Front End steering play

[peewee2you]

I have read the threads on this subject, and I have adjusted my worm gear according to the Ford service bulletin, and after checking the adjustment the play in the wheel is the same. Is there anything else that would deal with this issue, such as front end work, alignment which I didn't feel would correct this issue, but I am no front end guy. I know the tires are not aligned I can see that visually, my guess is that if one has used all the adjustment that is possible in the steering box, then it would need to be rebuilt? when I say play I mean that in the steering from right to left is too much play before the wheels actually start to make movement. Have to keep correcting to keep straight on road.

[peewee2you]

sorry, this is for a 47 Ford

[Floyd]

In mechanical systems, where moving parts are connected to moving parts to more moving parts, everything wears and the sum is the whole assembly is bad. This applies to transmissions, front ends, engines, etc.
You need to go through every connected piece , wheel bearings, king pins, tie rod and drag ling bushings, steering box, steering wheel upper bush, even the woodruf key in the wheel. Steering box adjustment is only one item in the chain. When done properly, you will be amazed how easy and well the steering system works, (depending on shocks and tires).
Just an opinion
Floyd

[peewee2you]

Floyd, thanks for that, lol! tires and shocks new, steering is very easy like butter, just wants to drift the night away, but I do agree with you on the chain theory. I do believe it's biggest problem is some 30yrs of sittin still...

[coupe5w36]

I had a similar issue as the steering pitman arm was bottoming on the sector shaft splines. I made a special washer with an upwards facing taper which cured the problem. Have someone move the steering wheel whilst you watch the bottom of the steering box (wheels on the ground). If that's where the problem is the pitman arm will move up & down before any steering takes place. Hope this helps, Peter.

[V12Bill]

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Should be about 2" of play in the steering wheel. Most of the problem will be the bias ply tires. I can't believe that we accepted that much drift and wandering 50 years ago, but I guess we did because we didn't know any better.

[Rich Overton]

From my long ago experience, the simplest things to check for front end steering play is the drag link, the tie rod ends and the king pins. You really need a buddy though. Have the "buddy" operate the steering whell back and forth (L. to r ) while you crawl underneath and grab the drag link. If the pitman arm ball going into the drag link end has too much play before the wheels move, this could very well be the culprit. You used to be able to adjust the big set screw at the end of the drag link. My '48 does not have this adjustment screw. Off the top of my head I don't know when the change came about. Front end catalogs will tell you that. If the drag link is ok then move to each of the tie rod ends look at them and/or hold them while you buddy continues his steering wheel exercise to check any that are loose. I would say that 80% of steering play and alignment problems are caused by the above. OMO. If all seems relatively firm, move to the king pins. You'll need to raise each front wheel off of the floor enough for clearance under the tire for you to grab the top of the wheel with one hand and the bottom of the wheel with the other. (Please use jack stands or other safety support.) Not just the jack.Try to wiggle the wheel in and out top to bottom. You should not be able to wiggle it at all. If so you will need king pins and bushings. Usually loose king pins will cause a shimmy. As said before, if these are all firm you will have to dig deeper. I offer this only from my past long ago experience. All the barners offer some excellent advise on this site. I always try to find the simple things first. Sometimes we think too deeply and forget the simple things. you know....like replacing the fuel pump and then realizing that the tank is M.T. LOL You may have already checked all of the above, I don't think that you mentioned it. Good luck!
Rich O.

[TJ]

In addition to all the other good advice ,make sure the steering gear is bolted tight to the frame bracket

[peewee2you]

