Steering adjustment questions

47topless

47topless

Well-known member
I have a 31 Victoria with a two-tooth steering box. I have too much (3-4") play in my steering wheel. I watched Paul's video on steering adjustment but I'm not fast enough to get it. Question 1: How do you find TDC of the steering column?
There are three adjustment points for the steering. Question 2: Is there one adjustment point that is specific to play of the steering wheel or is adjustment of all three points necessary?
Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
Phil
 
Do 'em all! If you don't, you're just wasting your time.

3"- 4" play at the steering wheel is unacceptable. Something is wrong somewhere and it might not just be in the steering box. Start by making the adjustments, but also look elsewhere if that doesn't help. Worn sector bushings will allow the sector to move up and down when the steering wheel is turned, which creates slop. Make sure the pitman arm is VERY tight and that the special bolt is in place, not some hardware store hex head bolt.

To find the center of the steering, turn the steering wheel from one extreme to the other and count the turns using the spokes as a gauge. It's usually about three turns. Split in half and set the steering wheel there for your three steering box adjustments. The fourth one is difficult to do with the steering unit mounted to the frame. It can be done, but rarely needs to be if the steering was set up properly before mounting it in the chassis. That fourth adjustment is usually needed only when changing worm and/or sector gears.
Marshall
 
I should add that when you are seeking the mid-point in the shaft turns, disconnect the drag link from the pitman arm. This will give you a truer center point than if you leave the pitman arm ball still inside the drag link end.
Marshall
 
Top off the lubricant. It is easier to feel the effects of the adjustments at the steering wheel if you jack the front wheels off the ground.

On all three adjustments, beware of making them too tight. If you feel even the slightest roughness or increase in effort needed to turn the wheel, you have it too tight. If you are the kind of person who breaks bolts and strips screws, don't adjust your own steering box. You have to be gentle on the metal. The cast iron steering box is not to be used as a spring to force the parts to grind against each other. When you take your test drive it should not feel harder to steer.

Tighten the roller bearings tight then back off about 20 degrees. Then tighten the mesh until you feel a slight increase in effort passing over the center, then back off until you don't feel that effort. Tighten the sector slop screw on the engine side of the box tight, then back off 10 degrees or so. You have to hold that screw from turning when you tighten the lock nut.

The adjustment of the giant hex nut that controls the gear mesh only makes a difference when steering over the center, which should be straight ahead. Away from center the box is designed to have free play. Force from the tires on the road takes out the free play when the car is turning. With that giant nut, a very small amount of turning it is a big adjustment. If the point in the steering where the mesh is the tightest is not the same as the car going straight, you have to adjust the fourth adjustment which as far as i can tell can't be done whie the box is in the frame. This won't need to be done unless something is bent or not standard in the drag link, steering arms, pitman arm etc.
 
Marshall V. Daut said:
Do 'em all! If you don't, you're just wasting your time.

3"- 4" play at the steering wheel is unacceptable. Something is wrong somewhere and it might not just be in the steering box. Start by making the adjustments, but also look elsewhere if that doesn't help. Worn sector bushings will allow the sector to move up and down when the steering wheel is turned, which creates slop. Make sure the pitman arm is VERY tight and that the special bolt is in place, not some hardware store hex head bolt.

To find the center of the steering, turn the steering wheel from one extreme to the other and count the turns using the spokes as a gauge. It's usually about three turns. Split in half and set the steering wheel there for your three steering box adjustments. The fourth one is difficult to do with the steering unit mounted to the frame. It can be done, but rarely needs to be if the steering was set up properly before mounting it in the chassis. That fourth adjustment is usually needed only when changing worm and/or sector gears.
Marshall
Click to expand...

As mentioned here, make sure the whole system is in top mechanical shape. Play in the linkage will make slop that can't be adjusted away.
 
The steering wheels were set up with the two key way location option in a service bulletin so that folks would have a choice where the spokes end up in centered location but reproduction wheels may be wrong compared to OEM. The key way should be at 12:00 when the worm and sector are centered. This is where the majority of steering takes place so this is also where the majority of wear takes place. After wear on the worm gets to a certain point then it is difficult to get smooth movement across that sweet spot. Tighten it too much and it will have a catch or notchy feel in that spot when moving across it. This is common with all Gemmer design steering gears. The only fix is to replace the parts that show excessive wear.

When I finished rebuilding my last 2-tooth gearbox. It ll worked very smoothly but I did notice that the lock to lock turns to stops was not even in the gearbox. It went just a little bit farther one way than the other so don't count on the exact center being evenly divided between the two stops. The tie rod is the only other place a person can adjust the steering track but it also has to be the correct toe in so I concentrate on centering the steering wheel when adjusting it while insuring proper toe in along with it. It can take a while if out of adjustment.
 
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