Technical 1946 Ford coupe steering box help

Within the next few weeks I’ll be swapping out the box in my ‘46 coupe and I had a few questions. Being that I’ll be working in the tiniest, most dimly lit garage ever, I wanna make sure I don’t get hung up on anything.


First, can I remove the wheel and slide the box out from the bottom while leaving the column etc. still in the car? I see that saving time but might not be feasible. The column drop where the column mounts to the dash has a small crack and I’d kind of like to avoid removing those bolts.

Second, will I be able to remove the box from the bottom of the vehicle while the vehicle is on jack stands? Not sure if I’ll have enough room or if this is something that I should do on a lift.

Any help and feedback or tips are greatly appreciated. I spend all week working on everyone else’s customs and classics that mine often gets neglected.





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You have a nice looking Ford !....W O W

 

The biggest problem is getting the car high enough to get the box out , you will have to be as high as the steering shaft is long because it has to come strength downward and no wiggle room. Good luck. Frank

 

You can pull it out the bottom but you will need to disconnect it from the column drop. You said the column drop was cracked, now would be a great time to make it right.
I'm assuming you know that all the parts to your steering box are available if you decide you want to rebuild it.
When I bought to F1 box for my Roadster it felt smooth as silk but when I tore the box down for inspection the sector was missing half of it's teeth. On my 46 I decided to rebuild it from the get go to be sure it was right. Really not that big of a job.

 

I have a Mercury, with a 4" longer wheelbase.
I was able to remove the box & shaft from the bottom while leaving the column tube in place. Saves lots of fussing about.

 

Something funny about the SS trim on your car.
Not being critical, just observant.
No trim around the side windows, plus the rear fenders have the trim below the crease-'47-'48 style. Front fenders are correct with the trim above the crease.
Nice car.

 

LOL. Very observant 42merc. LOL I picked up on the trim around the window because I have a 46 but completely missed the fenders.

 

I’ll be honest, I’ve never even realized that about the rear fenders! You’re the first person to point that out. I’m very meticulous and I’m surprised I hadn’t noticed. One can only guess the rear fenders were replaced st some point. I’ve always wondered why it didn’t have the trim on the side windows but I kinda like it that way.. like all the trim on the side of the car is horizontal and flows better ‍♂️

I finally got a ton of cars wrapped up at the shop so I’ll be doing the box in the morning on the lift. Working smarter is usually my preference.

Thanks for your comment!


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I was able to get a beautifully restored box from Neal Jennings at a reasonable price. Once the old box is out I’ll rebuild it in my spare time and hopefully find someone in need I can help out.

I can’t believe I never noticed the rear fender trim haha!


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I'll hazard a guess about the trim.
You may have a '47-'48 body with a '46 nose & deck lid.

 

old thread - wonder which steering box he was going to use I tried a Vega Box on my '47 Coupe but, should have gone to a Saginaw box

 

I don't know anything about vega boxes, but the saginaw box with adaptor moves the box a ways away from the frame.