Took too local Tire shop/Front end. Outcome, axle bent straightened the best they could with pnuematic jack, adjusted camber, toe and camber, put these 4 huge type clamps on each wheel with these computerized looking pads attached with arrows, facing computer where all three areas came up on screen and adjusted everything accordingly, told me that my radius bushing was bad (Wishbone), front spring perch bushings bad, steering box has no more adjustment for play, which I already tried to adjust, so I knew that, then had all wheels balanced and rotated, although the tires look brand new, they are about 6yrs. old and suffer from flat spots, so little bit on the excess weight side to counter that problem. This shop although not highly familiar really went all out in checking everything out and working with me, had me in, in 10 minutes let watch everything and explained exactly what they were doing and trying to accomplish, there for couple of hours all in all. Straightened axle, adjusted alignment, check all fluids, balanced and rotated tires, adjusted steering worm best they could. $134 total. The out come probably need to rebuild steering box or repair kit depending what I find, but the car is now driveable, controllable and not fighting me in every direction each front wheel was going in the opposite direction, and was not sitting straight up and down, big improvement, and the play has been minimized as much as possible, so all in all a good day and money well spent. I had brought a lot of paperwork and parts #'s and pic's from the green bible and pieces of insight from this thread I started from others, as well as the suggested alignment spec's that I found on another thread on the barn. The car in question on that thread was a 47 Ford, and so is mine, the thing on the spec's did not state the year, but since it was posted for that thread, I figured must be the correct ones. the shop's computer only went as far back as 51, so I told the guy compare the two to see how close the specs were, and he said very, and being they are in the front end business figured they know what is the end goal in all this and let them have at it, like I said with me standing there. The deal behind the bent axle was no surprise to me, only because I have had this car 34+ yrs, and only started to drive a bit over the last 3yrs, now it's very ready. About 5yrs after I had own'd it I looking it over and was looking at the front end, and had thought to myself wow this axle looks bent, that odd how would that even happen, drove over a curb ran into something sticking up off the ground?

I remember thinking damn no I'll need and axle and have to take the whole thing apart, so when he mentioned it, the bell in my head went off, I thought of all things for him who to say that not more than 10 minutes underneath it, more or less confirmed what I had thought 30yrs earlier, when he said I can straighten it the best I can, but I will not be able to get it perfect, don't want to put too much stress on it, I said what heat it up, that's when he said he has a jack that would do the work and he could get it pretty close to where it should be so that he could align everything close to where it needed to be.

Thanks all that shared insight to me problem...

[peewee2you]

I meant adjusted toe, camber and caster.

[Charlie ny]

pw,
Take that shop and guys there in 2 cases of beer and a 5th of Jack Daniels.
Charlie ny

[peewee2you]

yeah Charlie, lol your right. Like I said it's a local shop here in Elk Grove, CA and I have to say I really would have never thought to take any of my vehicles there not for any reason seemed like a small joint off the beaten path, I'm more geared to big box names, Goodyear, Americas Tires, Les Schwab Tires, etc. but I had called a repair shop down the street and they said no we usually send em over to Radial Tires of Elk Grove? I knew where it was, because I've driven by it, but I didn't realize how big it was, 3 buildings huge, they even do big rig work, then when I saw the technology they were using I thought maybe this is going to work out.
Charlie, also the fact that you made the take a thank you gesture makes me feel even better, only because I am regular here on the Barn, like so many others and over time you start to put together a list of who's who, even though you have never met them in person or their faces. You are to me one of many on this website that although you fellas are not God's, I hold high regards for your input, knowledge and good workmanship.

[1931 flamingo]

Even factoring in the price of beer and Jack you got away cheap ! ! ! JMO
Paul in CT

[TJ]

if there's a secretary or lady that does the billing, you also need to bring her a box of candy. Fix the wishbone ball and replace the front spring bushings and you might be surprised how much that adds to curing the problem.

[rotorwrench]

The big trucks are still set up pretty much like the old timers with exceptions to placement of drag braces and spring types/placements. They still need an axle straightened now and then. A shop like that would look at our old cars as just a miniature version of the late truck types.

One of the weakest links in the steering system is the worm gears. Almost every steering box I disassemble has galling or little divots of metal missing right in the centered area of the worm gear. No amount of adjusting will fix this type of damage since the only place the gear and roller mesh tightly is right in the middle of the working gear tooth/roller contact area. They get gradually looser contact the farther off center you turn the steering wheel. This allows one wheel to turn sharper in hard cornering turns.

Have someone hold the steering wheel centered and see how much play is in the pitman arm. You can jack up the front end and feel for notchy movement near the centered wheel position moving if back and forth right and left of centered and you can usually feel the notches if the worm is badly galled. You can really feel it if you've adjusted all the play out between the sector roller & the worm in the gearbox while in the centered location.