Hi there,

My F100 from '55 still has it's original front-axle.
Or should i say ax.
Now i've bought a "power steering" set from a well known
company in Sacramento.
The bolt on kind of power steering.
Before the power steering i also had trouble keeping my F100 on the road.
I'm driving like the guys and or girls in those old movie's.
Both hands on the steering wheel, and steering 1 turn from left to right.!!
All the balljoints / tie rods are new, no excessive wear or anything on the original steering gear box.
So i was wondering, would a smaller steering wheel with a steering stabilizer help ???
I still got the original steering wheel ( 17 inch, i think ), with no stabilizer.
A friend of my says he has the same kind of power steering in his Mercury, and it feels the same way as my F100.
Because my F100 has a brandnew engine with a couple of horses
and a lot off torq.
I would feel a lot safer if the handling of my ffie would be better.

Any suggestion, or experience is welcome.
P.S. i hope you understand my writing, or english

Marc

 

Hi Marc,

If I understand, you have an original axle with an add-on power steering unit. Your tie rod ends are new and the steering box is not worn out and is adjusted properly.

A couple of other things that get overlooked are drag link internal parts, king pins and bushings, and spring shackle pins and bushings. Bad king pins, king pin bushings, or spring shackle parts will absolutely ruin your handling - no matter how well your steering box and tie rod ends are set up. When I disassembled mine, the spring shackle pins and bushings for the front springs were so worn that I could shake the whole front axle and steering assembly from side-to-side.

Check those components out thoroughly and see if that's where the problem is. If you get all the components fixed properly, the stock front end should be stable and functional. It's never going to be a sports car but you should be able to drive it on the highway quite safely.

 

Hi George,

Thanks for the reply.
The first part is correct.

The second part is also new.
New "mainleaf" front spring ( reversed eye ), with spring shackle and bushing kit ( front of spring ), rearbracket of front spring is also new.
With new spring bushing and pin kit.
The drag link came with the add on power steering.
But this doesn't say anything i think.
I'll check out what you said, and keep you informed.

Thank's, Marc

 

MArc,

I had the same problem with my steering , sawing the wheel back and forth to stay in the road. I finally narrowed it down to the steering box . Get under the truck and have someone turn the steering wheel. Look at the steering box shaft coming through the frame. I'll bet you get some movement before teh arm starts to turn.

To adjust. Put the truck up on jack stands. On the engine side of the stering box, locate the nut and screw. Loosen the nut and run the screw in. Tighten the nut and try the steering. Don't tighten so much that you bind it up. If no more adjustment is available, it's time for a rebuild or a toyota power steering box.

Hope this helps

Steve