Technical Steering Problems

interesting comment, and I know that in ‘theory’ it is correct - I drove my ‘32 fordor ( with original suspension) like this for 10 years.
It was the best handling from the different combinations that I used over the last 15 years.
( And in this country is actually not recommended ).

 

There should be a whole lot of bad driving race cars since they have different size tires front and back!

 

OPs example of the f250 with how its driving sounds to me like the typical flogged twin I beam 70s ford truck handling thing. Ironically, not chinas ball joints fault, its the american steering box that came with them.
I had one of those trucks and it done the same thing as he described, it had 6” of steering wheel play before it registered with the wheels. Redhead steering box in that situation sorted that out... i opted to go that route instead of adjusting the old box on my truck-which has problems in itself allegedly.

my money is on the china made (speedway kit sourced) steering box.

 

I beleive in starting simple.....

Jack up front, try turning wheels side to side by hand. Does it turn smoothly from side to side from rhe tires? Do both sides.

Do you feel hard,soft,hard,soft as you try turning? If so usually a sign of a bad internal gear as in bad bearings, bent internally, bad machine work..etc...

Or Do you feel its easy from one direction then as you hit gear center it gets hard then as you pass gear center it gets easy again and the same thing from the other direction? If so thats usually a sign of the gear adjusted too tight or bad machine work. Soo if its doing that back of adjusting screw 1/2 turn and see if it changes, if so you probably will be able to adjust the gear out, if no change then probably bad machining...

Now that we have used the above methods on to next step, now we undo pitman arm and try turning again, is it nice and smooth and easy all the way thru turning side to side?

If so we now know without a doubt its above the front suspension... I.e. gear etc. Is it binding ? Then we need to figure that out and fix it seeing how its in the front suspension itself.

Now next step, we still feel one of the above.. Hard spot/ hard center... Now we hook gear up again and undo rag joint off of gear to the column. Again we turn wheels left to right by hand do we still feel it? Ok now we have pretty much isolated the problem to the gear... Is the hard spot/hard center gone? Then its the steering column or the routing of the steering shaft to the gear thats binding...

I use the above method over 100 times a year figuring out steering problems that come thru our door and surprisingly I find the angle and set up of the steering shaft to cause the most problems with the hot rods that roll thru our shop with steering problems.

Lots of steering shafts out there with lousy design and execution...

 

An easy way to get phone pics to computer is by e-mailing them to yourself from your phone, then save them to your car photos directory where you keep photos on your computer, then you can add them to your post.

 

Well here is the deal, I got a box from the S10, it'd been adjusted on and was pretty rough but I went on and put it on so I Could have it set up for the 525 box and if I couldn't find one used, I'd buy new. I drove it yesterday around 45 miles and it drove great except for a little play in it that you'd notice when you hit a bad spot in the road. You could get down on it pretty good without worrying about building fence later. I went to a cruise in and while I was there I ran into a guy that had a new one from Carquest bought several years ago so $25 later I owned it, just got back from picking it up. I also have a real nice low mileage 61 Impala box, no pitman arm, if anyone needs one of those. I think it fits 63 or 4 back but not for sure. I got $55 in it.

 

You might set the drag through center on the vega box. All steering gears are built to have a slight drag through center to keep down on wander. Since you have the box in a vice, crank it through lock to lock, count the turns and run the gear back exactly half way between the lock to lock count. Find a 12 point socket the fits tight on the input shaft and measure the drag through center using an inch pound torque wrench with a scale on it you should read, as a rule of thumb, a drag of 14-15 inch pounds through center. This can be adjusted but moving the screw shaft on top of the sector shaft cover in or out until you get that drag. Lock down the adjustmental and re run the torque wrench. If you can find the actual drag call out for a Vega box, even better. After setting the drag, the should be virtually no drag from the preloaded center drag beyond to lock either way. If that should occur, then there is a fitment problem with the gears inside the box any you need to call Speedway and complain .

 

Been there, done that. I've done called on it. I think the machining on the gears was wrong or screwed up. Think I'm going to stick with the 525 box from now on. Got a line on another one that was taken off a chevelle years ago, if he comes up with it, his filing system is like mine, I told him I'd take it for a future project.