Steering Box Play

AR

AR

Junior Member
The steering box on my 56 Merc Wagon has been adjusted as far it will go. There is still quite a bit play maybe 6” each way. It’s difficult to find anyone that can rebuilt these boxes.
Question: I want to keep driving the wagon but will the steering box eventually fail?
I can handle the steering wheel play for a while. I just don’t want the steering box to fail and put me in a very bad situation.
Thanks
 
ive never heard of one failing by the time it reaches that point you would have so much play you couldnt drive it.
 
I have to ask where your reference to the 6-inches is being measured from, ie. from steering wheel, or pitman arm, etc? The car should still have the Gemmer III design with the roller sector gear and a standard worm gear. Play measurements can only be take while the steering shaft is in the centered location. At any point off center then play increases normally on these type units. In centered position, there should be no backlash between the roller sector gear and the worm. If there is then it's likely the worm is worn out or the roller has too much wear on it's axle pin, on the roller gear, or all of the above.

The steering shaft should turn through center with no notchy movements while rotating in either direction. If it does then the worm has spalling or corrosion pitting in the gear faces at the centered location. This is where they always wear out. New or NOS worms and sector roller kits are likely still out there. Some may even be reproduced but I've not looked around for sources of these parts.

The sector adjuster screw may have disengaged the the sector shaft end slot. The only way to check it it to pull the sector end cap and have a look. This will require a new gasket when the cap is reinstalled.
 
I’m not sure about the cars, but the Tbird’s had a change mid 1956, from a 2 sector to 3 sector box. It’s a noticeable upgrade if not immediately but in terms of improved wear characteristics. Worth asking someone with more knowledge about it.

Red Head steering is local to me, I drive by them 2-3 times a week when I check on my mother. Very highly regarded locally, both for the quality of the work and the knowledge to do it right. I know pulling and shipping the box and shaft is a pita, but it would be worth a phone call to see what they can do, parts, etc.

https://redheadsteeringgears.com/
 
Redhead rebuilt mine, and I would use them again-good service and fast turnout. The cost was less than quoted. They do substitute 00 grease for gear oil, being that leakage is a common problem, not just with early Fords. Early Corvettes had the same problem. When serviced under warranty, 00 grease replaced gear oil and cured the problem. My 55 Tbird's steering-gear box was bone dry when I removed it.
 
AR said:
... It’s difficult to find anyone that can rebuilt these boxes. ...
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Have you tried contacting these folks? They seem to be one of the larger outfits still around.
I haven't needed steering box repair (yet) so no personal experience with them.

Their webpage does have a 'Live support chat' box at the lower right. And they also have a toll free 1-800 phone number.

https://www.larescorp.com/

They may ask if you have an early 'two tooth' or later 'three tooth' steering box. As mentioned, they were upgraded during the '56 model year.
If yours is like these, the two-tooth box has a 5 pointed star shape on top, the three-tooth does not.

You may need to go thru one of their retail outlets...
https://www.larescorp.com/where-to-buy/
.
 

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Thanks for your responses. The play of 6” was referenced at the steering wheel.
From center of steering wheel 6” free play counter lock wise and clock wise.
My steering box has the star washer on top. I did not adjust the steering box myself.
Had a shop do it and not 100% sure they knew what they were doing. It’s always had play but seemed to get more as time went by.
 
The best way to adjust it is to jack and support the front end of the car then center the steering box and make sure the steering wheel and the front wheels are both centered for straight down the road. I disconnect center link from the pitman arm. This way a person can check the box only and the pitman arm can easily be turned to feel for excessive play or notchy movement. When the sector is properly adjusted to mesh with the worm, there should be little or no play at the pitman arm. If it has 6-inches of steering shaft play then there will be a lot of play at the pitman arm to reflect that. There should be no in and out movement of the steering shaft/worm bearings. If the play can't be taken out then it's time for some new parts inside that steering gearbox.

If you have a bad idler arm on the other end of the center link then that can give a lot of unwanted play. That idler shouldn't have any wiggle to it at all. From there it's all about tie rod ends, Center link ends, and ball joints.
 
rotorwrench said:
... If you have a bad idler arm on the other end of the center link then that can give a lot of unwanted play. That idler shouldn't have any wiggle to it at all. From there it's all about tie rod ends, Center link ends, and ball joints.
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AR, not to say the steering box isn't worn out but a bad idler arm can do a very good job of impersonating a worn steering box. Before the front end was redone my '55 had lots of play in the steering wheel and would swerve to the right when applying the brakes. I took the car to a front-end shop along with a spare steering box, just in case. It turns out the old rubber idler arm bushings were completely shot, and the tie-rod ends could have been better. The car steers much better now, no swerving when using the brakes was the biggest improvement.

If the steering box you have is in need of a pricey rebuild you might consider swapping in one of the upgraded '56/'57 versions while you're at it. As you might suspect given their nickname, they have an additional tooth on the sector shaft gear that helps reduce on-center wear and last longer.
 

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I will look into all your recommendations.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I will keep driving at a safe speed until I can figure out what I am going to do.
AR
 
AR said:
I will look into all your recommendations.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I will keep driving at a safe speed until I can figure out what I am going to do.
AR
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Since you are in Riverside CA. I would take it out and then go to Straight Line Steering in Rubidoux. Their shop is hard to find but you can take it there and save a TON in shipping charges. They do not do the work there, as the car boxes are rebuilt in San Jose. They will ship it there for free as they have a truck that goes back and forth once a week. The Rubidoux facility does truck boxes. I have had them do three steering boxes for me and I was very pleased with their work.
 
That’s great. Did not know someone was that close to me.
Thanks for the contact.
 
This is why when you are measuring slop or adjusting the box, you remove the cross-link from the sector shaft arm to isolate the box from possibly worn linkages.
 
STOP. If you car has manual steering, check to see if one of the springs in your drag link is missing or broken. If the spring is missing altogether, that could be a VERY dangerous situation, since the drag link could pop out of the ball-stud through the hole at the end of the slot.
To check; raise both front suspension arms up off the ground as evenly as you can such that the front tires are a little bit off the ground. Block up the front of the frame to avoid the car accidentally falling. Get under the car and watch the pitman arm and drag-link while someone inside the car turns the steering wheel. If the pitman arm moves, but the drag link remains stationary, you have a missing or broken drag-link spring.
I can't imagine any other malady that can cause that much free play at the wheel other than a missing drag-link spring.
There may be more than the spring missing. There should be a spring and ball-stud keeper on both sides of the ball-stud.
If this is the problem, it might be easier to get a complete drag-link ball-stud repair kit part # B2AZ-3533-A. Comes with 2 springs, 2 ball-stud keepers, 2-plungers, the end-cap screw, the dust-cover and ball-stud fibre grease seal.
 
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