Shortening a pitman arm...

PeteVS

PeteVS

Well-known member
I'm thinking of having a CERTIFIED welder cut and weld a pitman arm. Has anyone had success with this type of modification?
(Main reason is I have an F1 pitman arm with the integral ball and I want to weld on the second lug from a right hand spindle to use a "tie rod end" drag link.) Thanks.
 
I had a welder shorten my pitman arm (from a '56 Ford Pickup steering box) to eliminate bump-steer. after cutting the pitman arm, we ground both cut edges to a cone shaped edge and he welded it around and around until the welded edge was higher than the diameter of the pitman arm. Then we ground off the extra welding and smoothed it out. No one could ever tell that it was shortened (about 2" removed) and I have been driving the car for over 30 years with the shortened pitman arm. I am running the '56 box in my '32 Ford that I have owned since 1957. Good luck, Gene
 
Done Properly by a certified welder that knows what he is doing is fine. I have shortened pitman arms fo years with very good results but I take my time, use proper procedures, pre heat the part and also very important control the cooling. You do not want someone who just bought a stick welder to stick it together and leave you to believe everything will be OK.

Good luck,

Chris
 
Pete, I just turned up one of the short tie-rod type pitmen. You might want to try it and see if it does what you need. Haven't put it into the pitman library yet, but it is substantially shorter than most.
 
I have done many over the years. I do a tongue and groove with a tab at one end,
and a notch to receive it, than chamfer the edges, never had a problem just make sure you have someone who knows what they are doing weld it.
 
Thanks all!!

Gotta round up the pieces, make a plywood jig and go visit the big city welder!
 
I do NOT advocate welding on ANY steering part for SAFTEY and LIABILITY reasons. However, I have done it on occasion in the past.
NEVER on street driven cars though.
In racing, you need magnaflux, X-ray and heat treat certification for any welded steering part.

There is an approved engineeringwise method of doing it but you would be better off costwise having a billet arm made.

Many things are done that compromise the proper way to do a project right and they get away with it, BUT, there are a lot of dead people enjoying the benefits of HEAVEN that did not make it in this world because of cutting corners.
 
Same reason I am offering the short original pitman ('49-50 Ford, same spline as early Ford) above...in my opinion, quite aside from the quality of the weld, a forging like this is NO LONGER A FORGING at the point of the weld. Once the metal has been melted in that area it has lost all vestiges of the effects of forging.
Did Ford think the pitman was important?? Clean a Ford one and examine it. On every one you will find a tiny dent (a truck one I own has two, one near splines, one on arm) that is the remnant of the testing process apparently used on 100% of production. Ford did that from at least the Model A up into the early fifties. 100% final testing on a production part on a high-volume, low dollar car suggests serious concern, especially long before the advent of the modern interest in the lawsuit for everyone.
Can't think of the name of the test that leaves the dent.
1932-48 Fords, at least early post-49 Fords, and the F1 all use a common spline found on many early and recent cars from multiple corporations, not just FoMoCo.
The F100 arms made from about '57--60 fit the '53-56 and have tie rod holes, according to an acquaintance.
 
antiquepa said:
Snyders now sell new shorted pitman arms...
Click to expand...

Is this for an A steering box or splined? Are they forged or made up from old arms? (I think the A's have a square on the end of the sector shaft. Were all the A's like that? I need spline for a '32 steering box.)
 
i have welded pitman arms. cut , taper ends , pre-heat, weld with 110-18
low hydrogen rod, slow cool , grind smooth. not too bad a job.
 
Bruce Lancaster said:
Same reason I am offering the short original pitman ('49-50 Ford, same spline as early Ford) above...in my opinion, quite aside from the quality of the weld, a forging like this is NO LONGER A FORGING at the point of the weld. Once the metal has been melted in that area it has lost all vestiges of the effects of forging.
Did Ford think the pitman was important?? Clean a Ford one and examine it. On every one you will find a tiny dent (a truck one I own has two, one near splines, one on arm) that is the remnant of the testing process apparently used on 100% of production. Ford did that from at least the Model A up into the early fifties. 100% final testing on a production part on a high-volume, low dollar car suggests serious concern, especially long before the advent of the modern interest in the lawsuit for everyone.
Can't think of the name of the test that leaves the dent.
1932-48 Fords, at least early post-49 Fords, and the F1 all use a common spline found on many early and recent cars from multiple corporations, not just FoMoCo.
The F100 arms made from about '57--60 fit the '53-56 and have tie rod holes, according to an acquaintance.
Click to expand...

Hi Bruce,
The test you mention is known as the Ball Pyramid Test.

Parts such as Pitman Arms are known as Critical Parts in the forging industry, such parts are not allowed to fail, even under severe applied force. The reason for using such a high quality part is obvious.
 
The F-1 arms have the same spline as the 32-48 cars. I would get a car arm and use it. I think all use a studed tie rod end except the 33-34. The arm clocking will probably need to be changed. There are blocking splines in the arm that must be cut back to change the orintation of the arm. No welding and lots of arms to choose from.
The arms can be heated and bent. I have done a lot of Vega arms this way. I have not done any Ford arms.
 
Bruce Lancaster said:
Same reason I am offering the short original pitman ('49-50 Ford, same spline as early Ford) above...in my opinion, quite aside from the quality of the weld, a forging like this is NO LONGER A FORGING at the point of the weld. Once the metal has been melted in that area it has lost all vestiges of the effects of forging.
Did Ford think the pitman was important?? Clean a Ford one and examine it. On every one you will find a tiny dent (a truck one I own has two, one near splines, one on arm) that is the remnant of the testing process apparently used on 100% of production. Ford did that from at least the Model A up into the early fifties. 100% final testing on a production part on a high-volume, low dollar car suggests serious concern, especially long before the advent of the modern interest in the lawsuit for everyone.
Can't think of the name of the test that leaves the dent.
1932-48 Fords, at least early post-49 Fords, and the F1 all use a common spline found on many early and recent cars from multiple corporations, not just FoMoCo.
The F100 arms made from about '57--60 fit the '53-56 and have tie rod holes, according to an acquaintance.
Click to expand...
Is it called a Rockwell Hardness Test?
 
Is it called a Rockwell Hardness Test?

No, not in this case. Rockwell Scale tests are used but the process rarely leaves a significant mark. The Rockwell Scale's test could never leave a mark in steel the size of a Ball Pyramid test mark. The 'ball' is dropped from a predetermined height onto the object being tested, whereas the Rockwell machine has the 'point' placed against the surface then the machine is activated to give a hardness reading.

Although both tests share some characteristics, they also differ in what they can offer the tester. The Ball Pyramid test is selected not only for an indication of hardness but also density.
 
I think it is more likely a "Brinell test which uses a steel ball pressed into the surface using a known force.
robert1936
 
Brinell! of course. My old grey matter has lumped three tests together, mind you it has been awhile since I used them.
The small ball used on small forgings is the 'baby' Brinell, the pyramid is the Vickers test, and the method of dropping the ball from a predetermined height is the Shore Schleroscope. Sorry for the confusion.
 
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