Steering box adjustment
 

Hey guys, I just rebuilt a 34 steering box, bushings where tight, brgs where shot .
I used a different worm gear, same sector, worm was the same 15 that I took out, although it was a little different looking,
Problem is the wheel turns almost 1/2 a turn more to the left side ...
Im thinking I have the sector and worm gears miss clocked ..
I was thinking that the worm has no stop, so it could turn the sector complete from one stop to the other .
Miss clocked you think ?

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

Can´t blame the internal parts for it...it´s the steering arm to box or linkage that needs attention.
Set steering wheel in center position and adjust linkage...

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

Thats what i was thinking, trying to make sure before I reinstall the engine.
So I just looked at it again, there is no adjustment on the drag link, the steering wheel can clock 2 ways, just putting the single spoke top or bottom, the pitman arm has 3 clocks on it, but and Ive tried every way possible ..

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

lets see this roadster you are working on. some day when i grow up i want one bad!

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

It could be that when you installed the sector gear the worm gear shaft was not centered with the slot for the steering wheel Woodruff key in the up position and/or the gear end of the sector was not at a right angle to the center line of the worm shaft.

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

You may have the wrong worm ,You could change it or try ,Cut the sector drop arm clocks with a hack saw ,create new teeth then move the wheel to the desired position ,

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

Some reason I think David has something here ..

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

I wonder if he has a 35 worm?

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

Hey Andy, the Green book calls for a 15/1 ratio gear, thats what I took out, and replaced ..

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

I use a "V" shaped file. Takes a little time, but makes lining things up easy (this is required because of using a steering box in a different application than it was originally designed for! :)).

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

elwood,


How "different looking" was the new worm gear? In other words, how was it different? Larger at the ends of the gear perhaps?

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

yes David, it seams the new gear was a little taller on the ends where the old gear had more of a taper down kinda .

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

Also , an easy job to make an adjustable drag link using tie rod ends, just machine up a threaded rod with L and R threads ,then its an easy task to get the wheels straight ahead with the steering box centred.
Lawrie

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

I'm working on a car made up from parts from this and that. I got the steering box located in the frame, turned the wheel fully left and put a piece of tape at the top dead center. Then, counting turns, turned it fully to the right and put a piece of tape at top dead center. Then, turned it back half the number of turns toward the left and I put a third piece of tape at top dead center again. If you got the turns right, this should be exactly half way between the two other pieces of tape. This is where you want to set your steering to be nice and tight. Then, I installed a pitman arm pointing straight down which is where you want it for driving straight ahead. I had to file out the "blocker" splines in my pitman arm to get it straight down. I made a new drag link from 7/8" OD tubing by 1/8" wall and tapped both ends 11/16-18 thread, one end RH and the other LH.

I understand that '34s have the fixed length drag link and I'm assuming that the Ford engineers worked all of the fiddling that I did into the design. If there are ANY differences between the original worm and the one you're using, such as clocking of a key way to the start point of the worm thread, that would screw everything up.

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

Sounds like it could be a '35 worm gear as Andy wondered. I do not know if you could change your sector gear to the '35 version given the different construction of the steering gear boxes. Sorry.

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

With the '35 sector being shorter that might present a problem.

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

The 35 worm is indexed 90* from a 34 worm. The key in the worm always points to the sector. The 35 box was turned 90* for the cross steer so the worm high point would attach 90* around on the shaft.

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

Thanks Andy, so everything here is 34 stuff,
So I need to take the box back apart and index the worm gear key so it points at the sector gear ?
Correct ?

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

That would be pretty hard to do. You would need to machine a new slot in the steering shaft. I would just get a 34 worm.

Re: Steering box adjustment
 

You can always adapt the mismatching parts to work...and the next guy will have twice the headache you have now...
If the worm is indexed 90 off it means steering wheel would be upside down going straight down the road...still you should be able to center r/l movement with adjusting linkage.
Bruteforce fix would be cut and reindex steering shaft or live with that the steering wheel is upside down going straight.