The Ford Barn

FordCustom · 03-17-2016, 11:39 PM

I was looking at Rock Auto, and the steering box they offered was a Lares rebuilding svc. You send your box in, and hopefully get yours, or at least a reasonable facsimile rebuilt unit back. Any problems with the quality of parts, or longevity?

Is anyone using one right now?

This is for a 1950 F-1, V8 flathead truck. I am slowly but surely bringing it back to life.

Lawson Cox · 03-18-2016, 12:38 AM

I don't know about their steering boxes, but they are a bunch of crooks as far as I'm concerned. Ordered a parking light and they sent me a headlight. They said send it back and we'll send you the right one, but you have to pay return shipping and pay shipping on the correct item when we send it. I will not repeat where I told them to stick it.

petehoovie · 03-18-2016, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawson Cox

I don't know about their steering boxes, but they are a bunch of crooks as far as I'm concerned. Ordered a parking light and they sent me a headlight. They said send it back and we'll send you the right one, but you have to pay return shipping and pay shipping on the correct item when we send it. I will not repeat where I told them to stick it.

Lawson,

Are you sure you're thinking of the right "crooks"? I went to the Lares website and they don't sell things like parking lights.

Their website here > http://www.larescorp.com/

Or is it that you're referring to Rock Auto???....

Lawson Cox · 03-18-2016, 01:44 AM

I was referring solely to Rock Auto. I have never heard of nor done business with Lares so I certainly would not be casting aspersions against them.

FordCustom · 03-18-2016, 06:58 AM

I ordered a bumper cover from rock auto for a friend. It was the correct part, and showed up in less than three days. It's been my only experience.

The rebuild service is $274.. Rip off or?

alanwoodieman · 03-18-2016, 07:05 AM

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had them rebuild the power steering for a 56 t-bird, works good-well satisfied

skidmarks · 03-18-2016, 07:20 AM

Do the job yourself. That is a very simple steering box. There is also a couple people on the fordbarn that advertise rebuilding service for that box. Parts are easy to find for them because internal pieces fit from 1937 to 48 car and also 1937 to 1952 pu.

37 Coupe · 03-18-2016, 07:36 AM

Lares spends a bunch on advertising it seems in Hemmings V8 Times etc so they must have to charge a lot. Friend of mine sent a '36 steering box to them and they quoted almost $800.00 on the rebuild. They would not say if it was in house manufactured parts or China so he told them to return it.When it came back it was tagged " not rebuildable ". I posted about this last summer and a Fordbarner contacted me about a good used'36 box for $100. It was a lot better than the one he had and works good enough but he still should have went with a '37-39 box.

jacob smith · 03-18-2016, 07:46 AM

I had my steering box rebuilt for my 36 by

Mike Bartlett
704-728-2484

He did a great job. He also in the V8 times. Also does shocks

BUDB · 03-18-2016, 07:52 AM

I bought a Lares box through Rock Auto for a Lincoln several months back. Worked out fine.

deeprock · 03-18-2016, 09:15 AM

They have a top notch organization. They rebuild a steering box for a 57 skyliner. Fantastic. I dealt direct with Lares.

Larescorp.com

FordCustom · 03-18-2016, 10:15 AM

I have noticed they use a nice looking silver/grey paint. Can you tell if it was actually cleaned well before the painting took place. Will I have to strip and paint it again. I groan when I see chassis swapped 50's trucks with a thick coating of paint over dirty suspension parts. It happens more than you might think. I am blacking mine out, but everything is going to be gone through. Leaves taken apart, cleaned and painted. Things like that. Not insane level of detail, good looking in a mechanical sense is good enough.

JSeery · 03-18-2016, 10:34 AM

FordCustom, as stated earlier, the Ford steering box is fairly easy to rebuild yourself. It depends on what it needs, if the worm and sector gears are ok (they often are) then the rebuild amounts to simply replacing the bearing, races, seals and gaskets and making the proper adjustments. Might be worth taking it apart and having a look. Another thought, even if you have to change out the sector gear and worm gear and need to get a machine shop to do that part of the job, it would still be much cheaper than paying shipping back and forth plus the high price for a rebuild.

