Steering adjustment

W

woodrow

Senior Member
There is just a little bit of slack in the steering of our '31. I looked at the steering gear box and I'm guessing I can tighten the upper gizmo to remedy that? Sure appreciate your comments. Thanks,
JAM
 
Not something you want to leave up to tightening up a gizmo. Get Les Andrews red book and follow the directions. Very important to do this correctly.
 
Les Andrews red and the service bulletins have good instructions on adjustments. That bolt on the top with a lock nut is for worm end play so if you tighten that improperly you will crack the upper bearing cage.... Know what's up before you screw with different gizmos thingamagingy's
 
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Thanks for the quick reply. I'll check with the red book. The slack isn't too bad but I'll check with the book and go from there. Thanks again,
 
Also check where the pitman arm goes to the sector shaft.... Many times the pinch bolt needs tightening..... Have someone move the steering wheel play with the wheels on the ground and look carefully to see if there is any movement between the two pieces
 
Also make sure you loosen the clamp screw for the upper housing before you try to tighten that upper bolt. I followed the instructions in the SERVICE BULLETINS and the steering adjust out nicely with only about 1/2" steering wheel play at the outer rim.

BTW, I had to run through the adjustments twice to get everything right because some adjustments affect other adjustments.
 
The Service Bulletins have the adjustment procedure. The 2 tooth box has 4 adjustments which need to be done in order and then rechecked. [ Usually only 3 need to be done, but, they do need to be done in order].

As Mitch siad, don't break anything.
 
My experience with the 2 tooth is that three adjustments can be done with the steering box bolted in place, the 4th only with the steering column out of the car.
It took several attempts with the box on the bench to get a very acceptable improvement in the slack.
I have also seen the pitman arm adjustment loose and causing a lot of slack.
Good time to check the lubrication level in the steering box.
Bob
 
Brentwood Bob said:
My experience with the 2 tooth is that three adjustments can be done with the steering box bolted in place, the 4th only with the steering column out of the car.
It took several attempts with the box on the bench to get a very acceptable improvement in the slack.
I have also seen the pitman arm adjustment loose and causing a lot of slack.
Good time to check the lubrication level in the steering box.
Bob
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Bob,
That 4th adjustment can be done easily, by drilling a hole in the frame by the adjustment screw, so you can use a straight screw driver. If you HOLLOW GRIND the screwdriver tip, it helps NOT to mess up the screw slot. It sometimes can be done with a tight 90 Degree, slot screwdriver, but it is usually "stuck" & is difficult +*@$@%^&$$#$%+*
Bill W.
 
TIP# 219: DON'T strive to get NO steering wheel slack. You need a little slack, to do your unconscious "hunting" as the road surface varies. With NO SLACK, it will dart on its' own. If you just BREATHE on the wheel, it will dart.
On Minerva, I had to go back & re-adjust it, to get a little steering wheel slack, then she drove GOOD. I recommend that if it has a little slack & drives good, LEAVE IT ALONE! (Well, that's what Chief taught me, BUT I won't use the words he used-+*%#%%$%^&)
Chiefs' Son
 
There's a number of places to look for "slack" in these steering systems. I have the 2 tooth gear (1930 deluxe coupe here) that you do but "slack" can come from places other than the steering gearbox as has already been mentioned here. I completely rebuilt my front end and while doing so sent my steering gearbox to Snyder's and had them rebuild it. With everything back together and tight (that is with new king pin bushings, new balls, new teflon coated brass ball joint cups, new pitman arm, everything etc.) there was just a bit of lash in the steering gearbox and I took that out going through the sequence you read in the service bulletins. In my case, it was simply taking out the lash with that very slightly turned bolt with the locking ring around it on the side of the 2 tooth box, and again, there's a sequence of how those bolts on the side must be loosened and retightened. You could feel that lash with the drag link removed and the steering wheel/gear centered (as in straight ahead driving) and wiggling the pitman arm forward and back. You put the front axle up on jack stands for all this and once I got the lash out I connected the drag link and turned the steering lock to lock to verify there was no bind. In the course of my trying to do careful and slight adjustments, I did get things a tiny bit too tight one time because I had a little bind and so had to back off. I finally got it to the point where the lash was all out but just before getting too tight to where it wanted to bind. The entire front end rebuild and the gear adjustment did amazing things for how the car drove. It was confident and relaxed to drive now.

The other little tedious aspect of adjusting the bolt with the locking ring is that you have to adjust it "coming up" to the optimal adjustment position on the tightening direction, not from the backing off direction.
 
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All the adjustments can be made with the box in the car. The 4th adjustment requires a screwdriver that is ' warped ' correctly, but, it isn't too hard to do.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
TIP# 219: DON'T strive to get NO steering wheel slack. You need a little slack, to do your unconscious "hunting" as the road surface varies. With NO SLACK, it will dart on its' own. If you just BREATHE on the wheel, it will dart.
On Minerva, I had to go back & re-adjust it, to get a little steering wheel slack, then she drove GOOD. I recommend that if it has a little slack & drives good, LEAVE IT ALONE! (Well, that's what Chief taught me, BUT I won't use the words he used-+*%#%%$%^&)
Chiefs' Son
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Thanks for Tip #219. I rebuilt my steering box following Les Andrews book and it was pretty simple. My only problem is with the adjustment process. I can get get real close to no play but as soon as I get no play it binds as I turn the shaft to the right. I've been messing with it for a couple of days now and just can't get it. It's so close but I wanted it to be perfect but maybe perfect is not the best thing.
 
Timbo said:
Thanks for Tip #219. I rebuilt my steering box following Les Andrews book and it was pretty simple. My only problem is with the adjustment process. I can get get real close to no play but as soon as I get no play it binds as I turn the shaft to the right. I've been messing with it for a couple of days now and just can't get it. It's so close but I wanted it to be perfect but maybe perfect is not the best thing.
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When it's correctly centered, then the turns to left and right should be equal. Also at that point you should adjust the clearance so it just has zero freeplay, but doesn't bind in the center. It will get looser either side of center however. Follow the SERVICE BULLETINS to set up the steering box, and you may have to run through the adjustments twice to get it all correct.
 
One of the books does not mention the centering adjustment.. I forget if it was the service bulletins or les's book.. That sounds like your issue
 
If the adjustments cannot be made then a rebuild is needed. You cannot properly adjust the steering if the parts are worn, period.
 
If your gearbox has not been rebuilt and you try to get the play out of the steering when you drive straight down the road you will be to tight between the worm and sector when you turn right and left. Most of the wear has been done driving straight ahead and not when turning. My brother and I rebuilt his with new worm, bearings, sector etc. then made the adjustments according to Les Andrews and this made a very desirable steering when finished. This was the two tooth style for the 30-31 Model A
 
Afordman31 said:
If your gearbox has not been rebuilt and you try to get the play out of the steering when you drive straight down the road you will be to tight between the worm and sector when you turn right and left. Most of the wear has been done driving straight ahead and not when turning. My brother and I rebuilt his with new worm, bearings, sector etc. then made the adjustments according to Les Andrews and this made a very desirable steering when finished. This was the two tooth style for the 30-31 Model A
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That's why Ford built it to be snug in the center and looser to either side of center. None of the steering boxes I've worked on had enough wear to make them bind either side of center, when the center play was removed.:)
 
In Les Andrews red book, page 1-299, about assembling the 2 tooth steering box, he says that the slot in the centralization rivet should be vertical. Does this mean vertical when the box is on the bench? Making it perpendicular to the steering shaft. Or vertical when the box is it the vehicle? In the vehicle the box sits at approximately a 45º angle, so thats a big difference between one way or the other.
 
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