rottenron36
Senior Member
can a 36 ford pickup steering column be removed with out a bunch of parts falling out? Thanks
36 pickup steering column removal
- Thread starter rottenron36
- Start date
Clem Clement
Well-known member
i think so. You mean unbolting the box from the frame?
rottenron36
Senior Member
unbolt the steering colmn fron the steering box
Henryat1140
Senior Member
Warning: Long, probably boring post unless you are interested in this particular procedure.
Hello,
And I'm no expert, but we are deeply involved in a '36 Steering column project right now. ('36 Phaeton)
Are you asking how to get the outer tube off? I'll list the procedure we used; every time we've pulled the steering gear we removed the tube first.
1. Remove left hand splash shield if present. Remove the left hand toe board. Ensure the steering column lock is not engaged.
2. Slide the bail wire off the light switch and move it to the side and secure the switch out of the way with a tie wrap.
3.Using a stout pair of needle nose pliers push upward on the 'U' shaped piece at the end of the horn rod - using a smaller pair of needle nose, remove the 'c' shaped clip which is released when you push up on the u shaped piece. Be ready to capture this because it is a small part. You may need a second person to put pressure on the horn button from the top.
4. Slide the U shaped piece and the spring behind it off of the horn rod.
5. This next is an important step: if you have an open car partly lower the top, if you have a coupe open the rear window. What you are going to do now is withdraw the horn rod. VERY IMPORTANT!!! The horn rod needs about 3 1/2 feet of clear space to remove without bending. DO NOT BEND THE HORN ROD TO GET IT OUT. If you bend it EVEN SLIGHTLY it will become unusable. Take your time and resist the temptation to sneak it out by 'just bending it a little'. If you don't have the clear space you will have to disconnect the steering box from the frame and lower it so you DO have enough space to get the horn rod out without bending. (we have never had to do it this way as we have a open car.) There is probably some grease on the horn rod, so protect the upholstery while doing this step. There is a small brass piece just under the horn button, don't lose it.
6. You will need to pull the steering wheel. Most people advise against hitting the bottom of the wheel with a mallet or hammer. A puller is best. There are no holes in the wheel to thread bolts into to pull the wheel, so you need to apply pressure from behind. What we do first is try the easy way; turn the nut back about four turns so it is even with the top of the column, then have someone sit in the seat and apply upward pressure on the rim of the wheel, then using a heavy hammer, give the end of the shaft a smart rap, and if you are lucky the wheel will pop off.
JM35Sedan has a puller he built and I think he would be willing to send you pictures.
7. Next you need to remove two bolts holding the column drop to the bottom of the dash. Ford used special bolts here where the head of the bolt twisted off when it was tightened to a certain point. If someone else has had the car apart you may not have to deal with this, but if the bolts are the security kind, you need to drill and remove them or file a slot in the bolt and back it out. Removing the speedometer gives you much better access to these bolts. There should be a gasket between the column drop and the bottom of the dash, if it is missing you can just make one out of cardboard.
8. There is a collar on the bottom of the tube where it attaches to the steering box, remove the bolt and slide the collar up and out of the way.
9. Now the tube can be eased upward and off the steering shaft.
10. There is a rubber bushing in the tube near the top which is probably dried up and squeaky, thus causing friction on the steering shaft. Most people replace this with a bearing. You can get a nice one from Danoe on eBay for $49.00 - we use and recommend this one. Other barners have used more commonly available bearings, some as low as $7-8.00. This is a recommended step. You can do a search on FB for more info.
This completes getting the tube off the shaft and out of the car.
To completely remove the steering box, continue:
1. Remove the cotter pin and nut (1 7/16") from the bottom of the steering box.
2.Using a three jaw puller, remove the Pitman arm. You can borrow a puller from Advance Auto Parts.
3. Remove the three 5/16" bolts holding the steering column to the bracket and lower the assembly out the bottom.
DISCLAIMERS:
We are not an expert on this procedure. The steps above worked for us, others on FB may be able to contribute their tips and techniques or corrections if I've explained something incorrectly.
Yes I REALIZE it's long, wordy and probably boring, but my hope is that as FB matures, we could accumulate procedures for other common Flathead tasks, such as adjusting brakes, pulling the engine etc. If people would post a complete step-by-step description of how they did the job eventually FB would have a nice collection of resources where we could send people with the same problem. Kind of a service manual online.
Responses/corrections welcomed.
Henry
Hello,
And I'm no expert, but we are deeply involved in a '36 Steering column project right now. ('36 Phaeton)
Are you asking how to get the outer tube off? I'll list the procedure we used; every time we've pulled the steering gear we removed the tube first.