1952henry · 03-18-2016, 11:39 AM

Look up Blue Top Steering.

http://m.bluetopsteeringgears.com/si...etwork=fw#3332

SuperDave · 03-18-2016, 04:17 PM

I have used Lares for rebuilt hydraulic steering parts several times with great results.
However... although the Ford steering box is easily rebuilt. Getting it off the car can be a pain in the ars!! A few months ago I had a 33 in the shop and I had to jack the engine up to get clearance.. UGH! I figure the car was designed for a 4 cylinder and the flat head used up all the room!

FordCustom · 03-18-2016, 05:15 PM

On the F-1 it appears that the steering shaft is directly in line with the axle while being removed. If I am going to do something with it, it might as well be now when the axle is going to be off for a while.

I really could care less about the ease of which it is done. I'd rather have one built by a place that knows what they're doing and has done it million times before. A place that has a good reputation. Something with a warranty possibly?

OLD AS I · 03-18-2016, 05:47 PM

Just sent a '36 & '46 strg boxes to them, was given a high and low rebuild price, was expensive but did ship them to them, will know in a week or two, will post what I find when returned. Often feel you only get what you pay for, hope I get what I pay for. Will be interesting to see how they get painted, I did ask for black hi temp paint so will see if they got cleaned prior to painting

russcc · 03-18-2016, 06:23 PM

As mentioned by other barners in this post, if you get Vern Tardel's "Let Me Help You" Booklet on Ford steering, he makes the overhauling real simple, plus you get the satisfaction of doing it your self, with good old Ford parts.

JM 35 Sedan · 03-18-2016, 07:27 PM

No personal experience with Lares, but two friends each sent their '34 steering boxes to them for rebuild and both were dissatisfied with the results of the rebuild they did, plus they both felt the cost was excessive.

I agree with those who are saying....rebuild your own. The most difficult part of the job would be pressing the worm gear off the shaft and pressing a new one on, if that was found to be necessary for the rebuild..

fordor41 · 03-18-2016, 10:53 PM

I had my Saginaw steering box rebuilt by Lares. Had a problem and they resolved it. Only problem, I had to spring for the shipping twice and it's not cheap sending these gearboxes!

FordCustom · 03-23-2016, 06:57 PM

Okay, well I finally got around to messing with it. I removed the cap nut/cover, and there's only a 1/4" of thread of the adjuster screw sticking out. The nut was loose, and doesn't seem to grip the threads much, if at all. The adjuster will not turn, at all. So I imagine it means that no adjustment is left and the box is toast, am I right? Honestly, I couldn't get the adjuster to move either direction.

I don't want to get it to the local rebuild shop that has a $300 starting price, and find out they want to charge me another $300-$500 for machining, new worm gear, etc etc etc....

JSeery · 03-23-2016, 07:39 PM

It will depend a lot on the condition of the worm gear and sector gear. If they are reusable I would guess that is the $300 price. If they need replaced the price will go up considerably. But, hard to tell unless it is apart.

NealinCA · 03-24-2016, 10:30 AM

Did you also remove the star washer? Sometimes those get stuck to the side cover under grease.

If the adjuster is too far in, then the worm is likely worn and needs replacing. Had to really tell until you disassemble the box and look at everything.

Neal

FordCustom · 03-24-2016, 11:20 AM

The cover locknut thing wouldn't really catch any threads though, so any adjustment would have to have something else to hold it in place. I will check the star washer, maybe clean it up with some cleaner and a brass brush to get a better look at it. The inside of the cover nut looks to be a much larger diameter than the adjuster, so I don't understand what it was trying to catch a thread on. I have more time this evening, and it was starting to rain as well last night. The sun should be out this afternoon.

JSeery · 03-24-2016, 12:41 PM

Guess it is possible someone put the wrong nut on it. Is it possible to post some photos?

FordCustom · 03-24-2016, 05:30 PM

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Got the washer off, that in itself was a 20 minute chore. Zero adjustment left. It will loosen but not tighten. I am going to pull it sometime in the next few weeks, and get it rebuilt I guess. Of course pulling it will probably get another batch of troubles I imagine. Truck four feet in the air, drop the axle and remove most of the steering components, steering wheel, etc etc etc.

The star washer is supposed to have a tab in it to match the slot in the side of the adjuster, right? If it does, that is long gone. I had to pry it up, and pretty much unscrew it. It was gone before I started messing with it.

Right now I am just kind of disgusted that an axle swap has snowballed into rebuilding the entire front suspension and steering system. Oh well... I knew what I was getting into, eh?

