cant wait to see it finished!!

 

Now patiently (NOT!) awaiting the arrival of the mailman!

 

Did you pull that from a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean.

Tim M

 

Haha sometimes I have thought that's where the PO stored this truck. It looks like everything else did before I redid this thing, this is the last rusted part to go. Happy Dance.

Truck before


Truck after - wasn't quite done in this pic was still working on the body gray part but it was close.

 

I followed your rust thread from earlier and that is why I was able to state with confidence that... from all the other stuff you have done to the X this steering box should be a walk in the park.

Tim M

 

You are so right. Didn't need a TYvek Suit or even a respirator. Got a little slimy with ATF but hey did that too when changed and flushed it from the return line with Mark's instructions. No blood left int he engine this time, but still a large dried spot on the DS valve cover, it's a memento of my spark plug saga, just left it.

 

I installed a new Red head steering gear box but to me it seams like it has to much free play in it. How much does yours have?

At the top of the steering wheel i can turn it two inches before the pit-man arm moves at all. I first noticed it when I was installing it that I could turn the shaft about ten degrees with my finger tips before it would move. I called them before I installed it and they said they didn't know and to install it and see how it does under power.

 

I have zero play in my steering box. Are you sure the play is from the steering box? Have you check that the rubber donut on the steering shaft is not torn?

 

Yes I'm certain. I can turn the input gear with my finger tip a ways before the pitman arm moves. I had a shop look at it before I put it in and they said everything was tight except the gear box and I had another shop look at it yesterday after the new install and they said the play is in the new gear box everything else is good. It's ok to drive but not what I hoped for.

 

It could very well be a bad unit. Have you tried to contacting Red Head?

 

Redhead has excellent customer service - but I've already put 2 in my truck. (When the 1st redhead got back - they confirmed that it was bad, and discounted the 2nd.) In all fairness - the CA 5 freeway is more punishing than an old fire road - especially at 70 (or 80) mph.

All it took for the next box was 1 (rather impressive - a small car would have fallen in it and stayed...) ugly pothole, and there's play in the output shaft again. In all fairness, the hit was hard enough to need an alignment, so I certainly can't fault redhead. For a couple months the steering was dead on.

I can't help but come to the conclusion that the box is under sized, and want to source one from a larger truck. It'll be a little while - because I'm busy with work right now - but I'll post a new thread when I get around to it. Helps to work at a fab shop, since I'll likely need custom... everything...

Won't get too far off subject though. When I start, I'll get a new thread rolling as well.

 

Is there a group buy going on? I missed the last one...

 

Your in luck....

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...group-buy.html

Tim M

 

They remove the plain bushings that Ford uses and install needle bearings. Plus they are built by hand and all tolerances checked.

From their website:

Red-Head Steering Gears Re-manufacturing Process
Machining out the housings and installing needle bearings
Flame-spraying or replacing the shafts as needed Installing new control valves on some applications
Custom fitting each worm & piston assembly with special ordered, precise over-sized ball bearings.

Other things we do to produce a top quality product include:
Install every sector shaft on a lathe to check for straight and true,
polish the sealing surface to a higher polish than new.

 

I just removed my old box and counted the splines-32, not the 36 box that I ordered. Doh! F350 manufactured 1/00. I called Redhead to see if I could just get a new 36 spline pitman arm to make it work, and to my surprise they said I couldn't! Didn't give me a reason, but a 32 is in the mail on it's way here.
Anybody know why you can't just put a 36 spline pitman arm on it to make it work?
On to removing that thing. Already beat it quite a bit, didn't budge. My pitman arm puller won't fit in between the splines and the arm, so I guess I'll grind it down a bit to make it work. Then heat, hammers, and PB Blaster. Any other suggestions?