My 1982 shortbed 4x4 f-150 has about 350k miles & thanks to the
steering stabilizer the "play" is not as bad as the play in Pop's 1982 f-150
2wd long bed truck without one. But his has barely reached 300k! I have a
complete set of service manuals "buried somewhere" in my storage shed...
ANY info on dealing with this repair is welcome! His steering column has
been removed once by me when a "bothched brake job" was done by a
bad machanic & I had to replace the "frame-work" inside the firewall due
to the "mechanic" being too lazy to reinstall all 4 bolts after replacing the
booster! (It caused that assembly to fracture into many parts)!

 

my 86 f-350 i just bought had bad play in it.
i took the plastic cover off of the steering shaft, right where the rag joint is. it will be at the connection to the steering box.
anyway it turned out to be the rag joint that was sloppy.
mine was the non rebuildable one that was riveted together.
i cut the big rivets off and put back togwther with bolts.

my steering box had a little play but they are adjustable to a point.
if there is a little slop you can take it out.
make sure that it is the box first.
if its the rag joint at the connection from the steering shaft to the box fix it first

 

The Best thing to do is to get a steering gearbox from the Ford dealer. Some of the aftermarket rebuilds have been reported to not be very well done.

You did not say if the gearbox is Manual steering or Power steering.

Ford still sells the Power Steering Gearbox: F8TZ3504ACRM / Motorcraft #: STG41RM
Fits the following:

1980-1983: F-100
1980-1996: F-150/F-250
1997: F-250HD
1980-1997: F-350
1991-1994 Explorers

etc...

When you do this also check the Rag joint coupler, and the colapsable joint on the steering column.

If it's manual steering, then a aftermarket rebuild, or to rebuild the old one yourself is the only option.

 

Knock on wood, so far my chain store rebuilt steering box is doing well.

 

Sorry for neglecting the additional info! Im 99 percent sure both have the
"rag" connection, but I will have to check asap. Both trucks are f-150's
made in 1982, but mine is the short bed 4x4 & Pop's is a Usa made long-
bed 2wd. Both have the 3speed w overdrive manual transmissions...(but),
mine is slightly different since it is mated to a "new process" transfercase.
Both have powersteering & the same Carter 1bbl carb, the only difference
under the hood is our a/c compressors. My truck has two-stage cooling &
Pop's has single-stage cooling. Any additional info you might have with
this new info is welcome, as I am contemplating trading the motorhome in
for a tow trailer (or) purchasing a trailer to tow my truck behind the mh to
our hunting area & having Pop drive my car there to save gas. To "buy"
Pop,s truck some time we will install a steering dampner as a Fathers day
present! (Btw, my truck is a Canadian made one).

 

i replaced my steering box in my f-150 several times. i purchased it from advance. the replacement was a remanufactured one and the first one i put in had a problem with the return line connection. No matter what i did there was a small leak at the connection. I brought it back and had it exchanged and put the new one in and no problems.

it's pretty easy to do. you slide back the plastic cover, remove i believe 2 10mm bolts that connect the steering column to the box, remove the 2 pump lines, remove the pitman arm (you can rent pullers for free at most parts stores), and then there's 3 bolts (i think 18mm) that attach the box to the frame. it's pretty easy to do.

the box is pretty heavy so you might want to have a helper when reinstalling it to hold it in place so you can get the bolts in.

also, you'll need to jack up the front end when reinstalling and prime the new steering box before firing it up.

 

All these truck take the same steering box, no matter if they are 2wd, 4wd, f100, f150, 250,350. By the time you spend the money on a steering damper, you can probably spend just a little more and put a rebuilt steering box on it. The one I put on cost about $140. A steering damper is not going to help when the bottom seal of the box lets loose and dumps oil all over the place. That's what happens when they get old and wore out.

 

Not quite, There is a difference between Power Steering gearbox and Manual Steering gearboxes obviously.

Other than that, they used the same steering gearbox for over 20 years.

 

Im sure I have enough info now to tackle the job/jobs! The steering
damper (is more of an off road accsessory), & Pop's truck has very
rarely been off pavement since 1995! And that was to help me recover
a white tailed buck I had harvested after work on Larch mtn near Spirit
Lake, & thankfully I was able to get a signal with my Motorola "brick"
cellphone to ask for help! His truck is in need of an engine rebuild so we
will likely do both @ the same time this summer. As soon as the "mud's of
march" are over, & I am done putting the finnishing touches on my old
car to restore it to it's 1990 glory... I will "educate" myself by restoring
my trucks sg box first. Btw, both trucks still have R-12 in them as well &
I (hope) my friend that still has some recycled R-12 will be able to evacu-
ate & recharge Pop's a/c after the task! And thanks again folks, this
site is great!