Redhead steering box
Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 7,192
Likes: 384
From: Near Los Angeles
If you want to get enough members to participate you should post a notice on the other forums of this site.
Trending Topics
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 6,636
Likes: 349
From: Albuquerque
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
3 Best / 3 Worst Parts of Modern Ford Ownership
Brett Foote
10 Amazing Upgrades That Solve Common Ford Truck Owner Headaches
Pouria Savadkouei
Every 2026 Ford Engine Explained
Brett Foote
10 Ugly Ford Trucks That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
10 Things Every Truck Owner NEEDS (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,839
Likes: 2,612
From: The Shenandoah Valley
I was just going to suggest setting it up like the past one where a group of dates was set about 3-4 weeks or more out .... to give all interested time to "get their ducks in a row" so to speak.
I got in on a group buy last year so I'm good, we busted the 36 threashold a good deal, and yes .... $60 off. The days to call in and order were set up as a Mon - Wed, I called Monday AM and ordered for my '77 F150 4x4, they had one in stock, it showed up here in Va. from Seattle on Wednesday and it's a big steering box, crammed in a largest "if it fits it ships" USPS box. I installed that Friday and the following week sent the core back and was credited for it in a couple days. Great people to deal with .... a great product they offer too!
For any who may look and wonder why the hoopla over "Red Head Steering"? ....
I've owned my '77 since 1986 when she had just 35,000 miles, by then the original "inverted Y" steering linkage was worn bad at both tie rod ends and drag link / pittman arm joints and bump steer was aweful. I almost immediately changed the steering between box and spindles using '78-79 style pittman arm, drag link, and tie rod ends (plus adj sleeve).
Change was great, huge even, no more bump steer, definitely a superior setup.
I soon also changed in a 14 pc poly bushing kit, it helped (by tightening up worn C bushings and adding some caster), didn't hurt for sure, and it lasts and lasts. Old girl steered pretty good and we took her on some road trips even. Camping along Atlantic shore, Vermont to get a Triumph MC, several trips to Ga to visit and haul stuff either down or back home, and I put a bunch of miles on her when building my house.
Over the time and miles however, she picked up a steadily increasing wandering to her steering.
A few years ago I had a buddy who is a mechanic suggest tightening up my box's adjustment 1/4 or 1/2 turn, that did not really help and just made it tight off center so it would not return to center so good, I reset back to original position.
Then about 2011 I noticed some very slight movement in the drag link mounted ball joint at pittman arm, I replaced with Moog again (the tie rod ends on this set up only move when steered, the drag link ball joints at both ends operate at bumps and steering so it is expected they wear some) .... helped but still not great.
Still, she wandered a little (or a lot) and I knew everything was like new tight, even new rag joint and a solid U joint still. I always figured the play was just a fact of life with my steering box, even though it did not leak and only had something over 100K miles. Over the years I had read of "Red Head Steering" and wanted one to try but just never justified the $$$ until I decided to keep the old girl for sure last year (2012). I had read their info, called and talked to a gentleman there, knew they added some bearings and fitted ***** and etc . So I took the plunge then last December .... and for the first time in many years, the old girl is a fun driving truck.
I got in on a group buy last year so I'm good, we busted the 36 threashold a good deal, and yes .... $60 off. The days to call in and order were set up as a Mon - Wed, I called Monday AM and ordered for my '77 F150 4x4, they had one in stock, it showed up here in Va. from Seattle on Wednesday and it's a big steering box, crammed in a largest "if it fits it ships" USPS box. I installed that Friday and the following week sent the core back and was credited for it in a couple days. Great people to deal with .... a great product they offer too!
For any who may look and wonder why the hoopla over "Red Head Steering"? ....
I've owned my '77 since 1986 when she had just 35,000 miles, by then the original "inverted Y" steering linkage was worn bad at both tie rod ends and drag link / pittman arm joints and bump steer was aweful. I almost immediately changed the steering between box and spindles using '78-79 style pittman arm, drag link, and tie rod ends (plus adj sleeve).
Change was great, huge even, no more bump steer, definitely a superior setup.
I soon also changed in a 14 pc poly bushing kit, it helped (by tightening up worn C bushings and adding some caster), didn't hurt for sure, and it lasts and lasts. Old girl steered pretty good and we took her on some road trips even. Camping along Atlantic shore, Vermont to get a Triumph MC, several trips to Ga to visit and haul stuff either down or back home, and I put a bunch of miles on her when building my house.
Over the time and miles however, she picked up a steadily increasing wandering to her steering.
A few years ago I had a buddy who is a mechanic suggest tightening up my box's adjustment 1/4 or 1/2 turn, that did not really help and just made it tight off center so it would not return to center so good, I reset back to original position.
Then about 2011 I noticed some very slight movement in the drag link mounted ball joint at pittman arm, I replaced with Moog again (the tie rod ends on this set up only move when steered, the drag link ball joints at both ends operate at bumps and steering so it is expected they wear some) .... helped but still not great.
Still, she wandered a little (or a lot) and I knew everything was like new tight, even new rag joint and a solid U joint still. I always figured the play was just a fact of life with my steering box, even though it did not leak and only had something over 100K miles. Over the years I had read of "Red Head Steering" and wanted one to try but just never justified the $$$ until I decided to keep the old girl for sure last year (2012). I had read their info, called and talked to a gentleman there, knew they added some bearings and fitted ***** and etc . So I took the plunge then last December .... and for the first time in many years, the old girl is a fun driving truck.
FTE Legend
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 32,875
Likes: 48
From: Northeast, OK
Found this:
From their website...
Red-Head Steering Gears, Seattle WA - Red-Head Steering Gears Home
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.
Some original housings are manufactured without bushing or bearings. This is commonly seen in some Ford gears and Chrysler Corp. gears. We rebore these units and install needle bearings.
We use only the highest quality seals. All our seals are either O.E.M. or produced by two high quality, long time suppliers of our industry.
There is no substitute for experience. Harvey, the owner and lead technician, has been remanufacturing steering gears for 21 years and many, many thousands of units.
Probably the most unique and important thing we do is custom fit every single worm and piston assembly with new precision fit steel *****. This is a process not matched by any other company in the industry. This process is very important. The machining tolerances of the original manufacturing leave a small and varying amount of play that can be corrected in no other way.
Why don't other builders do this? It is expensive and time consuming to set up. This is one of the reasons you may find another unit somewhere else for less money but the quality cannot be beat. This is why we proudly declare that we are "Not the Biggest... Just the Best!"
Red-Head Steering Gears, Seattle WA - Red-Head Steering Gears Home
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.
Some original housings are manufactured without bushing or bearings. This is commonly seen in some Ford gears and Chrysler Corp. gears. We rebore these units and install needle bearings.
We use only the highest quality seals. All our seals are either O.E.M. or produced by two high quality, long time suppliers of our industry.
There is no substitute for experience. Harvey, the owner and lead technician, has been remanufacturing steering gears for 21 years and many, many thousands of units.
Probably the most unique and important thing we do is custom fit every single worm and piston assembly with new precision fit steel *****. This is a process not matched by any other company in the industry. This process is very important. The machining tolerances of the original manufacturing leave a small and varying amount of play that can be corrected in no other way.
Why don't other builders do this? It is expensive and time consuming to set up. This is one of the reasons you may find another unit somewhere else for less money but the quality cannot be beat. This is why we proudly declare that we are "Not the Biggest... Just the Best!"