford coupe on 32 rails that someone else started, and now it is mine to finish. He put an F1 box in it. I'd like to try to make this box work. The box is leaking like crazy and there are rough spots in the worm gear. He put a shortened pitman arm on it and the pitman arm is kinda goofed up. I bought another pitman arm and I'm getting started. First, I need to eliminate the 4 wide male index splines on the pitman arm. Do I just use a file? Do I cut each wide spline into 2 narrow splines, or just file them til there is a gap where they were? Second: I have a 50 Ford car steering wheel. If I start with the pitman arm pointed straight down and the steering wheel centered, the wheel will turn 2.5 turns counter clockwise and 2.0 turns clockwise. If I try to get 2.25 turns to each side, the wheel is 1/4 turn off center (crooked). So, if I want to be midway in the worm gear when I'm cruising straight, I have to set up the steering with the steering wheel 1/4-turn to the left. Should I try to have another keyway cut in my steering wheel to center the wheel? Or do I just accept that the car has 1/2turn more in one direction (left) than the other (right)? Or is the box assembled incorrectly (I am planning to rebuild it)?
Got nothing for you on the wheel but the pitman i have done. I used a hacksaw blade to cut down the middle and then finished it with a triangle shaped file. Was easier than i thought.
Agreed on the pitman arm, pretty simple to file the block into two splines with a triangular gile, As far as the steering wheel, looks like you have a 1946 Ford wheel with a 1949 Ford horn ring. The steering box needs to be centered at the 2.25 turns when going straight down the road. Sounds like someone spliced on a tapered and keyed shaft and didn't get it centered. I would either replace the shaft or just have a new keyway cut as you suggested. Neal
Looks like a nice project, love the wheel, keep us updated. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
You'll probably find that you don't need the full amount of steering wheel turns to make the front wheels go from full left to full right. Just center the steering wheel and hook up the pitman. Oh ya, use a 3 cornered file on the wide spline.
A Dremel tool with a grindstone works fine..I have also used a die grinder with a csarbide burr but its trickier than a Dremel.
Now is the time to rebuild the F1 steering box, I bet the worm gear has some chips in it. I rebuilt my F100 steering box for my T last year and when you turned the steering shaft it was smooth except for two spots where I found a chipped worm gear. It's really not that tough of a job to do. To help with the leaking, go to your local John Deere dealer and get some Corn Head utility Steering box grease and your leak will be history, this is great stuff.
Ok fellas-thanks so much for the replies. I'm gonna try to cut the 4 wide splines into 8 narrow splines with a triangular file. I'm not gonna worry about the box having asymmetric turns. Will plan on rebuilding the box and will look for Corn Head grease.
Your steering Gear should not be your turn stop! Your Tall Nut's on the king pin lock bolts do that job if your running a beam Axle. I'd center the Steering Wheel with pitman arm at 6:00 and move on. The Wizzard
As Neal pointed out you want your steering box centered when going straight, the worm and sector travel through an arc as it steers , tightest point is in center which is where you want it for traveling down the road
Thanks for all replies above. I got the wide splines sliced last night with a hacksaw and a triangular file and it fit on the first trip back to the car (yippee)! Clocked it to about 6 o'clock (actual 6 o'clock puts me in the middle of a spline) and found some interferences. So, I fired up my torch and heated it cherry red to bend the pitman arm and couldnt budge it. I will try that again tonight in a vice instead of on the car. I tried every option to allow the pitman arm to stay inside the radius rod, but every option resulted in contact between the drag link and the radius rod. The option I see maybe working is to move my radius rods inboard about 4" at the frame rail. Then I need about a 45-degree bend in my pitman arm to move the drag link outside the radius rod. I think if I can make this happen, then rebuild the box to get the sector in the middle of the worm gear, I should be able to check steering off the punch list. Sound about right?
I think I followed what you were saying but how about posting a photo of just what you have to start from. The Wizzard
I've cut splines in pitman arms, in the past, and I start with a hacksaw blade just to get a cut in. Then I follow up with a file. You can see at this point I have a little more work to do. It goes pretty easy so don't overdo it.
