Better steering?
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2013
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Hello all. I'm having play on my steering wheel. I did do a 4x4 conversion on my 79. But I'm thinking my gear box is what's at fault for giving me that play. My steering shaft looks good. Rag joint does also. And all my steering linkage does too. I put all new bushing and joints in, at the time of the swap. Would a new red head gear box fix this? Or is there something else I can upgrade. I don't have shocks on my steering linkage maybe that? Thanks for all the help
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 3,417
Likes: 32
If you have eliminated your axle ball joints, drag link, and tie rod as possible areas of play. You are left with the steering shaft and box. I would suggest an upgrade to a red head box and a steering shaft that comprises of u joints, rather than a rag joint.
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,135
Likes: 5,778
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
X on what he said, time for a Red Head up grade and then since you are going down the road might as well take the last bit of chance out and upgrade to a Borgeson steering shaft.
Borgeson Universal Company :: Ford Truck 1970-04
Ck the Borgeson site and with Summit and Jegs for maybe a better deal $ wise.
Have you at least tried to adjust the play out of the steering box? Might make it better while waiting on the Red head box to arrive?
Advice from the FTE archives. FYI make very SMALL adjustments! For the steering - Start by adjusting the slack adjuster - it will be a locknut over what appears to be a bolt with a screwdriver slot. Put a screwdriver into the slot to hold it and back off the locknut. Slowly turn the screwdriver clockwise while rotating the steering shaft back and forth until there's very little to no play. Hold adjustment bolt and tighten the locknut. With power steering this is done with the engine running. Once the slack is adjusted out of the steering box, look at the top of the steering column (still under the hood) under the master cylinder. There's a heavy fiber washer (sometimes referred to as a rag joint) (1/2 ton only) that makes a coupling in the column, usually this is worn out and the cause for excessive steering play.
Steering adj #2 all you have to do is on the steering box you will see a threaded screw with a jamb nut keeping it locked down. put a screw driver on the screw and loosen the jamb nut, then with the jamb nut loose , tighten the screw till it stops, then back off counter clockwise for one full turn, then holding the screw, lock down the jamb nut. take the truck for a ride and see how it feels, if it is still too sloppy, loosen the jamb nut and turn clockwise a quarter of a turn and retighten the jamb nut. if the steering is too hard or feels like its binding , hold the jamb nut and loosen the set screw a quarter of a turn from your initial setting.
Borgeson Universal Company :: Ford Truck 1970-04
Ck the Borgeson site and with Summit and Jegs for maybe a better deal $ wise.
Have you at least tried to adjust the play out of the steering box? Might make it better while waiting on the Red head box to arrive?
Advice from the FTE archives. FYI make very SMALL adjustments! For the steering - Start by adjusting the slack adjuster - it will be a locknut over what appears to be a bolt with a screwdriver slot. Put a screwdriver into the slot to hold it and back off the locknut. Slowly turn the screwdriver clockwise while rotating the steering shaft back and forth until there's very little to no play. Hold adjustment bolt and tighten the locknut. With power steering this is done with the engine running. Once the slack is adjusted out of the steering box, look at the top of the steering column (still under the hood) under the master cylinder. There's a heavy fiber washer (sometimes referred to as a rag joint) (1/2 ton only) that makes a coupling in the column, usually this is worn out and the cause for excessive steering play.
Steering adj #2 all you have to do is on the steering box you will see a threaded screw with a jamb nut keeping it locked down. put a screw driver on the screw and loosen the jamb nut, then with the jamb nut loose , tighten the screw till it stops, then back off counter clockwise for one full turn, then holding the screw, lock down the jamb nut. take the truck for a ride and see how it feels, if it is still too sloppy, loosen the jamb nut and turn clockwise a quarter of a turn and retighten the jamb nut. if the steering is too hard or feels like its binding , hold the jamb nut and loosen the set screw a quarter of a turn from your initial setting.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
From: AL
X on what he said, time for a Red Head up grade and then since you are going down the road might as well take the last bit of chance out and upgrade to a Borgeson steering shaft.
