1952 F1 steering box adjustment

[Ford Freak]

Hey all - My steering box has too much play in it . The shop manual says to add shims . Where do I get them? Thanks ! - F F

[terry]

Don't have my ford 48 f-1 anymore nor its manual. Do remember removing a shim
from front of the steering box to lessen steering wheel play. It worked. Is this how your steering box is showing the problem? Terry

[Ford Freak]

Yes - but I thought it said to add a shim or two to remove play & bring it into specs . Maybe I don't need them then . Thanks - F F

[JSeery]

Do you have the box apart?

[JSeery]

What they are calling shims are paper gaskets, you adjust it with the number and/or thickness of the gaskets you put in. But to do that you have to have the box apart as in doing a complete rebuild. There is also an adjustment screw. If you do a search on Ford Barn or HAMB or go to VanPelt, there are a number of articles on how to check and rebuild these boxes.

[Ross F-1]

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You "can" easily remove a shim on an F-1 box to reduce worm gear end play with the box still in the truck, and see if it helps. Some of the shims are steel, some paper. But you're shooting in the dark as far as correcting it. It can't really hurt if you do one shim at a time.

The sector gear end play is adjusted by the screw on the side of the box, along with a star washer. I'd seriously recommend getting the manual to have the whole procedure.

[Ford Freak]

Ok - I got it now . Thanks guys ! - F F

[NealinCA]

Here's some info I wrote up a while ago.

Ford Steering Box (Gemmer III design)

Disassembly:
1. Remove pitman arm nut and lock washer from sector shaft
2. Remove 4 bolts on side cover (cover with star washer and adjusting screw) and remove cover.
3. Slide sector shaft out of gear box.
4. Remove steering wheel.
5. Remove 4 bolts on bottom plate and remove plate.
6. Use rubber mallet or a wood block to bump the upper end of the steering shaft. This will slide the lower bearing race, bearing and worm/shaft assembly and upper bearing out of the box.

Inspect bearings, sector shaft, sector roller, worm and bearing races. All parts are available new. Replace as necessary.

Re-Assembly:
1. Replace sector shaft bushings and have honed to size to fit the sector shaft.
2. Steering box should be washed with parts cleaner and wiped dry before reassembly.
3. Press in new sector seal.
4. Pre-lube all parts with assembly lube or gear oil.
5. Slide steering shaft/worm assembly with bearings back into steering box.
6. Slide in lower bearing race.
7. Test fit bottom plate with shim gaskets and tighten 4 bolts to 20 ft lbs.
8. Test bearing drag by turning steering shaft by hand.
9. Add/subtract gaskets by trial and error until there is some bearing pre-load with a very light drag on the steering shaft.
10. Insert sector shaft into box, with adjuster screw and plate in T-slot.
11. Install side cover with gasket. Thread adjuster screw all the way through cover plate.
12. Tighten four cover plate bolts to 20 ft lbs.
13. Adjust screw on side cover until there is no end play in the sector.
14. Count the number of turns of the steering shaft from lock to lock (for a 18:1 it should be 4-1/2). Count back from one lock 2-1/4 turns to find center.
15. Fine tune the sector adjustment at the neutral center position. There should be a very slight drag in the neutral position, as that helps the steering stay straight as you drive down the road. It will feel looser as you turn the wheel off of center. Install star washer and lock nut.
16. Slide felt washer over steering shaft and down to the top of the gear box.
17. Install in vehicle.
18. Fill gear box with heavy gear oil (140W) or semi-fluid grease (NLGI 00).