Hot Rods Should I adjust steering box?

Hello.....I have finally been able to put a few miles on my coupe. It has one final issue that must be addressed which is what appears to be excessive play in the steering..It has an early F100 box and with it in the center position there is 1" of play and no tight spots any place in it's rotation and and no movement of the pitman arm. Most of the driving I have been doing has been in the 40-50 Mph range as the roads around this area are very twisty. I am constantly compensating to keep the car centered in my lane. Not a pull left or right. It has bias tires and I have played with the air pressure to see if that helped and it did not. The problem is less noticeable at higher speeds. My wife keeps complaining that I am driving in the middle of the road. I have checked all other front end components to include wheel bearings etc and everything is good . I have also checked the caster (Best I could here at home ) and it looks to be 6-7 degrees positive. Thank You all as always.

 

yes.

 

Totally go by the book for the adjustment. You may have to disconnect the pitman arm to get the pull force at the steering wheel set correctly.

 

Should go thru the box, safety first....

 

1" of play isn't much.......

 

Steering box is probably wasted?...Verified again that it was in the center of it's travel...Star type washer missing from adjuster screw with hex nut in place..Approx 1/4 to 1/2 inch of threads remaining outside of cover...Adjustment screw is not frozen to cover. Can't turn screw left or right...I loosened side cover to verify the adjustment screw was not rusted fast..Just one more thing to deal with on this shitty build.

 

Definitely remove the drag link before finding center on the box. The center of the spindles may not be properly adjusted to the center of the box.

When you have found the center of the actual box, with no drag link attached, you can adjust the adjuster stud inward until you feel very slight drag at that center point when turning. There is supposed to be a tight spot on perfect center, and it will get a bit looser when turned a little each way.

If you can't get a good feel doing this, the box might need rebuilt. They are very simple to take apart, and some of the internals parts are very easy to fix. But there are a couple things inside that are tough to fix. The bearings and races are usual remove/replace/hone stuff, but changing the sector roller or the worm gear can be tough. You might be best sending those parts to NealinCA here on the HAMB for rebuild if needed. Check them for pits and gouges to see if they need help.

A total replace on your box might be a surprise if your box was modified to fit your particular car. It's common to modify the mounting flange on the housing, or the length of the shaft. That's why I'd just rebuild what you have, if needed. Itsa good winter time project (I did mine last winter).

 

I did remove the drag link and establish in fact that it was at center .There is no tightness in any position of the wheel..Which seems to be the problem there is no feel of center...It has the same amount of play in any degree of rotation...The adjustment screw is like it is bottomed out even though there are plenty of threads remaining external...The screw is not frozen to the cover..But it will not turn in or out...I wondered if I could get the box off the car without a lift? Being that the shaft is coming down with it..Also is it possible the adjustment screw could be out of place on the inside not making contact with the sector shaft?

 

When you reattached your drag link you adjusted it to keep the box centered, right?

I don't think there is enough room under the side cover for the adjuster stud to be in place and not be in the notch of the sector. Metinks your worm gear is worn.

When I removed mine last winter from my 32 (my box is an F-1, but very similar procedure), I had to remove the header on that side to make room. And some floor, wiring, etc. Big job, I don't look forward to it again. Do it right the first time.

 

Parts
https://www.earlyfordstore.com/product_info.php/cPath/85_165/products_id/3462
http://midfifty.com/item.php?INV_ID=2842

Whole new box.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Manual-Ste...:F-100&hash=item285fdc0200:g:CWwAAOSwjXNbRv42
You have options, I would tend to agree to pull it apart, I doubt the shaft is full-length. Looks like it either has to come out through the interior or drop out the bottom. The one in my old Ford comes out through the interior.

 

one thing to do with the box first if you havn't drain the oil and look at it . we had an old dodge truck with alot of play in the box, i just took a wrench and tightened it up a little and added oil. a few years later it was back like it was but worse. it is driven very little. (500-1000 mi. a year). i guess it had been driven in high water or something but the box was full of rust, metal flakes, water and oil, amounted to grinding compound. i just got another and replaced it solved the problem.

 

I guess this evening I am going to have to completely remove the cover and see if I can see anything that appears out of place??...I don't understand why I can't even turn the adjustment screw .It's close to the oil filter boss on the block...I tried using a slotted impact driver bit with a wrench attached and could not budge it either way..When I loosed the cover and pulled it back away from the box...The screw would move...But not when the cover is bolted down. It will not move in or out

 

When you replace the lube in the box, use John Deere corn head grease. Get it at your local John Deere dealer. It comes in a tube like regular chassis grease, so squirt it through the fill hole until full. Then top it off a few drives later. It will be a very good lube for the conditions right next to exhaust and other hot parts. But won't leak out the seal or gaskets.