Borgeson Universal Company :: Ford Truck 1970-04
Ck the Borgeson site and with Summit and Jegs for maybe a better deal $ wise.
Have you at least tried to adjust the play out of the steering box? Might make it better while waiting on the Red head box to arrive?
Advice from the FTE archives. FYI make very SMALL adjustments! For the steering - Start by adjusting the slack adjuster - it will be a locknut over what appears to be a bolt with a screwdriver slot. Put a screwdriver into the slot to hold it and back off the locknut. Slowly turn the screwdriver clockwise while rotating the steering shaft back and forth until there's very little to no play. Hold adjustment bolt and tighten the locknut. With power steering this is done with the engine running. Once the slack is adjusted out of the steering box, look at the top of the steering column (still under the hood) under the master cylinder. There's a heavy fiber washer (sometimes referred to as a rag joint) (1/2 ton only) that makes a coupling in the column, usually this is worn out and the cause for excessive steering play.
Steering adj #2 all you have to do is on the steering box you will see a threaded screw with a jamb nut keeping it locked down. put a screw driver on the screw and loosen the jamb nut, then with the jamb nut loose , tighten the screw till it stops, then back off counter clockwise for one full turn, then holding the screw, lock down the jamb nut. take the truck for a ride and see how it feels, if it is still too sloppy, loosen the jamb nut and turn clockwise a quarter of a turn and retighten the jamb nut. if the steering is too hard or feels like its binding , hold the jamb nut and loosen the set screw a quarter of a turn from your initial setting.
Borgeson Universal Company :: Ford Truck 1970-04
Ck the Borgeson site and with Summit and Jegs for maybe a better deal $ wise.
Have you at least tried to adjust the play out of the steering box? Might make it better while waiting on the Red head box to arrive?
Advice from the FTE archives. FYI make very SMALL adjustments! For the steering - Start by adjusting the slack adjuster - it will be a locknut over what appears to be a bolt with a screwdriver slot. Put a screwdriver into the slot to hold it and back off the locknut. Slowly turn the screwdriver clockwise while rotating the steering shaft back and forth until there's very little to no play. Hold adjustment bolt and tighten the locknut. With power steering this is done with the engine running. Once the slack is adjusted out of the steering box, look at the top of the steering column (still under the hood) under the master cylinder. There's a heavy fiber washer (sometimes referred to as a rag joint) (1/2 ton only) that makes a coupling in the column, usually this is worn out and the cause for excessive steering play.
Steering adj #2 all you have to do is on the steering box you will see a threaded screw with a jamb nut keeping it locked down. put a screw driver on the screw and loosen the jamb nut, then with the jamb nut loose , tighten the screw till it stops, then back off counter clockwise for one full turn, then holding the screw, lock down the jamb nut. take the truck for a ride and see how it feels, if it is still too sloppy, loosen the jamb nut and turn clockwise a quarter of a turn and retighten the jamb nut. if the steering is too hard or feels like its binding , hold the jamb nut and loosen the set screw a quarter of a turn from your initial setting.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 144
Likes: 1
From: Front Range & Gunnison
From an earlier thread;
I called RedHead today. The guy I talked with said that 'you won't do any damage by over tightening, but it will start to wander on you again, and likely a bit worse than before". He was non-committal on how long it would take, but I gathered it would be a couple of months or so. So it may be a stop-gap measure to replacing the steering box, but one that IS effective in the short term.
shanes666charger, Ya it moved/turned....ive been staring at it trying to figure a way to stop the thing from leaking w/o having to drop $400+ on a quality rebuild and a half days labor for the swapout( i have a core/spare that is rebuildable)... and I noticed the position of the slot in the abjustment stud/screw was it a different position than it was a couple days ago.... This isnt my first truck or my first set of tools. By no means am i a rocket scientist.... but im no idiot either...Im just looking for some adjustment info/specs if there available..... SOMEONE in this world has to know something....I think...
anyway thanks for the input. ideas and concerns...eric
anyway thanks for the input. ideas and concerns...eric
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