Would the instructions in the '66 shop manual be a good go by for removing the box? Never tackled anything like this before. Not afraid to do it but would like to have good instructions. To remove the box do you have to take the column and shaft out as well? The rag joint actually does not look too bad and nuts/bolts do not look that old. How can you tell if it is worn out?

 

The rag joint is the connection between the column and the box so once you disconnect the rag joint then the column and shaft should be able to stay in the truck. The box is bolted to the frame rail. The only other connection is usually the pitman arm, and, of course, any lines for the power steering pump connections.


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PapaMatt: I can confirm it is a Ford box, not the Bendix. I have pictures of both, but cannot post them for your own independent use. Sorry.

Changing it out is easy, at least as far as the things to take off.
1. Remove the pitman arm nut.
2. Remove the pitman arm USING A PULLER designed for that purpose (rent one free from your local auto parts store).
3. Remove steering column from rag joint or the coupler (your choice), slide it up back out of the way a bit.
4. Disconnect hydraulic lines.
5. Remove 2 large bolts holding the gearbox the the frame - BE CAREFUL here, as the gearbox is heavy, and will drop down hard.
6. Remove the rag joint and coupler after you pull it out of the truck. (I found this last step easier out of the truck, personally.)

Note that I did not include a step to remove the drag link from the pitman arm. This is personal preference. Anytime you disconnect a ball-type joint you run the risk of damaging it - and not removing it here may save an otherwise unnecessary expense.

Hope this helps.

JS

 

Agree with TA455. It's not complicated. I'd disconnect the fluid lines and cap them at both ends - it's going to be messy! Then disconnect/remove the rag joint. You probably won't need to do anything to the column. Then loosen the Pitman arm nut. You will probably need to rent a Pitman arm puller (usually free) from someone like AutoZone or O'Reilly's. Take note of the indexing before you remove it. Loosen the three nuts/bolts that mount the gearbox to the frame rail. This thing is HEAVY and awkward to snake out of there so don't be surprised by the weight and maybe get some help. You may have to get other components out of the way to clear obstructions. I'm giving this to you from memory from 3 - 4 years ago so I may have forgotten one or two things, but I think this is most of it. Good luck!

 

This type of upper steering column flange with its gaping opening where the T/S handle fits...is the dead bang give-away that...

By holding the steering wheel with your right hand and pressing the T/S handle forward with your left hand...you'll discover it has a Tilt Wheel.

A previous owner modified the original column by cutting it, then swapped in the upper section of a 1978/79 F100/350 tilt steering wheel column.

This is the 2nd truck that has had this modification that I've seen on FTE.

And this truck has Ford/Saginaw P/S, the steel reservoir P/S pump was not used after 1977.

The problem with the Ford/Saginaw P/S box is, it has a built in flaw. There are no bearings on the sector shaft, it rides directly on the housing.

So called auto parts store "rebuilt gearboxes" are nothing more than resealed gearboxes. Before too long, fluid begins leaking from the sector shaft.

Red Head Steering Gears (redheadsteeringgears.com) takes the housing, machines it, installs the needle bearings that Ford omitted...so they could sell a gazillion sector shaft seal kits.

 

So ND is saying that your column is a tilt one from a '78-'79 Ford, and not a GM one as your PO stated. I have no doubt that everything he said about the Ford/Saginaw P/S gearbox is correct, but I've also heard that Redhead's repair is pretty pricey. If you're going to drive the truck everyday and plan to keep it for 25 years, that's the way to go. I got my reman unit from Auto Zone and the first one they gave me leaked. The second one has been leak free for 3 years so far. It also has a lifetime warranty. That said, it IS a pain in the butt to change out, as you are discovering. I only drive my truck 2 - 3 times per week. I'm just providing information that might help you with your decision. Good luck with whatever you do.

