Steering Box Mounting to Frame

[Ed in Maine]

Recently I checked the fluid level in the steering gear box and it was down slightly and so I added some 600W. I usually move the steering wheel back and forth to work the oil into place. I am standing outside the car looking at the fluid level in the gear box and was surprised to see that the gear box itself is moving back and forth slightly! I checked the mounting bolts and castle nuts and found them snug but not tight. One of the nuts moved two slots and the other nut one slot to get them tight. So if you have some weaving going on while driving straight ahead, check out the box mounting to the frame. Ed

[Joe K]

The usual "fail" for steering boxes (both 7 tooth and 2 tooth) is wear between the sector shaft and housing. This by itself CAN'T be adjusted out as it is usually wear between the bronze bushings and the shaft itself.

I have five two-tooth steering boxes. I've combined the best parts of each to make one "reasonably tight" steering box. The other four were varying degrees of "looseness" making all of them upwards to a quarter turn of the steering wheel before steering "takes hold." And ALL of them have the sector/bushing wear defect. NOT adjustment defect.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, The 7 tooth can't really be mesh adjusted for looseness - usually a full rebuild is required with new parts (if you can find them) The 2 tooth CAN be adjusted for looseness according to the direction given in the Service manual.

Note that for 2 tooth, the important aspect is "mid-rotation" of the steering wheel - you want it "nearly tight" at center motion and increasing - but equal - free play as you go to either end of the motion. The instructions say this but not directly.

The action of BOTH steering boxes is that "front axle self-centering" keeps the fingers/gear free-play 'taken up' as you turn further on the steering wheel. Only at the center where self-centering is minimum should play be at minimum.

But if your entire steering box is loose in the frame, that is reason for free motion felt at the steering wheel too. Not to mention "potential loading" of the column clamp below the gas tank - a contributor to a leak at this point. All your enthusiasm in driving/steering gets taken up at the clamp.

Jury might be out on this. Tight but "misalignment" of the body can load the column clamp too. "Comfortable" is what you want when you drop the body on your steering column, or place the column after.

Joe K

[Marshall V. Daut]

Very often I find those two mounting holes in the frame wallowed-out over-sized because of loose bolts and/or improperly sized bolts that had been installed. This allows the steering box to move against the frame, causing wandering and steering problems. Eventually, the steering box will drop a bit, causing the sector gear shaft to rub on the bottom of its exit hole. This creates hard steering until a groove has been worn into the shaft. Even then, it's metal against metal as the shaft turns. That can't be good! I think this is an over-looked cause of hard steering. I have removed numerous sector shafts over the years that had that telltale groove worn in them, always accompanied by wallowed-out mounting bolt holes and incorrect or loose mounting bolts.
There are two ways of correcting this condition that I have used, the second one rather ad hoc. The best way is to weld up the edges of the mounting holes and then carefully measure their relationship to the center of the sector shaft hole in the frame. Drill out the welded-up holes to the correct diameter so that when the mounting bolts are installed through the steering sector housing and frame, the shaft is centered in the hole. Grind away excess weld. Be sure to use the correct hardened fine thread bolts with castle nuts and cotter pins. Hardware store bolts will not be sufficient here, unless you use Grade 8 bolts. But then you lose the ability of using the castle nuts. I am not sure Grade 8 fine thread bolts of the required diameter are even available in your local hardware store. Why bother looking? Correct bolts and nuts are available from all Model A vendors.
The second way of correcting this problem is not as permanent, but will also work in a pinch if welding is not your forte. Since the holes in the frame are wallowed out, there is some fudge room with them. With the pitman arm removed, push the sector shaft (and hence steering box) up to where the shaft is centered in its frame hole. Shove a flat blade screwdriver underneath the shaft at its lowest point between the frame and the shaft to keep the shaft in place while the CORRECT bolts and nuts are tightened. And I mean TIGHTENED! Once tightened, remove the screwdriver and ensure that the sector shaft has clearance all around its circumference. The shaft should now be able to revolve freely without rubbing against the metal frame hole.
I suppose one could drill the holes in the sector housing oversized for the next bigger sized metric bolts. The frame holes may need to be equally drilled out to match, depending upon how wallowed out they are. If hardened fine thread metric bolts can be found, that would be better than coarse thread for gripping and holding strength. But then, of course, you lose the authenticity of castle nuts and cotter pins. Select a length bolt that will allow a lock washer between the frame and the bolt head, yet so that they will not rub the backside of the pitman arm as it turns.
Lots of different ways to skin a cat, if it needs to be skinned.
Marshall
ADDED: By the way, you'd be surprised at how many times I have encountered the mounting bolts installed backwards, where the nuts are on the INSIDE of the frame instead of where they are supposed to be = on the outside. How could someone installing the steering column possibly think that was the way the bolts were supposed to be mounted? For one thing, how in the heck would you install the cotter pins through the castle nuts? Jeez....

[aermotor]

My problem is questioning the value of lock washers. The "tang" of the lock washer cannot dig in until the nut loosens enough for it to spring out. In other words it is basically a flat washer until then and it is too late to effectively stop rotation. MY feelings is to torque the daylights out of it. You are not going to break a high quality bolt. Go to the next slot and be done with it.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by aermotor

My problem is questioning the value of lock washers. The "tang" of the lock washer cannot dig in until the nut loosens enough for it to spring out. In other words it is basically a flat washer until then and it is too late to effectively stop rotation. MY feelings is to torque the daylights out of it. You are not going to break a high quality bolt. Go to the next slot and be done with it.

I think you are missing the function of a split ring lock washer.


"Split lock washers are helical-shaped split rings. When fastened, the two ends exert a spring force on the fastener to create increased friction and resistance to motion. Helical spring lock washers are the most common form of lock washer and are best suited to applications with smaller loads."

[JayJay]

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I just installed a steering box today - I don't think there's a lock washer underneath the nut on the bolts that attach the steering box to the frame. Those nuts are castellated and use a cotter pin to lock them in place.

JayJay

[Marshall V. Daut]

Yes, correct. No lock washers beneath castellated nuts. However, as a side topic, we were discussing if non-authentic hardened hardware store bolts and plain hex head nuts are substituted. Should a lock washer be used? I should think an external star lock washer would work o.k., if one wanted to use a lock washer. It would be thin enough not to cause interference problems between the nut and the pitman arm, yet its "teeth" would grab the frame and nut to keep the nut from loosening. I'd still prefer to use the original style bolts and castellated nuts, if for no other reason because that's the way the Model A came from the factory. Since the correct nuts and bolts are so readily available from vendors and cost under $10, why not use them?
Marshall