Steering mesh adjustment

RTC1930

RTC1930

Senior Member
I finally drove my car legally on the road sunday after 2 yrs of getting everything back together from a 30 year barn stay. Ran pretty good and felt great to finally drive it after all this time and money. But looks like I still have 2 remaining issues. First I couldn't turn the GAV all the way down or I got a slight popping sound (not a loud backfire) from the carb at high rpm if I closed it any more then 1 to 3/4 open. Im gonna check the plugs tonight to see how they look but smells like its running rich. I'll post more on that once I dig in to it.

My other concern was the steering was a bit sloppy and the car wondered a bit when I hit a bump. I did not rebuild steering box because I was trying to hold off until next year so I could recover my finances and at least make sure the car was driveable. The previous owner (my father) did not recall the steering being bad and said the king pins were re-done so I was hoping to get away with it. So my question is, can I adjust the mesh adjustment in the 2 tooth steering box without removing the steering box to see if thats the issue? Im hoping that while I had the body off I didnt screw up the column jerking it around while unsupported. I did put a support bracket on it while I drove the frame around but not sure it was enough because the column was about 2 inches below the gas tank bracket when I put it all back together.

Sorry for the long post but it was exciting to finally drive it and im chomping at the bit to drive it again (week of rain here).

Thanks,
Bob NJ
 
You can adjust the steering box while in the car. There are good instructions in the service bulletins. Before you adjust have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth while looking at the front end to see if the play is in the box or from a front end component.
 
RonC said:
You can adjust the steering box while in the car. There are good instructions in the service bulletins. Before you adjust have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth while looking at the front end to see if the play is in the box or from a front end component.
Click to expand...

Above is good advise.

Do you have shocks on your rig? If not, you may want to get some. I also found that my rig ran all over the road when I hit a bump or run into a rut in the road before putting shocks on it. Also make sure your tires are inflated the same all the way around. Shocks helped a lot but you also need to remember these are 70 to 80 year old cars and they were not built to drive like current cars.
 
I just did this with my 2 tooth box. Instruction in service bulletin is very good and I used that in conjunction with Les Andrews book. Remove the drag link then center the pitman arm (move the wheel all the way to the right and all the way to the left then back half the distance) and see if it has any movement back and forth. If it does, the problem is in the steering box and easy to adjust. Just make sure you follow the instructions EXACTLY. It is amazing how a very small amount of play in the pitman arm causes a large amount of play in the steering wheel.
 
Well that is great news that I dont need to pull the whole box out. I do need to give everything a once over before proceeding. As for the shocks they were frozen solid so I took them off till I can afford rebuilds. They were basically turning the square shaft round but I realize the importance and will try to add ASAP. I definitely was not expecting a perfect ride but hope to get It as good as I can.

Thanks again.
Bob
 
Yep, like the boys said, good advice.. There are 4 adjustments to the 2 tooth box.. The 4th actually can be performed in the car if you ' warp ' a screwdriver so you can get at it.. Also make sure everything else is adjusted correctly and is tight..
 
Shocks are really important. I'll add that good tires can make a big, big difference in how straight the car tracks going down the road. I went through everything on my Tudor: new front spring, kingpins, new ball ends, steering box rebuild, alignment, and it still wandered like heck. Then I replaced my old worn universals with a new set of Firestones, and that one change transformed the car into a straight trackin', confidence inspirin' road machine.
 
Luckily I was warned early on about the effect of tires and purchased good years. I think the pic in my avatar shows the old 30 yr old universals that were on it but I have since replaced. It tracks straight on smooth pavement it just doesn't like bumps. Feels like I have about an 1/8 or more rotation in play on the steering wheel so I assume thats majority of it. I only get to touch It on weekends so ill know more by Sunday.

Thanks
Bob
 
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