1. Remove left hand splash shield if present. Remove the left hand toe board. Ensure the steering column lock is not engaged.
2. Slide the bail wire off the light switch and move it to the side and secure the switch out of the way with a tie wrap.
3.Using a stout pair of needle nose pliers push upward on the 'U' shaped piece at the end of the horn rod - using a smaller pair of needle nose, remove the 'c' shaped clip which is released when you push up on the u shaped piece. Be ready to capture this because it is a small part. You may need a second person to put pressure on the horn button from the top.
4. Slide the U shaped piece and the spring behind it off of the horn rod.
5. This next is an important step: if you have an open car partly lower the top, if you have a coupe open the rear window. What you are going to do now is withdraw the horn rod. VERY IMPORTANT!!! The horn rod needs about 3 1/2 feet of clear space to remove without bending. DO NOT BEND THE HORN ROD TO GET IT OUT. If you bend it EVEN SLIGHTLY it will become unusable. Take your time and resist the temptation to sneak it out by 'just bending it a little'. If you don't have the clear space you will have to disconnect the steering box from the frame and lower it so you DO have enough space to get the horn rod out without bending. (we have never had to do it this way as we have a open car.) There is probably some grease on the horn rod, so protect the upholstery while doing this step. There is a small brass piece just under the horn button, don't lose it.
6. You will need to pull the steering wheel. Most people advise against hitting the bottom of the wheel with a mallet or hammer. A puller is best. There are no holes in the wheel to thread bolts into to pull the wheel, so you need to apply pressure from behind. What we do first is try the easy way; turn the nut back about four turns so it is even with the top of the column, then have someone sit in the seat and apply upward pressure on the rim of the wheel, then using a heavy hammer, give the end of the shaft a smart rap, and if you are lucky the wheel will pop off.
JM35Sedan has a puller he built and I think he would be willing to send you pictures.
7. Next you need to remove two bolts holding the column drop to the bottom of the dash. Ford used special bolts here where the head of the bolt twisted off when it was tightened to a certain point. If someone else has had the car apart you may not have to deal with this, but if the bolts are the security kind, you need to drill and remove them or file a slot in the bolt and back it out. Removing the speedometer gives you much better access to these bolts. There should be a gasket between the column drop and the bottom of the dash, if it is missing you can just make one out of cardboard.
8. There is a collar on the bottom of the tube where it attaches to the steering box, remove the bolt and slide the collar up and out of the way.
9. Now the tube can be eased upward and off the steering shaft.
10. There is a rubber bushing in the tube near the top which is probably dried up and squeaky, thus causing friction on the steering shaft. Most people replace this with a bearing. You can get a nice one from Danoe on eBay for $49.00 - we use and recommend this one. Other barners have used more commonly available bearings, some as low as $7-8.00. This is a recommended step. You can do a search on FB for more info.
This completes getting the tube off the shaft and out of the car.
To completely remove the steering box, continue:
1. Remove the cotter pin and nut (1 7/16") from the bottom of the steering box.
2.Using a three jaw puller, remove the Pitman arm. You can borrow a puller from Advance Auto Parts.
3. Remove the three 5/16" bolts holding the steering column to the bracket and lower the assembly out the bottom.
DISCLAIMERS:
We are not an expert on this procedure. The steps above worked for us, others on FB may be able to contribute their tips and techniques or corrections if I've explained something incorrectly.
Yes I REALIZE it's long, wordy and probably boring, but my hope is that as FB matures, we could accumulate procedures for other common Flathead tasks, such as adjusting brakes, pulling the engine etc. If people would post a complete step-by-step description of how they did the job eventually FB would have a nice collection of resources where we could send people with the same problem. Kind of a service manual online.
Responses/corrections welcomed.
Henry
oldandtired
Well-known member
I had to remove the one from my 35 pickup and from my 37 pickup. I removed the entire steering column including the steering box. Had to remove the pittman arm, had to remove the toeboard, had to remove the shifter and take the entire assembly out through the passenger side door. As someone else mentioned, there is not enough room to remove the horn rod without removing the back window and I suspect it would be difficult to remove the column tube for the same reason. I suspect there are other methods, but without removing the steering wheel and the horn rod, I can't think of any. To me, it was easier to disassemble after removing the entire column.
the cooch
Senior Member
Horn rod does not pull out through rear window of 36 pickup without bending unless column is swung downward a little. removed 2 bolts from housing to frame, and both from the drop. Left one on the frame to swing on, undid some wires, pulled out rod, (dont lose brass shim) then out-ski. just did it yesterday. really fun! today will battle old wheel off with homemade puller. nothing "fell out" when removing whole column, though. Does any one have methods for utilizing '39 wheel on 36 column?
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