my father in law just picked up a decent 55 f100 with a few minor problems. its his third 50's f100 and he wants to get it just right. he is currently dieing of cancer, so i want to help him as much as i can, and make his dream truck the way he wants it.

so here's some questions and i'll be updating them as they come along.
what fluid to use in the steering box. (im not sure what box) but most likely stock.
second- what is the recommended adjustment for it. turn it in, then out _____ turns?

thats what we'll be working on in the next few weeks.

btw its the straight 6 with the 3 on the tree

thanks in advance for any help

 

Well, to adjust the steering box, you just make it as tight as possible without binding on the turns. I'm not positive, but I would also think that you would lubricate it with 80- or 90-weight, like a transmission or rear end.

 

Hi Bigbadktm

Welcome to the forum

Just to add to what Kooper909 has said

The shop manual specifies SAE 90 gear oil

To adjust the steering box :

Disconnect the steering arm from the sector shaft
Find the steering centre point
Loosen adjuster lock nut
Wind in the adjuster till you can't feel any play when moving the sector shaft in and out
Tighten the lock nut
Check for any tight spots

Cheers

Stephen

 

Welcome Bigbadktm. We've got a great bunch of folks here who will help you out with your project. Ask any and all questions you may have.

The fellas have given you the info on the steering box adjustment and lube. If you can, pick up a shop manual at www.motorhaven.com. It has a huge amount of information for your truck and will be the best money you spend while working on it.

If you get a chance, set up your gallery so we can see your project. We love to see old Ford trucks coming back to life.

 

another question my fater in law has is...what type of grease for the ball joints? and is it 90w for the rear diff too?

 

Double-check those ball joints before you grease them. Unless they've been replaced sometime in the last 50 years, they are likely badly worn. Badly worn ball joints will make it very hard to drive on the highway. Replacements are inexpensive and can help stabilize the steering (along with the steering gear adjustment, kingpins and bushings, drag link innards, and front leaf spring bushings).

As far as the grease goes, any good lithium grease will work fine. The modern stuff is so much better than what the original specifications call for you really can't go wrong by choosing one brand or type over another. There is a lubrication chart at Earl's World (see my signature block below) in the reference section. It may help you locate all the hidden grease zerks on your truck. I was amazed at just how many there are!

For you other question, either 80 or 90 weight gear oil is what the shop manuals recommend for the steering gearbox, the transmission, and the rear axle. Nothing special about that oil either - any reasonable quality will do.

If you get a chance, you might want to take a peek inside the transmission case and rear axle (if it has a removable inspection cover). I found the oil in mine had turned to a sort of jello-like substance over the years. A thorough cleaning of the inside of the case with kerosene left me with a much better feeling about how the gearboxes would operate in the future.

 

wow, thanks a lot for all hte help and info. we are gonna be tackling the rear brakes this coming weekend. he cant currently drive in his condition, but it makes him happy to be working on it. ill see about getting some pics when we do it as well.

 

I see from your posts that you also have a Ranger/B-series truck and probably have some experience with fixing vehicles and maybe restoring them. I found I had to take a little time and put together a plan before I waded into the restoration. It can be fun to tackle small projects one-by-one, and you can finish a whole truck that way. Most of the time, though, you get to a point and end up asking yourself "Why didn't we wait on that? Now we have to take it all apart again to do this other part." It's not the end of the world, but it can be irritating.

One of our regulars, John Niolon, is an excellent writer and has put together an article about the process of rebuilding one of these old trucks. Here's a link, you might find it a helpful read-through.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...e_Builder.html

I already mentioned the Earl's World web site link in my signature block. Several of the other members have told me that after reading the info there, they had a much better idea of what a project like this entails, and how to go about certain things when you aren't a pro (which I'm definitely not). End of self-promotion - I promise!

 

possibly get some pictures tomorrow. i now own the truck as my father in law passed away last thursday. it has a lot of rust, but unlike my fairlane, all these body panels unbolt and can be replaced.

gonna adjust brakes, change fluids, lub and all that jazz. updates will be soon

 

ok, next question. does that manual go into the adjustment for the carter yf carb, and how to adjust the valves?

next thing. the rear end has a plate that reads "47 12" what gearing does that come out to? the ring gear is stamped 12 21 54 SAL 18445 B3T27 47 12

i know the first part is the date, but what about the rest? for a 3 speed, this thing seems to have pretty short gears.

 

Sorry to hear of your father in law passing away. Enjoy his truck and good luck with it.

 

I'm also sad to hear of your loss. I hope you can get some satisfaction working on the truck. Maybe even some fond memories.

 

wow thanks guys, you people are great. after driving his truck for a short while and working on it, i can really see why he enjoyed the truck so much even for the short time he owned it. it does have a lot of rust that was covered up by bondo, but even that doesnt dampen my spirits working on it.

thanks again guys

 

These are really cool trucks and not hard to work on except for body/rust repair, even that is manageable if your take your time, do lots of planning. Enjoy your Ford and keep us posted.