The Ford Barn

The Geezer · 11-17-2022, 12:06 PM

I will be lengthening the drag link on my 31 Sport Coupe to a shorter pitman arm using a MOOG ES2032S sleeve. My question is where is it best and most convenient to cut the drag link? Middle, or closer to one end? I will be taking the drag link to a local machinist to do the thread die cutting. Also, is it required to do both right and left hand threads?
Thanks to any and all who reply, The Geezer

Gary WA · 11-17-2022, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Geezer

I will be lengthening the drag link on my 31 Sport Coupe to a shorter pitman arm using a MOOG ES2032S sleeve. My question is where is it best and most convenient to cut the drag link? Middle, or closer to one end? I will be taking the drag link to a local machinist to do the thread die cutting. Also, is it required to do both right and left hand threads?
Thanks to any and all who reply, The Geezer

why lengthen the drag link? Just put the shorter pitman arm on!

The Geezer · 11-17-2022, 12:19 PM

I thought it was necessary to maintain the steering wheel orientation when wheels are straight.

Bob from Northport · 11-17-2022, 12:44 PM

Who said that???

Y-Blockhead · 11-17-2022, 12:56 PM

I think I would install the shorter pitman arm first to see if you need to modify the drag link. My wheel may be a little off but not enough to give me heartburn.

The Geezer · 11-17-2022, 01:38 PM

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CarlG
The common misconception is that the shorter pitman arm has a longer turning radius than the standard one. In actuallity, it's shorter in one direction and conversly longer in the other direction by the same amount. The adjustable drag link enables you to bring everything back to normal, so there is no loss/gain in turning radius.

The Geezer · 11-17-2022, 01:40 PM

Sounds very reasonable! Will first try just putting on the short pitman arm and see how it works out.

nkaminar · 11-17-2022, 03:34 PM

A friend of mine made his own adjustable link. Here is what he said:

I recently installed a Randy Gross modified Ford 1950’s F100 steering box in my ’31 coupe. It offers better steering control at about the same price as rebuilding a 2-tooth box. I do like it, but it caused the steering wheel to be off center when the wheels were pointed straight ahead. Not a good situation because steering boxes have a sweet spot in their center position. The solution was to install an adjustable drag link but finding one can be difficult. So, I bought the required tools and the Moog adjuster and did it myself. Not difficult. It involves cutting the drag link in two, threading the two ends with 5/8-18 RH and 5/8-18 LH threading dies and connecting the two pieces with the Moog ES2032S “Chassis Adjusting Sleeve”. If anyone wants to do this to your car, I will be glad to help, or you may borrow my 2 threading dies and do it yourself.
Mark Wright

john in illinois · 11-17-2022, 05:09 PM

Dave Delmue makes a nice one. 408-722-2518

John

Dave in MN · 11-17-2022, 05:41 PM

[QUOTE=nkaminar;2182036]A friend of mine made his own adjustable link. Here is what he said:

[FONT=&quot][FONT=Arial]I recently installed a Randy Gross modified Ford 1950’s F100 steering box in my ’31 coupe. It offers better steering control at about the same price as rebuilding a 2-tooth box. I do like it, but it caused the steering wheel to be off center when the wheels were pointed straight ahead. Not a good situation because steering boxes have a sweet spot in their center position.

Exactly! The sweet spot is the area with the least free movement in the steering box components and you want the steering sector to be at this point when the car is going straight down the road. The adjustable length drag link allows one to "tune" the system to achieve this. I have one on my '31 touring car that is equipped with a Randy Gross modified F100 steering box. Works as described.
Good Day!

CarlG · 11-17-2022, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john in illinois

Dave Delmue makes a nice one. 408-722-2518

John

Dave's adjustable drag link is truly a work of art.

arnhemmer · 11-18-2022, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Geezer

Sounds very reasonable! Will first try just putting on the short pitman arm and see how it works out.

I installed a Randy Gross F100 box about 5 yrs ago and did not change anything. Everthing works just fine with no need of any adjustments.