JSeery · 03-24-2016, 06:17 PM

Well, the good news is it needed it anyway and the axle change didn't causes it! About the hardest part of pull the steering is getting the steering wheel off. The pitman arm can be a bit of a challenge as well.

Ole Don · 03-24-2016, 06:26 PM

I lucked out on steering gear adjustments for years. A bench adjustment is a good way to go if you follow the book. I sent a P/S control valve to Lares, and it came back on time, fixed, and on budget. Two years later I sent in the pump, it also was good service. I remember years ago to cost to get those parts sent in for repair was 800 bucks. Lares did it for a fraction of that. Good people to deal with.

FordCustom · 03-24-2016, 07:45 PM

I was going to try and remove some leaves anyway, to maybe lower a little more. Mostly to smooth out the ride though. This truck has ten leaves all the way around. At some point I will have to buy a torch. Either that or wait until it's drivable to bend the steering arm down, I hear a drop axle can cause clearance issues with the shocks, and bump steer from the angle of the drag link. I want it to be safe and pleasant to drive once I'm done.

Lares is pretty much good from the majority is what I am getting here. I still may go to the local place. He was highly recommended, and the entry to the office is like an old time gas station office. Lots of cool stuff, and I don't mean Coke signs and antique gas pumps, hehe. Dirt, grime, dusty... steering boxes poking out from everywhere. They have been there forever. Adco is the name of the shop. They came highly recommended by the street rod builder guy at work. He's built several nice vehicles for the owner of the business I work for.

http://www.adcopower.net/

JSeery · 03-24-2016, 08:00 PM

If you have any question on dropped axles get in touch with Sids in Oklahoma. http://www.droppedaxles.com/FORD_AXL...D814314E192261

I would sure consider local unless you are getting free shipping!

FordCustom · 03-24-2016, 11:15 PM

I was going to do Sid's, but then if I ever want to get it back to stock height someday, I wouldn't have my original axle. I will probably get the tie rod drops from him. I have new king pins and U bolts for the springs, and a quart of flat black rustoleum. I am going for function over beauty, at least on the underside.

JSeery · 03-25-2016, 08:06 AM

Not sure on the later year axles, but on the early ones (I purchased a 33) you just have to pay a core fee if you don't provide your axle. The core charge on the 33 was like $100 or $150.

FordCustom · 03-25-2016, 09:14 AM

That's about the same that I paid then, and got king pins and U bolts in the deal. I do have one question. Is the tie rod bar threaded all the way through. Is it solid except the threaded ends? It mentions shortening them for the full dropped tie rods. A full tie rod, and not a bolt on drop. Running out of threads getting it aligned, would not be good.

JSeery · 03-25-2016, 09:22 AM

Not that familiar with the later years as far a axles and tie rods go. I would give Sid's a call, they were always good at answering questions for me.

V8COOPMAN · 03-25-2016, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordCustom

That's about the same that I paid then, and got king pins and U bolts in the deal. I do have one question. Is the tie rod bar threaded all the way through. Is it solid except the threaded ends? It mentions shortening them for the full dropped tie rods. A full tie rod, and not a bolt on drop. Running out of threads getting it aligned, would not be good.

You should realize that when dropping an I-beam axle, the kingpins USUALLY end-up closer together than original, which effectively makes the tie rod "too long". Most-likely why you're "running out of threads". Most tie rods are hollow tubing. DD

JSeery · 03-25-2016, 09:53 AM

Sorry, thought you were talking about an adjusting collar. If it's a standard type of tie rod like on earlier years, yes it is a hollow tube and only threaded on the ends. You can get taps to extend the threads, but it requires two, a RH and a LH tap. Or you could cut and re-weld the tie rod.

tubman · 03-25-2016, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSeery

Sorry, thought you were talking about an adjusting collar. If it's a standard type of tie rod like on earlier years, yes it is a hollow tube and only threaded on the ends. You can get taps to extend the threads, but it requires two, a RH and a LH tap. Or you could cut and re-weld the tie rod.

You only need one tap. Cut what you need off of one end. Just be sure you cut the end off that is threaded the same as your tap.

JSeery · 03-25-2016, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubman

You only need one tap. Cut what you need off of one end.

LOL, that's true!!

I make new ones up out of tubing and was thinking about having to tap both ends. Thanks for the correction Tubman.

