I am running a stock 32 box in my tudor, i had the box rebuilt (15:1) and when the car is sitting still (weight on tires) turning the wheels there is resistance and a creaking noise that sounds bad. When load is off the tires, sounds great and moves easily. Also tried removing column to see if that was source of noise- still there. Drives fine, just noisy when parking... Running the recomended 600w gear oil. A friend suggested drilling the box and putting a grease fitting for the pittman arm shaft- any ideas ? Thanks
Early cars with manual steering and worm-sector gears all take a bunch of effort with car not moving...this is actually the time of heaviest load on all steering parts. Noise...can you really pinpoint where it is coming from?? Maybe by having someone under the car while you crank the wheel? I don't have a '32 owner's manual handy and don't remember the lube info on this, but it wouldn't have been 600! Ford had adopted the early forms of EP gear oil designed for sliding gear contact (as in steering, trans, rear) as soon as it came out, an ancestral form of 90-140 type stuff, and the more modern 90-140 became the retroactive recommendation for all '32-48 as the soup was modernized. I would not want 600 in these heavily loaded spiral cut gears! This stuff will be harder to keep inside the box, so you will bees the tube baseplate that helps this endeavor. Also thoroughly check out all rod ends and kingpins by watching them move, then moving them by hand with car jacked up and steering disconnected...look for anything tight or sloppy...and greaseitall. Parking tech...a lost art...in non-power steering cars, it was standard practice to let out clutch a bit and give car a very small amount of creep while cranking the steering. Amount of movement can be infinitesimal...and steering effort magically vanishes.
It's not the weight...600 is not a weight designation...what you are looking for is the additives meant for spiral cut gears with lots of sliding contact. You want to see a can that says something like 140 EP gear oil...I am sure there are smazzier modern synthetics, too, but it must be something made for modernish gears. The EP is important. And is why the old style gear oils disappeared in the early '30's, following the spur gears they were meant for.
Has anyone else experienced this problem with a 32 box ? Seems to mkae more noise turning to right. Only when stiitng still or barely moving like parking. Thanks for any input
Some older box w/ column, will get a groaning or harmonic type noise when turned while stopped. These noises get magnified by the column tube being attached to the box Sometimes it can be improved by worm shaft preload, either loosen or take up a bit. Also lube the upper column bushing at the same time.
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