Fullraceflathead · 11-18-2022, 12:28 PM

I installed the shorter Pitman arm on my 1928 roadster pickup and I experienced no differences in the turning radius. The steering wheel centering should be not effected as long as the pitman arm is pointing straight down as the original one was with the wheels in the straight ahead position. I have the 7 tooth steering box.

The Geezer · 11-19-2022, 11:45 AM

Thank you all for your replys. I installed the shorter pitman arm straight down with the wheels straight like the longer one was. Worked out great so I do not need to lenghten the drag link.
Tahnks to all, Geezer

Y-Blockhead · 11-19-2022, 11:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Geezer

Thank you all for your replys. I installed the shorter pitman arm straight down with the wheels straight like the longer one was. Worked out great so I do not need to lenghten the drag link.
Tahnks to all, Geezer

Good to hear. Thanks for the feedback.

SAXBY2 · 11-21-2022, 03:27 PM

The short pitman arm can change the geometry which can move the 2 tooth steering shaft slightly off center. The front wheels need to be set straight ahead with actual measurements or aligned in tracks, etc. set up similar to the factory assembly lines. See posts 8-10

GRutter · 11-21-2022, 10:43 PM

The shortened pitman arm does NOT change the turning radius. The smallest turning radius is determined by the stops on the back of the spindles hitting the heads on the king pin retaining bolt nuts.

It "may" slightly change the position of the sector gear / worm gear being at the point of minimal play.

An adjustable drag link will allow you to adjust the sweet spot of the sector to worm mesh, but in my opinion and experience, this is nonsense.

When driving straight, the pitman arm should be straight up and down. Shortening the pitman arm has extremely little effect on steering geometry.

My guess is that the steering wheel wasn't centered to begin with, and that by adjusting the drag link, you may actually be trying to correct other issues, such as a bad front spring, worn spring shackles, worn radius ball, engine not in the correct alignment, both front to rear and height... anything that could change the position of the front axle relative to the pitman arm.

11-17-2022, 12:06 PM	#1
The Geezer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: The Villages FL Posts: 135	Drag Link Lengthening Advice I will be lengthening the drag link on my 31 Sport Coupe to a shorter pitman arm using a MOOG ES2032S sleeve. My question is where is it best and most convenient to cut the drag link? Middle, or closer to one end? I will be taking the drag link to a local machinist to do the thread die cutting. Also, is it required to do both right and left hand threads? Thanks to any and all who reply, The Geezer __________________ “Finally driving a car older than me!”

11-17-2022, 12:19 PM	#3
The Geezer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: The Villages FL Posts: 135	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice I thought it was necessary to maintain the steering wheel orientation when wheels are straight. __________________ “Finally driving a car older than me!”

11-17-2022, 12:44 PM	#4
Bob from Northport Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: 215 E. 6th Street Northport, Michigan 49670 Posts: 941	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice Who said that??? __________________ Bob from Northport Northport, Michigan

11-17-2022, 12:56 PM	#5
Y-Blockhead Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 5,849	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice I think I would install the shorter pitman arm first to see if you need to modify the drag link. My wheel may be a little off but not enough to give me heartburn.

11-17-2022, 01:38 PM	#6
The Geezer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: The Villages FL Posts: 135	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) CarlG The common misconception is that the shorter pitman arm has a longer turning radius than the standard one. In actuallity, it's shorter in one direction and conversly longer in the other direction by the same amount. The adjustable drag link enables you to bring everything back to normal, so there is no loss/gain in turning radius. __________________ “Finally driving a car older than me!”

11-17-2022, 01:40 PM	#7
The Geezer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: The Villages FL Posts: 135	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice Sounds very reasonable! Will first try just putting on the short pitman arm and see how it works out. __________________ “Finally driving a car older than me!”

11-17-2022, 03:34 PM	#8
nkaminar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,901	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice A friend of mine made his own adjustable link. Here is what he said: I recently installed a Randy Gross modified Ford 1950’s F100 steering box in my ’31 coupe. It offers better steering control at about the same price as rebuilding a 2-tooth box. I do like it, but it caused the steering wheel to be off center when the wheels were pointed straight ahead. Not a good situation because steering boxes have a sweet spot in their center position. The solution was to install an adjustable drag link but finding one can be difficult. So, I bought the required tools and the Moog adjuster and did it myself. Not difficult. It involves cutting the drag link in two, threading the two ends with 5/8-18 RH and 5/8-18 LH threading dies and connecting the two pieces with the Moog ES2032S “Chassis Adjusting Sleeve”. If anyone wants to do this to your car, I will be glad to help, or you may borrow my 2 threading dies and do it yourself. Mark Wright __________________ A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past. Last edited by nkaminar; 11-17-2022 at 03:49 PM.

