Pitman Arm Drag Link Failure

D

David180

Junior Member
Hi All,

I went to pull away from a curb the other day and heard a clunk and the steering stopped working. The Pitman arm came away from the drag link. Thank god it didn't happen at speed.

My question:what should I replace or be checking to ensure this doesn't happen again?

Thanks,
David
 
check for wear on the ball, if its flattened on two sides it needs to be repsced or rebuilt, did you have the adjusting plug snug against the ball, is the spring missing broken or just colasped because of old age
 
I will check all of those things. Are the caps that fit around the ball also prone to wear? Are repro springs stout enough to use in place of an original and should I replace it as a maater of course as long as everything is apart? Sorry for all the questions but I want to feel secure when I next drive the car.

Thanks all!
 
i just redid mine . i used new rubbers , new steel shields & teflon kit . tighten untill i cant , then back up to fit cotter key . after driving it for awhile , i recheck .....
 
Which end came out ?? The balls are 1" in diameter and if they are worn much more than about .020" they should be replaced.. The springs have a tendency to break and maybe thats what caused the link to come off,, I've never seen one do that though.. The model A vendors all have the replacement items..
 
I suppose springs could break although I've never seen it. Even then things would have to be WAY too loose for any link to come apart. I'm guessing the steering was sloppy as could be before this occurred. I'm also betting there were missing parts when assembled.
 
Some steering balls can be worn 1/8' or more out of round.If worn more than .015 to .020 "they should be replaced.Get a new short pitman arm and have easier steering.If the steering was that loose,then the entire axle assy & steering gear will need to be rebuilt if you want a car that is safe to drive.
 
My suggestion would be to replace all the front end spindle ball hardware that is reproduced and available from A&L Parts Specialists in CT. phone:860-693-0112. They have a process for refurbishing the spindle balls that is superior and will not come apart as could be the case of other reproduction processes sold by some of the other suppliers. The ones sold by Bratton actually come from A&L. You have to send them your hardware as a core.

According to the A&L catalog their process is what they call re-balling, advertised as:

"Steering arm reballing with original shank - stainless balls with special set up using hollow balls shrink fitted and top welded. Pitman-$29.95, Single arm -$29.50, Double arm -$54.95". My catolog is dated, so prices may be slightly higher.

What they mean by hollow balls is that a hole is drilled through the stainless ball and is fitted down over the original shank, then the top of the shank is welded to the top of the ball.

There have been incidents reported in the past of the spindle balls coming off of those that are poorly reproduced. Those that failed had the shanks cut off, a hole drilled in the arm, a new ball and shank inserted, then welded.

Bratton at one carried the ball and shanks so that a person could do the task themselves. He immediately took them out of his stock for liability reasons when he heard reports of this process failing.

I rebuilt the front end of my Victoria a few years ago and have confidence in the A&L hardware. I also would not use the teflon seats as I would be afraid of the ball popping out. I think the way Henry designed it is the safe way to go.

Tom Endy
 
I had a shortened pitman arm break a few years ago with the same result, complete and instant lose of steering. Scary isn't it David!
 
Thanks for all the suggestions/comments. Scary indeed when I think of what could have happened. The steering had not been loose at all before this happened so it was unexpected to say the least. As to missing parts, I'll find that out when I take it apart this week.
 
I've seen them where the ball was worn almost flat, as well as seen several with the springs broken. I've also seen them with one drag link cup missing. Please let us know what you find.
 
I finally took apart the drag link and found that a previous owner had replaced the cups with what looks like plastic or teflon. The cup toward the rear of the car had about a third of the cup part broken off, with the result that there was really not much left to hold the ball (in good shape) in the drag link. I'm now quite hesitant to replace with teflon again as you might imagine.
 
Thank you for all of your most interesting input .
Seems you allways do know about my next "actions" :D

As i will redo my front end - You think its important to have a
shortened pitman??

What are pros and cons?

Im fully grown :cool: and do not really feel the need to buy a shortened one...

Thank you
Christoph
 
A short pitman arm should make the steering about 20% easier if all the rest of the steering is in good shape.I also use the teflon ball seats & never had a problem.I always check the steering when ever I grease the car-every 500 miles.I change oil every 1,000 miles-no oil filter.
 
Short pitman arms seem popular on this site but I immediatelly took one off a new to me Model A when I attempted a U turn on a residential street and ended up againist the opposite curb with a car bearing down on me.

All my Model A's have stock pitman arms. An F100 steering box is my choice.

Richard
Anaheim CA
 
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