FordCustom · 03-27-2016, 10:41 PM

Well, the box rebuild turned out to be a cheaper thing than I imagined. There's a rat rodder I know, that is also a professional diesel mechanic. He has offered his services at no charge.. He's done this a bunch more times than I have, So I am pretty confident things will turn out well. Now I just have to get it out.

03-17-2016, 11:39 PM	#1
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I was looking at Rock Auto, and the steering box they offered was a Lares rebuilding svc. You send your box in, and hopefully get yours, or at least a reasonable facsimile rebuilt unit back. Any problems with the quality of parts, or longevity? Is anyone using one right now? This is for a 1950 F-1, V8 flathead truck. I am slowly but surely bringing it back to life.

03-18-2016, 12:38 AM	#2
Lawson Cox Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Above the gnat line in Georgia Posts: 7,009	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I don't know about their steering boxes, but they are a bunch of crooks as far as I'm concerned. Ordered a parking light and they sent me a headlight. They said send it back and we'll send you the right one, but you have to pay return shipping and pay shipping on the correct item when we send it. I will not repeat where I told them to stick it. __________________ Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes. It is better to be seen, than viewed. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm".

03-18-2016, 01:44 AM	#4
Lawson Cox Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Above the gnat line in Georgia Posts: 7,009	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I was referring solely to Rock Auto. I have never heard of nor done business with Lares so I certainly would not be casting aspersions against them. __________________ Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end, the faster it goes. It is better to be seen, than viewed. "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm".

03-18-2016, 06:58 AM	#5
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I ordered a bumper cover from rock auto for a friend. It was the correct part, and showed up in less than three days. It's been my only experience. The rebuild service is $274.. Rip off or?

03-18-2016, 07:05 AM	#6
alanwoodieman Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: upstate SC Posts: 2,963	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) had them rebuild the power steering for a 56 t-bird, works good-well satisfied

03-18-2016, 07:20 AM	#7
skidmarks Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: newark, delaware Posts: 3,735	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Do the job yourself. That is a very simple steering box. There is also a couple people on the fordbarn that advertise rebuilding service for that box. Parts are easy to find for them because internal pieces fit from 1937 to 48 car and also 1937 to 1952 pu.

03-18-2016, 07:36 AM	#8
37 Coupe Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,835	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Lares spends a bunch on advertising it seems in Hemmings V8 Times etc so they must have to charge a lot. Friend of mine sent a '36 steering box to them and they quoted almost $800.00 on the rebuild. They would not say if it was in house manufactured parts or China so he told them to return it.When it came back it was tagged " not rebuildable ". I posted about this last summer and a Fordbarner contacted me about a good used'36 box for $100. It was a lot better than the one he had and works good enough but he still should have went with a '37-39 box. __________________ "Never complain,never explain"... Henry Ford II

03-18-2016, 07:46 AM	#9
jacob smith Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: New ringgold pa Posts: 311	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I had my steering box rebuilt for my 36 by Mike Bartlett 704-728-2484 He did a great job. He also in the V8 times. Also does shocks __________________ Ford

03-18-2016, 07:52 AM	#10
BUDB Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Bridgewater NJ Posts: 10	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I bought a Lares box through Rock Auto for a Lincoln several months back. Worked out fine.

03-18-2016, 09:15 AM	#11
deeprock Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Bruno MN Posts: 90	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? They have a top notch organization. They rebuild a steering box for a 57 skyliner. Fantastic. I dealt direct with Lares. Larescorp.com

03-18-2016, 10:15 AM	#12
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I have noticed they use a nice looking silver/grey paint. Can you tell if it was actually cleaned well before the painting took place. Will I have to strip and paint it again. I groan when I see chassis swapped 50's trucks with a thick coating of paint over dirty suspension parts. It happens more than you might think. I am blacking mine out, but everything is going to be gone through. Leaves taken apart, cleaned and painted. Things like that. Not insane level of detail, good looking in a mechanical sense is good enough.

03-18-2016, 10:34 AM	#13
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? FordCustom, as stated earlier, the Ford steering box is fairly easy to rebuild yourself. It depends on what it needs, if the worm and sector gears are ok (they often are) then the rebuild amounts to simply replacing the bearing, races, seals and gaskets and making the proper adjustments. Might be worth taking it apart and having a look. Another thought, even if you have to change out the sector gear and worm gear and need to get a machine shop to do that part of the job, it would still be much cheaper than paying shipping back and forth plus the high price for a rebuild.