11-17-2022, 05:09 PM	#9
john in illinois Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Illinois Posts: 2,185	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice Dave Delmue makes a nice one. 408-722-2518 John __________________ Welcome each day

11-17-2022, 05:41 PM	#10
Dave in MN Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Jordan, MN Posts: 1,411	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice [QUOTE=nkaminar;2182036]A friend of mine made his own adjustable link. Here is what he said: [FONT=&quot][FONT=Arial]I recently installed a Randy Gross modified Ford 1950’s F100 steering box in my ’31 coupe. It offers better steering control at about the same price as rebuilding a 2-tooth box. I do like it, but it caused the steering wheel to be off center when the wheels were pointed straight ahead. Not a good situation because steering boxes have a sweet spot in their center position. Exactly! The sweet spot is the area with the least free movement in the steering box components and you want the steering sector to be at this point when the car is going straight down the road. The adjustable length drag link allows one to "tune" the system to achieve this. I have one on my '31 touring car that is equipped with a Randy Gross modified F100 steering box. Works as described. Good Day!

11-18-2022, 12:28 PM	#13
Fullraceflathead Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Chillicothe, Missouri Posts: 1,176	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice I installed the shorter Pitman arm on my 1928 roadster pickup and I experienced no differences in the turning radius. The steering wheel centering should be not effected as long as the pitman arm is pointing straight down as the original one was with the wheels in the straight ahead position. I have the 7 tooth steering box. __________________ "If I asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses." -Henry Ford "Primitive technology is not a design flaw" 1928 Ford Model A Roadster Pickup 1930 Gordon Smith Air Compressor 1941 Willy's Pickup 1960 Thunderbird-For Sale 1964 Buick Riviera 2x4 425 1965 Pontiac GTO, 455 Super Duty 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10, V-10 Viper 1977 Charger Jet Boat,460 Ford,Jacuzzi Jet Front Engine Nostalgia Dragster,Supercharged 296 "Fullrace Flathead" Ford Engine Build up on DVD ask Last edited by Fullraceflathead; 11-18-2022 at 12:55 PM.

11-19-2022, 11:45 AM	#14
The Geezer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: The Villages FL Posts: 135	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice Thank you all for your replys. I installed the shorter pitman arm straight down with the wheels straight like the longer one was. Worked out great so I do not need to lenghten the drag link. Tahnks to all, Geezer __________________ “Finally driving a car older than me!”

11-21-2022, 03:27 PM	#16
SAXBY2 Member Join Date: Jun 2021 Posts: 55	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice The short pitman arm can change the geometry which can move the 2 tooth steering shaft slightly off center. The front wheels need to be set straight ahead with actual measurements or aligned in tracks, etc. set up similar to the factory assembly lines. See posts 8-10

11-21-2022, 10:43 PM	#17
GRutter Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Mint Hill, North Carolina Posts: 386	Re: Drag Link Lengthening Advice The shortened pitman arm does NOT change the turning radius. The smallest turning radius is determined by the stops on the back of the spindles hitting the heads on the king pin retaining bolt nuts. It "may" slightly change the position of the sector gear / worm gear being at the point of minimal play. An adjustable drag link will allow you to adjust the sweet spot of the sector to worm mesh, but in my opinion and experience, this is nonsense. When driving straight, the pitman arm should be straight up and down. Shortening the pitman arm has extremely little effect on steering geometry. My guess is that the steering wheel wasn't centered to begin with, and that by adjusting the drag link, you may actually be trying to correct other issues, such as a bad front spring, worn spring shackles, worn radius ball, engine not in the correct alignment, both front to rear and height... anything that could change the position of the front axle relative to the pitman arm.