I am rebuilding my steering box (on my 57) because it somewhat locked up going down the hiway. It looks like the worm gear crumbled, So I am about to order the parts. I think I am going to just order worm gear that presses on the bottom of the shaft and the sector roller and pin. And the bearings etc. What are your experiences doing this? Does the sector shaft bushings need to be reemed? Thanks for any advice you can give.

 

A couple of things. You'll need to be careful when putting in the new sector roller. Mine was not quite as long as the original unit and had different bearings. I had to scrounge up a washer and grind the sector roller casting to get it to fit. Not fun - and the roller HAS to fit in the casting with MINIMAL end-to-end play or you'll end up with loose steering no matter how well you adjust the steering box. Personally, if I had to do it again I would order the pre-assembled sector roller/shaft and pay the extra.

The sector shaft bushings are so cheap that there is no reason not to replace them. Mine fit fine without any reaming - but others have reported that some manufacturers make the ID undersize so you can ream them to the correct fit for a given shaft.

 

I agree with George, better to get the worm and shaft and sector as an assembly, my sector shaft bushings didn't need reaming (and its time for me to replace them again..damn) do you know about the gasket pack that preloads the worm gear bearings, that can be a little sensitive to set up, and the sector shaft adjustment at the center of the steering...good luck...take your time

 

Got any tips for that? I read the manual but it says to use the special Ford scale to measure the pull at the steering wheel. I'm sure everyone has one in their tool box. Would a fish scale do the job?



Kevin
1953 Ford F-100
Go Illini

 

I've never had a scale, so I just do it by feel..trial and error, I remove one gasket at a time till I feel the shaft starting to bind(too much pressure on the bearings) then start adding gaskets one at a time till it starts to free up and has just a little drag on it...don't know if its exact, but always seem to work without problems, I've done 4 this way....and I use an inch pound torque wrench to set the sector thru the high point, don't remember what the spec was, I have it in the garage somewhere...
jim

 

I used a fish scale Kevin. Seemed to work OK.

 

Thanks for the tips. I had a little trouble finding the parts for this that are not back ordered 3 to 6 weeks. I found a place in Ca that has the rebuild kits. But I could not find the compleat sector so I guess I will just fix this one. I will let you guys know how it went. Thanks

 

good luck, want to hear how you made out, I'm going to do my sectorshaft bushings(again) when I return from my trip to Arizona

 

Classic Performance has what appears to be a complete rebuild kit. Not cheap, but a lot less than a rebuilt steering box.

 

Hi ball, How long did your bushings last? The original bushings in my box are still feel tight I wonder if the replacement bushings are not as good.
The model A guys bore out the area were the sector bushings go and install 2 flat roller bearings and a modern seal. They say it makes it easyer to steer. I think I will just keep the bushings.
Angus, That is were I found them they have them in stock. They said I will have it in 5 days rather than 5 weeks we will see.

 

57..I don't know about the quality of replacement bushings, but I don't want to say they aren't as good as the originals...my wear problem is probaly caused by my tire size...31x10.5x15.....I would love to use bearings..I'll be looking into that, thanks for the tip..if yours are still tight I guess you could use them, but if you already have it apart, why not do them, the new ones are only a couple of bucks

Jim

 

Just got the parts Friday that was a long 5 days. Finshed it up on Saturday all seemed to go well but took a lot of time 12 hours. The kit I got the sector bushings needed to be reemed I just used a brake hone, and the od of them were also over sized so I needed to file the grove just so I can get them to fit the box. The sector roller went well I had to grind the sides of the sector so that it will fit. And just weld the pin in then grind off what is left. Assembled and adjusted it. Turned out good thanks

 

thats great!!!! now I have to get my lazy butt out there and do mine...wish I had done it before I went on Vacation, but the drive wasn't to bad