03-18-2016, 11:39 AM	#14
1952henry Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: North Dakota Posts: 1,620	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Look up Blue Top Steering. http://m.bluetopsteeringgears.com/si...etwork=fw#3332 __________________ I dig coal, which provides motivation for EVs.

03-18-2016, 04:17 PM	#15
SuperDave Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Melbourne Fl Posts: 166	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I have used Lares for rebuilt hydraulic steering parts several times with great results. However... although the Ford steering box is easily rebuilt. Getting it off the car can be a pain in the ars!! A few months ago I had a 33 in the shop and I had to jack the engine up to get clearance.. UGH! I figure the car was designed for a 4 cylinder and the flat head used up all the room!

03-18-2016, 05:15 PM	#16
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? On the F-1 it appears that the steering shaft is directly in line with the axle while being removed. If I am going to do something with it, it might as well be now when the axle is going to be off for a while. I really could care less about the ease of which it is done. I'd rather have one built by a place that knows what they're doing and has done it million times before. A place that has a good reputation. Something with a warranty possibly?

03-18-2016, 05:47 PM	#17
OLD AS I Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Oakwood, ON Canada Posts: 251	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Just sent a '36 & '46 strg boxes to them, was given a high and low rebuild price, was expensive but did ship them to them, will know in a week or two, will post what I find when returned. Often feel you only get what you pay for, hope I get what I pay for. Will be interesting to see how they get painted, I did ask for black hi temp paint so will see if they got cleaned prior to painting

03-18-2016, 06:23 PM	#18
russcc Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2,871	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? As mentioned by other barners in this post, if you get Vern Tardel's "Let Me Help You" Booklet on Ford steering, he makes the overhauling real simple, plus you get the satisfaction of doing it your self, with good old Ford parts.

03-18-2016, 07:27 PM	#19
JM 35 Sedan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Near Rising Sun, Maryland Posts: 10,858	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? No personal experience with Lares, but two friends each sent their '34 steering boxes to them for rebuild and both were dissatisfied with the results of the rebuild they did, plus they both felt the cost was excessive. I agree with those who are saying....rebuild your own. The most difficult part of the job would be pressing the worm gear off the shaft and pressing a new one on, if that was found to be necessary for the rebuild.. __________________ *John* *"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts". Albert Einstein* Last edited by JM 35 Sedan; 03-18-2016 at 07:46 PM.

03-18-2016, 10:53 PM	#20
fordor41 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: elmira,ny Posts: 1,517	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I had my Saginaw steering box rebuilt by Lares. Had a problem and they resolved it. Only problem, I had to spring for the shipping twice and it's not cheap sending these gearboxes!

03-23-2016, 06:57 PM	#21
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Okay, well I finally got around to messing with it. I removed the cap nut/cover, and there's only a 1/4" of thread of the adjuster screw sticking out. The nut was loose, and doesn't seem to grip the threads much, if at all. The adjuster will not turn, at all. So I imagine it means that no adjustment is left and the box is toast, am I right? Honestly, I couldn't get the adjuster to move either direction. I don't want to get it to the local rebuild shop that has a $300 starting price, and find out they want to charge me another $300-$500 for machining, new worm gear, etc etc etc....

03-23-2016, 07:39 PM	#22
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? It will depend a lot on the condition of the worm gear and sector gear. If they are reusable I would guess that is the $300 price. If they need replaced the price will go up considerably. But, hard to tell unless it is apart.

03-24-2016, 10:30 AM	#23
NealinCA Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central Coast, Calif. Posts: 839	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Did you also remove the star washer? Sometimes those get stuck to the side cover under grease. If the adjuster is too far in, then the worm is likely worn and needs replacing. Had to really tell until you disassemble the box and look at everything. Neal

03-24-2016, 11:20 AM	#24
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? The cover locknut thing wouldn't really catch any threads though, so any adjustment would have to have something else to hold it in place. I will check the star washer, maybe clean it up with some cleaner and a brass brush to get a better look at it. The inside of the cover nut looks to be a much larger diameter than the adjuster, so I don't understand what it was trying to catch a thread on. I have more time this evening, and it was starting to rain as well last night. The sun should be out this afternoon.

03-24-2016, 12:41 PM	#25
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Guess it is possible someone put the wrong nut on it. Is it possible to post some photos?