 

I had mixed up some regular high temp grease and some 85w140 Lucas and put in it (Which leaked out) a month or so ago as it looked like there was nothing in it other than some old grease..I would think even if the box was shot..I could lock it up tight with the adjustment screw? even though that is not proper thing to do..I will get some of the Deere grease

 

One inch ain't shit. My money's on shit tires or a slight toe-out.

 

Also, it may be possible the box is adjusted too tight and not letting the caster angle do it's job.

 

I'm with Groucho, 1" is right on the tight side of factory spec. The only difference is if you have one of those cheesy small diameter steering wheels. 1" would be good for the average 15-17' vintage steering wheel. The "fighting to keep it straight" gig has me there too. Something easy to overlook is amiss. I wouldn't raise my rt hand to it, I'm not there to see, but generally the car will have the most gentle pull against the crown in the road and all you have to do is "rest" your grip against it. No fighting, no discomfort. All I do is old shit every day. Today is a 37 Cord, tomorrow is a Packard, this weekend a 39 Ford (if I'm lucky!). Step back and look once more.

 

1"? Hell, that's nothing. To stop the road wander and "middle of the road" driving, leave the wife home. LOL! No, seriously.

 

I will check the toe again which I set at 1/8 in. It feels like there is no center position in the column..I have driven a lot of old cars over the years that had a lot more than an 1" of play but I was younger then and didn't care. There is no definite left or right pulling..I think the reason I seem to be in the middle of the road is fear of running off of it due to the feel of no center spot...You must turn the wheel 1" left or right from any position before anything happens or feel

 

when viewed from the side, does the steering wheel raise and lower as you turn it in either direction?

 

I have not noticed that..But will check this evening when I get home...It has a 14" diameter wheel..Thank You everyone for the input

 

Is there a draglink adjustment? Got anything like this in the front end? It is adjustable.

 

Yes it has that type of drag link end (ball stud on pitman arm)...I tightened it all the way in and then backed it out for the cotter pin slot...Cotter pin side has cup and plug. I would assume the spring is behind the inner cup although I have never removed it..The wheel was slightly off . I adjusted the drag link to center it

 

My Ford manual has the procedure to adjust the draglink, I'll have to dig it out later. I bought the repair kit, with the new ball stud, cups and spring. The one I got is adjustable, I recall some truck pieces not being adjustable. The link attached is for a 1948-1956 Ford truck, see if the parts look familiar. C & G Ford sells lots of truck and car front end parts.
http://www.earlyfordstore.com/produ.../5676?osCsid=dacb45af0d47850d543ec2056d11f840
I had installed the kit and only did a rough adjustment. I had to pick up a 1/2" drive special socket so I could turn it easier, plus I'm a tool junkie. The day I aligned it I adjusted the draglink, my manual steering works well. I have a little slop in the wheel, but the car goes straight and stays straight. Have someone turn the steering wheel while you watch the draglink. Work it slowly back and forth to load/unload it. There you will see if there is any slack in the draglink. When the wheel comes back there should be no lag of motion in moving the center link or whatever you have on the car.

The proper steering box lube makes a big difference too. Go with the stuff suggested above, the old Ford stuff is long gone unless someone has a stash of it. My manual calls for greasing the draglink every 1000 miles.

 

Do you mean you adjusted the drag link to make your steering wheel look straight? So the spokes were even? If so, that is a no-no. You just adjusted yourself out of the box's center. The box needs to be in the center, and the steering wheel position be-damned.

Maybe you have a splined shaft at the top that you can adjust your steering wheel with (after you get the box where it's supposed to be). If so, great. If not and it's just a tapered and keyed shaft/wheel, then you are going to have to live with it being crooked.

 

Not familiar with the F1 box but if it has a detente during its stroke, it should be adjusted when the wheels are straight.
the detent serves to maintain linkage from bouncing around during straight driving, the linkage needs to be adjusted to keep the box at detent.

 

Yes...I did adjust it to center the steering wheel....Here is the setup it has.I adjusted the end of the rod that has a tie rod end attached to the steering arm on the drivers backing plate. I thought the box was at center when I did it and the front wheels pointing straight..

 

I took the side cover off of the box..The adjuster bolt that engages the slot in the sector shaft was not attached inside. The square washer was stuck under the covers recess with grease. ..I engaged it into the sector and then kept backing off the screw as I took the cover bolts back down...Readjusted it as explained here on the HAMB...Still about 1" of play but wheel feels different now..I am sure box is worn..But all hopes it will last awhile longer in order to correct other things such as installing a rear ladder bar system.Unable to road test this evening due to rain...Thank You all Again

 

When you make a turn, does the steering wheel return to center by itself or do you have to Steer it back?

 

Hey Don, long time no talk.