30-31 Steering Box Adjustment

Dave in Boise

Dave in Boise

Senior Member
Hi All,

Working on a 30 that has quite a bit of play in the steering box. Having never adjusted one beofre, does anyone care to share their experiences on the best way to take up the excess play in a steering box?

Thanks!

- Dave in Boise
 
Easy, you just have to follow the SERVICE BULLETINS and follow them exactly. I've only done a few but it works if you follow the steps. One adjustment affects other adjustments, so don't be surprized if you have to go throught the steps twice to end up with a good steering column.
 
Agree with Tom. Service Bulletins followed exactly will produce the proper adjustment. Obviously the Worm, Sector and Bearings, etc. must be as new. Just finished rebuilding a 2 tooth box with all new parts. No Play at 0, equal play on quarter turns and equal play on ends. Very smooth and no binds.
 
The Les Andrews book is also a good source. You should be advised that if your two tooth sector has a lot of wear, it will never be as good as it could be. Reproductions are pretty good now, but are expensive. The accomplishment of rebuilding a nice tight steering box is very rewarding. A lot of guys will swear by modifying the box to use needle bearings. You may want to do a search on this subject to read the pros and cons. I have done all mine stock with the addition of adding a modern seal to curtail the leaks, and am very pleased with the "as Henry built it" results.
 
And remember, DO NOT USE GREASE:eek: even through it has grease fittings. Use a very heavy oil like 600W or 140W with a little STP mixed. To help prevent leaks:(, use the steering gear end plate with the long tube attached:). I use Penrite Steering Gear Lube. Good stuff. No leaks:D.
 
Thanks guys.. I think I need to go buy the service bulletins now :)

Also, I believe I have more problems than adjustment.. Where the sector shaft comes out and ties to the steering pittman arm, my initial 5-10 degrees of steering wheel rotation is translated int an up/down motion of the output shaft rather than the rotational motion I would expect to be coming out of the output side of the steering box. Looks like sector shaft and bearings are likely in poor shape..

Maybe an F1 box instead :) (lol)

- Dave
 
When I was a cocky kid, I had the Service Bulletins and figured, I'm high school valedictorian--surely I'm smart enough to do this--just take it step by step. I got it to be such a mess that the car was undrivable. I went to the junkyard and bought whole another unit (column, steering wheel and all) for $20 and threw my original in the trash. Those were the days. Twenty-some years later I paid a guy named Willis Schwent (I believe) in CA to rebuild it right, after paying another expert (whose name you'd recognize) to make a total mess of it. I have great respect for real mechanics and am now happy to pay for expertise. One man's story.
 
If you want the definitive article on rebuilding the 2-tooth box,see Rebuilding the gemmer Steering by Bob Carabbio on Marco,s site -Model A Barnyard. I rebuilt the box this way for my coupe,including the needle thrust brg,and along with the short P-arm & teflon ball seats its the next thing to power steering.My S/W sedan has all the same mods except the needle thrust brg & it steers very well but not quite as easy as the coupe,so it would seem that the needle thrust brg does cut down on the friction a bit.
 
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