 

Thanks to you all for the tips on removal and to ND and SS for the details about the box. It will not be a daily driver but do plan to keep it, particularly d I going to so all of this work to it! I will check the price difference with NAPA and RH and see what I think.

So if this is a 78-79 column I could in theory replace with any column that originally went with the Saginaw box? Or am I making that up? I can deal with this wheel/column for now hit it sounds like what you are saying ND is that the PO or previous PO cut the shaft on the wheel end and insatalled a tilit wheel instead of the other to make it fit? Just wondering how challenging to replace. Kinda silly from an aesthetics pov to have the shift indicator and hole where the old column shift was.

Although bottom line is I just have to get the steering under control, literally, whatever column/wheel.

 

Steering column position cover (3D505) with tilt, upper flange (3511), shift lever indicator dial (7A213) with hood (7A004)...looks to me to be similar to this pic.

To verify, one would have to remove these parts to see if the 3D651 actuator and/or the 3B661 locking lever match this pic.

It's too bad the steering wheel was swapped, 1978/79's use a different two spoke wheel than 1971/77's. The ends of the spokes angle down about 45 degrees. 1971/77 spokes are straight across.

 

Okay guys, I am going to be dense here. Could someone confirm which nuts/bolts to remove? I have posted a few pics and circled the items in questions. Learning as I go here...thanks for the help as usual.

 

PapaMatt: No silly questions, excellent pictures too. I must comment that you have a mixture of '66 and later parts here.


Picture #1 - The red nut hold the metal coupler to the gearbox. I am assuming it is Ford, as that is the way it is supposed to be. This bolt is indexed to a slot on the input shaft to the gearbox. It can be a bit tricky to install and remove with the gearbox in the truck, so my recommendation is to remove it after the box is out of the truck (and install it on the new gearbox before it goes in).

The purple one normally holds the rag joint to a plate at the bottom of the steering column, but it looks like it is holding 2 separate couplers together. I recommend for your repair purposes that you remove the purple nuts, which should allow you to pull the steering column back up a bit.

The blue bolt holds what looks like a later steering plate or coupler to the bottom of the steering shaft. I would leave this one alone.

The black circle (?) is one of the 2 hydraulic lines you need to remove, and as mentioned before, be prepared for leaks.


Picture #2 - The red one is the tie rod to pitman arm connection, and I recommend you do not remove this one, if possible. It can be separated using a tie rod splitter or pickle fork. This process will ruin the rubber boot, though, and may damage the ball joint, requiring replacement. If I recall correctly, this ball joint is actually part of the long drag link - be sure to check this out. If so, then that is an expensive part.

The blue one is the pitman arm joined to the bottom of the gearbox - this is the part that should be removed with a puller (after removing the nut, of course).. You keep the pitman arm and nut, and reinstall it on the new gearbox.


Picture #3 - These are part of the gearbox itself, but you will need to temporarily remove them to remove and reinstall the bracket holding the brake proportioning valve.

The three mounting bolts you are looking for screw into the side of the gearbox, passing through the frame. In fact, I think I see the head of one of them in picture #2, right next to the brake line mount point. Removing the driver's side tire may help to find them, and make it easier to remove/reinstall them.

Hope this helps!

John

 

Long draglink (3304) attaches to Pitman Arm (3590) and to right (passenger side) steering arm (3130). Inner tie rod end (3A130) attaches to draglink.

Threaded coupler (3287) attaches to inner tie rod end and to outer tie rod (3A131) that attaches to left (drivers side) steering arm (3131).

 

Man, time flies.

So after all the discussions in this thread, I went out and bought my Red Head Steering box and after it came, I went out to do the job.

Before taking anything apart, I spent some time with the hood up turning the wheel and just watching things move. I came away puzzled and with the gut feeling it was not the gearbox, despite what the local shop had told me, and thought it seemed much more like it was in the column/wheel. Being way out of my element, I decided to take to an expert.