03-24-2016, 05:30 PM	#26
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Got the washer off, that in itself was a 20 minute chore. Zero adjustment left. It will loosen but not tighten. I am going to pull it sometime in the next few weeks, and get it rebuilt I guess. Of course pulling it will probably get another batch of troubles I imagine. Truck four feet in the air, drop the axle and remove most of the steering components, steering wheel, etc etc etc. The star washer is supposed to have a tab in it to match the slot in the side of the adjuster, right? If it does, that is long gone. I had to pry it up, and pretty much unscrew it. It was gone before I started messing with it. Right now I am just kind of disgusted that an axle swap has snowballed into rebuilding the entire front suspension and steering system. Oh well... I knew what I was getting into, eh? Last edited by FordCustom; 03-24-2016 at 05:38 PM.

03-24-2016, 06:17 PM	#27
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Well, the good news is it needed it anyway and the axle change didn't causes it! About the hardest part of pull the steering is getting the steering wheel off. The pitman arm can be a bit of a challenge as well.

03-24-2016, 06:26 PM	#28
Ole Don Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: St. Michael, Minnesota Posts: 1,713	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I lucked out on steering gear adjustments for years. A bench adjustment is a good way to go if you follow the book. I sent a P/S control valve to Lares, and it came back on time, fixed, and on budget. Two years later I sent in the pump, it also was good service. I remember years ago to cost to get those parts sent in for repair was 800 bucks. Lares did it for a fraction of that. Good people to deal with.

03-24-2016, 07:45 PM	#29
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I was going to try and remove some leaves anyway, to maybe lower a little more. Mostly to smooth out the ride though. This truck has ten leaves all the way around. At some point I will have to buy a torch. Either that or wait until it's drivable to bend the steering arm down, I hear a drop axle can cause clearance issues with the shocks, and bump steer from the angle of the drag link. I want it to be safe and pleasant to drive once I'm done. Lares is pretty much good from the majority is what I am getting here. I still may go to the local place. He was highly recommended, and the entry to the office is like an old time gas station office. Lots of cool stuff, and I don't mean Coke signs and antique gas pumps, hehe. Dirt, grime, dusty... steering boxes poking out from everywhere. They have been there forever. Adco is the name of the shop. They came highly recommended by the street rod builder guy at work. He's built several nice vehicles for the owner of the business I work for. http://www.adcopower.net/

03-24-2016, 08:00 PM	#30
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? If you have any question on dropped axles get in touch with Sids in Oklahoma. http://www.droppedaxles.com/FORD_AXL...D814314E192261 I would sure consider local unless you are getting free shipping!

03-24-2016, 11:15 PM	#31
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? I was going to do Sid's, but then if I ever want to get it back to stock height someday, I wouldn't have my original axle. I will probably get the tie rod drops from him. I have new king pins and U bolts for the springs, and a quart of flat black rustoleum. I am going for function over beauty, at least on the underside.

03-25-2016, 08:06 AM	#32
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Not sure on the later year axles, but on the early ones (I purchased a 33) you just have to pay a core fee if you don't provide your axle. The core charge on the 33 was like $100 or $150.

03-25-2016, 09:14 AM	#33
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? That's about the same that I paid then, and got king pins and U bolts in the deal. I do have one question. Is the tie rod bar threaded all the way through. Is it solid except the threaded ends? It mentions shortening them for the full dropped tie rods. A full tie rod, and not a bolt on drop. Running out of threads getting it aligned, would not be good.

03-25-2016, 09:22 AM	#34
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Not that familiar with the later years as far a axles and tie rods go. I would give Sid's a call, they were always good at answering questions for me.

03-25-2016, 09:53 AM	#36
JSeery Member Emeritus Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Wichita KS Posts: 16,132	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Sorry, thought you were talking about an adjusting collar. If it's a standard type of tie rod like on earlier years, yes it is a hollow tube and only threaded on the ends. You can get taps to extend the threads, but it requires two, a RH and a LH tap. Or you could cut and re-weld the tie rod.

03-27-2016, 10:41 PM	#39
FordCustom Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Houston, Tejas Posts: 274	Re: Lares Corp. steering boxes any good? Well, the box rebuild turned out to be a cheaper thing than I imagined. There's a rat rodder I know, that is also a professional diesel mechanic. He has offered his services at no charge.. He's done this a bunch more times than I have, So I am pretty confident things will turn out well. Now I just have to get it out.