Here's the configuration when I bought the car. Shortened, poorly welded pitman arm just above the radius rod. All good till you hit a bump.
Here's the pitman arm I've purchased with the plan of modifying it. I have clocked it to as close to 6:00 as I can. The drag link hits the radius rod.
Here's what I'm imagining: relocate radius rod mounting on frame in-board by flipping the heim joint and moving the mounting tab to inside edge of boxed frame rail. Then bending the pitman arm to place the drag link outside the radius rod.
Splines are tapered. Ok, I put the arm in a vice and fired up the torch. Got it cherry red in the inch neared the loop and started hammering (bending with weight and muscle on a pipe slipped over the small loop couldn't cut it), re-heating every-so-often. Knocked it over about 45-degrees. She's in a bucket of sand cooling. We'll see how she clears tomorrow morning before work. If the clearance is good,I will do the small end tomorrow night. Thanks for all the encouragement and hand-holding. I'm a torque-wrench guy-3lb sledges and a torch are new to me. I bought this car to grow up.
It's cool enough to touch. I'm gonna start on the small end. Relocating the radius rod mounts onboard really makes a difference.
Practiced a little welding then went back to the pitman arm. Here's the result. I will try it out for size in the morning. Found a shop that will magnaflux pitman arm for $10. Is that as good as x-ray? Next is to measure caster with current set up. Do I just put an angle finder on the front side of the I-beam axle, or on the king pen? Or do I need to do the old 15-degrees right and left with my caster/camber gauge? And how much split cater should I try for to account for road crown?
Here's the finished product. I still have to relocate the radius rod frame mounts-a disconnected radius rod turns the front end into a noodle!
Just want to jump in and say that the one thing that is carved in stone is that the steering box must be centered (on its tight center position) and the wheels need to be perfectly straight at that exact point. All other pieces of the puzzle work off that. You center the steering wheel however you need to, without turning the steering box, and you set the road wheels straight ahead without turning the steering box. The box must be on the sweet spot when the car is going straight down the road. Now that might be exactly what you're doing but I just wanted to make it clear to anyone reading this as a source of advice. Your car looks awesome by the way. LOVE the interior shot of the dash and wheel!
Gonna steer like shit this way, and will rub on tire , you could have kept the pitman inside the bone and move tie rod end to the other side ... That emulates the orig 32 geometry more closely
My Deuce has similar steering , yes in a super tight turn tire will rub the draglink . I have never had any issues this caused driving my car . As noted the box needs to be in the sweet spot when going straight ahead . If you can have the pitman arm magna fluxed and shot blasted , if not carry on . If need be rekey the shaft , weld up the slot not used and drive like you stole someone's girl in it !
I see all points above. Hmmm, what kind of shop can re-key the shaft...or should I try to very very carefully cut a new keyway in the steering wheel (maybe easier) so that the wheel is straight in the centered position on the worm gear? There was no way to make the drag link not strike the radius rod, if the pitman arm was kept inside the radius rod, although I'm not sure if a dropped axle would have corrected this issue by raising the steering arm on the spindle/backing plate. I guess I could have bent the drag link...? The ultimate solution to this whole problem is cross steering. I will likely get to that eventually, but I gotta get this pile of parts to the point that I can at least move it around the shop easier.
Just some food for thought. The Radius Rod does not need to be absolutely strait from Axle to frame. For more turning radi. you can put a slight bend in them at the tire contact point moving them inboard a good bit. That makes the frame end more parallel to the frame rails and lets you have less kick outboard in the Pitman arm. That has been done a million times over the years just to increase the turn radi. The Wizzard
Don't worry about the steering wheel being centered, yet. Count the turns of the steering wheel, then go to half that amount of turns to center the steering box. That's where it needs to be when wheels are straight ahead. Hopefully your steering wheel is center at that point too. If not, then do something about the key way or splines, whichever it has. With that all centered, then clock the pitman arm at 6 o-clock. If you go to cross steering, you will need a track bar to keep the axle centered. Dave
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