Yesterday, I dropped it off at a different shop that specializes in all things suspension and steering and with whom I confirmed they have experience with old trucks. Shops has been around since the 70s, family business. They called a few minutes ago and sure enough, everything in the suspension is tight, kingpins, tie rod ends, etc the gear appears fine, but the column is the problem. The tech was out today so the man I spoke with could not tell me if it was repairable or if I would need a new column. Given that ND sleuthed out the Franken column that I have, maybe it is not too surprising...

So now, I have to ship the RHS gear back, which is a real bummer given that I will be out of pocket about $100 for the shipping back and forth. Learned a couple of lessons on that one. Don't buy until you know you need the part and don't trust a mechanic that is not an expert in whatever the particular problem you have. The local shop is a good shop but I shouldn't have relied on his guess it was the gearbox to buy one out of state.

While I wait to hear back on whether the current column is salvageable, what do you guys think? Would you just replace the thing anyway given that it is just pieced together bits and doesn't really "go" with the truck anyway, particularly with the shift indicator etc. As it is a mix mash of a 78-79 truck and a 66 truck, figuring out what is off and from which truck may cost me more than a new column. I am guessing here.

If you were going to replace it, would you go with an ididit column? I don't need anything fancy, don't care about tilit, teloscoping etc, just want something that looks good and fits. Would a retrofit for a 78-79 be the right length to match the gearbox and sit in the cabin? Right diameter?

Thoughts appreciated.

Edit to add: I just checked the prices and holy cow, the retrofit columns are $$$. Perhaps a universal classic would be more my price point...

 

Hi - As a former shop owner, it sounds to me like you found a reputable family owned shop that is giving it to you straight, and based on what you mention as you having limited experience, I recommend you discuss this with the shop owner and see what advice he gives you, etc. If he has built a longstanding reputation in the area, it is very likely he can provide quality repairs and you would leave the shop knowing your truck is safe and reliable as best can be for our old trucks. My 2 cents, best of luck -

 

i just looked at the retrofit columns from ididit and was too taken aback by the price. I'm feel your pain. i'm looking at options, too. my truck had a chevy column with a ford box, too. now i'm stuck. fun fun, huh?

 

PM: My advice to you is put a Ford steering column in there before anything else. The Redhead work is excellent, but is probably overkill. You can get replacement steering boxes pretty inexpensively for about $100 from the parts stores.
It may take awhile, but there in NC you should be able to find a '68-'72 steering column with power steering, and for a lot less than a Redhead steering box. It is almost a straight bolt in, with only minor alterations. Mostly in the wiring, to get the pins correct, and several of us have that information easily at hand when you are ready for it.
You can also get a '73-'79 to work, which is what you have in there now.

PM, I just re-read all this thread and reexamined the pictures, and think I may have identified a potential problem.
Notice the collar bolted to the underside of the dash, that holds up the steering column against the dash. Is this collar welded to the column? It was originally spot-welded in 4 places on the '65/'66 column. If it isn't welded now, that will cause problems, and might be what you are dealing with now.
Also, the column boot is screwed to the firewall from the inside, and the support plate is to the firewall bolted under the hood. The entire column must be solidly mounted to both the dash and the firewall to ensure things do not flop around.
(When I put a '72 column in my '66, I also tried to get away with not rewelding the collar to the column. Caused all sorts of problems!)
You might notice that the bottom plastic "bearing" for the center shaft in the column may be wallered out. If the column is mounted solidly, this wont matter much, but if the column is sloppy, everything will be sloppy.

In any case, I really think a '72-ish column with power steering is the easiest and best way to go, to at least eliminate the column as the source of the problem. (By the way, you don't have to use the '65/'66 support collar on the '68-'72 column, can use the collar on the '68-'72 steering column as it is. It just leaves a gap between the dash and the column, but it is not unsightly, and can work until you get around to restoring the interior of the truck at a later date.)

Best of luck, and hope you get it resolved soon!

John (the other John)