Technical F100 dropped axle, leafs and steering setup??

Get your tie-rod drops from Sid not Speedway.... You definitely want to fix that angle of your steering arm parallel with the frame. I'd start with this easy fixes before getting into replacing your steering box etc

 

Unless Sid's now has dropped tie rod ends, do not use the drop blocks at all, regardless of where they come from. They are simply a spacer, albeit one that does not use a locking taper geometry like a tie rod end and are an accident waiting to happen. Not knowing anything about the drop blocks at the time Sid's did my axle, I ordered a set. One look at them and I set them aside and did some research on the dropped "Ford" tie rod ends from Speedway and found they used the same taper as my Dodge. I ordered and installed those and they fit and function correctly.
- EM

 

I started pulling apart the steering today and discovered that the steering box is really gritty and rough, even without any load on it. You can see some significant damage to the worm gear on the steering shaft if you look closely at the pics. Do I need to toss out the whole thing or attempt a rebuild? A quick google search shows that these things are expensive and there's usually a core charge. Any input is welcome.

 

I always shit canned the stock box and put power steering on my straight axle F-100's . I used mid size GM boxes from the 70's . I would use the column also that way I could get a tilt wheel.
My last one was a 64 that I had a cabover camper on the back and 8 inch wide rims on the front and could steer it with one hand.

 

New worm gears and bearings and bushings don’t cost too much. A new sector is pricey though. Read up and you can rebuild it yourself.

 

So I took apart the steering box and everything looks good apart from the worm gear. Even the bearings look great. I don't understand why only the worm gear would sustain the damage and not the other components. It'll save me money though!

 

What you show is pretty typical. The worm has been worn through the case hardened surface. The condition of the races show the bearings are done. Check the roller for any wear or tiny pits, that would indicate the hardened surface is compromised and will soon end up looking like the worm if re-used. The shaft will press out of the worm, so if you can find just the worm it can be pressed back onto the old shaft...might save some money there. A 7/16" quarter inch drive deep well socket is the perfect size to press the shaft out of the worm. You'll have to get your hydraulic press up on some blocks to get the needed space to get the shaft to fit for pressing the worm off. Good luck!

 

Thank you. I've ordered the worm gear and some new shims and seals from Mac's.

 

Much easier to cut the old worm off. Use a cutoff wheel and cut a groove into but not through the worm. Don't go into the shaft. Set the worm on a heavy vise pad or anvil, and whack the cut with a big chisel to finish the crack.

Takes about three minutes versus a half hour finding a good way to clamp the worm tightly for pressing off.

When you press the new worm on, be sure you aren't gonna bugger up the threads on the steering wheel end.

 

Ford pickups (mainly) had case hardening on the worms that exceeded hardness specs.
Steering boxes pitted at less than 50K miles, matter of record.
Replacement worms are reported to have 'corrected' that flaw, every box I've rebuilt has come out 'like new'...but as long as I'VE been doing them, even I'm not old enough to have seen a number of them wear out again!
My #4 son has a Sid's 4" dropped axle for his '55 F100. Sid no longer drops them that far, according to his catalog. 3" is the 'deepest'.
If someone made longer steering arms for F100s they would have length to 'drop' them. But the short arms dictate those horrendous 'blocks', or the barely adequate Speedway dropped ends.
(Anybody know what those ends are? International Harvester or certain Dodge truck?
I recall 'discovering' them in the '70s, just can't recall where)

 

I certainly agree that the drop blocks are not the most elegant solution. The dropped tie rod ends just don't have enough drop in them though

 

My attempt at pressing the new worm gear onto the steering shaft was not successful. I bent the steering shaft! I went to 5 different shops and garages first, who either said they did not have a large enough press or were not willing to press the worm gear on. I eventually made my own rig with a bottle jack and some framing. It was squeaking along pretty nicely until the last 1/2" when the shaft suddenly bent. Needless to say, I'm rather upset. I even bothered to put the shaft in a chest freezer and heat up the worm gear. I listened to all those good suggestions people made and I still f'ed it up!

 

There are more shafts out there. Or you could possibly straighten that one.

When I did mine I found the toughest part was clamping the shaft so it wouldn't slide while pressing. I didn't just push on the worm end and let the other end be the stop. Some guys have even welded a pair of temporary blocks to the shaft up near the worm so they have a positive place to push against. Just a short but strong tack weld should do it.

 

Ooops......Yeah, I use an aluminum rifle barrel clamp tool on the shaft and also support the opposite end with blocks and wedges. Then I use a four inch bench vise turned sideways to clamp the barrel tool to the shaft, and set that all up on the press.
One thing to note, there is a slight key on the worm that needs to line up with the shallow, tapered keyway on the shaft end. It's shallow and it's easy to miss seeing.

 

I'm pretty disappointed with myself, but I'll give it another shot. I'll try and straighten out the shaft before I drop $200 + shipping on a new one

 

I made a little jig for straightening the steering shaft. To my amazement, it actually worked! The shaft is mounted in some eye bolts that allow you to spin the rod and find the high point. I pumped the jack a few times and re-checked. I'm going to take a well earned break before attempting to press the worm gear on that last half inch.

 

I listened to the suggestions and decided to build my own jig after 4 of the local garages refused to help. I guess they don't want the responsibility, especially with customer supplied parts. That's understandable. Anyway, the jig worked (see pic) and I'm back on the road finally! The key was to prevent the shaft from flexing and transfer all the energy from the jack straight through to the worm gear.

 

Very ingenious with the straightening and the final install.

 

You play golf, don't you? Seriously, good job on straightening the shaft.

 

You could start a side job of installing Ford truck worm gears. Help pay for all the time and materials in that jig.