It is difficult to find detailed posts about repairing the frame at the box. My repair is done with the engine in the truck, and all body parts in place, from under the truck. I hope this helps others.

I finally did my frame brace patch at the steering box. In the past couple of years I have gone through the entire steering system, column, bushings, k.pins, tie rods, everything, and came away from each phase disappointed. The column was last, along with the RedHead box. I swear those improvements made my truck dangerous.

After all the improvements I was not able to eliminate the bump steer--albeit the free play between the bumps decreased. It was scary on the freeway.

So... it was time to do the frame brace. I have been dreading it. I collected plate from the local yard. Their scrap is cheap. I also bought some thick wall 5/8" tubing to span the distance from one side of frame to the other.

What happens with these old trucks is the bolts holding the box to the frame get loose and then the box torques around and causes damage, cracks the frame in some cases, oblongs the bolt holes is the least damage. I was lucky. In the photo below you can see the drill bit is 7/16", the diameter of the oem bolts.



I was lucky because there was no cracks. I decided to not weld on a plate. I had good oem steel frame on both sides. I simply drilled the alreader large holes to 5/8" and cut the tubing I had to 3" lengths, leaving enough over hang on both sides to put a weld on, and slipped the tube through the holes.



It was also needed to drill the inside of each tube to 7/16 to allow the bolts to pass through without freeplay.



I cleaned, ground each area clean, and welded. I found that my little 120v wire feed was ample. It should be noted that there is a lot of grease/oil in the frame where you're going to be welding, and there is also a fuel line, so use caution. I kept a squirt bottle handy.

The only issues are fitment. Because the tubes have to be left protruding slightly on either side for welding, the box is moved slightly to the right of vehicle, and that makes a problem with the rag joint, and a lesser fitment issue with the p/steering lines, but merely takes some messing to get them.

IMPROVEMENT: Just rolling forward and back in the driveway 5 feet while turning the wheel to bleed the system I could feel a major difference. I should have it on the road today and will post the results of a road test.

I would have finished it in one day but it takes a lot of time to get the rag joint and the p/steering lines connected. For those of you considering doing it, it is a lot of work, but doable if you have basic tools. If a plate had been needed I would have had to take it to a shop to have them weld up the thick stuff that were too much for my little 120v.

I should also mention that I didn't want to risk the same thing happening again with the oem bolts getting loose, so I bought 4 1/2" x 7/16" grade 8 bolt with crimp nuts. To use those I drilled out the threaded mounting holes on the box, ground enough out of the housing to allow the bolt head to seat, and ran the bolts all the way through with the lock nut on the outside of the frame.

Oh, and then I went and had one of these:

 

Thanks for the write up and pictures. This will definitely help people who are having similar problems.
Reps sent .

 

While doing the work and looking at the design of the box, with the long shaft housing that sits nearly vertical, connected to the box, I could see why many who re-do their trucks prefer the boxes from later years, or a GM box. This old design must put tremendous stress on the pitman arm shaft, and that oem bushing at the end. Thankfully, my bushing was replaced with bearings at Redhead.

 

Road test: Now that I have driven the truck I am happy to report that my steering is tight. Fixing the frame was the last in a line of repairs that helped the steering: Column, rag joint, bushings, king pins, tie rods (moog), Redhead box, etc. When I drive it now I can't believe how well it steers. Maybe I should put it in perspective for you by illustrating how poorly it steered when I first bought the truck for $1k. Driving in the right hand lane on a highway, with about 2 feet between me and the parked vehicles, I could not help getting so close that I hit mirrors with another truck.

This and converting to disc brakes with hydroboost are the best mods I've done to the truck.

 

Nice job. I did a similar fix with Betty while doing my steering conversion. I did use a Saginaw box though. By giving the bolts a heavier wall tube for support I doubt that you'll ever have an issue again as long as the bolts remain tight. I will attest to the night and day difference. I have also yet to have my bolts loosen. Before I had to tighten the steering box mounting bolts every couple hundred miles.

 

I'm curious. Where did you mount the box, and exactly what type (year) box did you use and why. Thx

 

While my engine was out I went back and braced up the frame around the box. But I made an error that I want others to know about so they don't make the same mistake. When you run the metal tubes through the frame, on the engine side they have to terminate flush with the wall of the frame so that the steering box remains in the oem location. That means that if you brace the frame on the engine side with a plate, you need to cut the plate so it fits inside the frame, and then weld it up. I didn't do that and so have had to use a double U joint to connect box to column. That made the column stick an extra 3" into the cab, etc, etc. I'm tired of the mickey mouse-ness, and am now having to go back and redo it. It the pic below you'll see the wrong way. It should not, as I stated, sit on the outside of the rail. Cut so that the plate is inserted between the top and bottom rails, 1/4" further in than the end of the tubes.

Attachment 278842

 

So, I originally tried to weld a plate to the frame on the engine compartment side. That was a mistake. The tubes have to protrude about 1/4" through the plate to weld them. That meant that my steering box got moved about 1/2" toward the passenger side of the truck. Okay, no problem, right? Well, yes, big problem. The oem rag joint from column shaft to steering box spline no longer lines up. No prob., right? So I bought a double U joint and put the column on. But the double U makes the column stick 4" further into the cab. Crap. Enough!!!!! I cut off the old and redid it right.

 

This will take off the stress on the pitman arm shaft. https://www.solomotorsports.com/shop...shear-adapter/

 

X2 on that above link, FYI it is only the threaded piece (that goes on the end of the sector shaft). You have to still source your own 3/4 heim or uniball. And the rest of the brackety to brace it off. Pic your size for the other end/brace tubing. https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com...g/RODENDS.html



How do I know it only comes with the threaded part.....

And you can see my black 4 hole Duff steering box brace. Yes I only mounted it with the 3 original box mount bolts. https://www.jamesduff.com/ And its not on their online catalog, you have to call and ask for it .

 

Rich, what happened to your big lock-washer for the pitman arm nut?

Paul

 

I was still in the "reassembly phase" of the steering box replacement. And was doing some "fit" testing to see if I really wanted to use that piece from Solo.

When you add that Solo piece you now have even more low hanging fruit to take a beating. Yes it would be braced, but not at a protective angle. More like 90* off going to the cross member or other frame rail. I am working on a bolt on sector shaft/pitman arm connection area "skid plate"..... so to speak. Make sense?

 

I wanted to place 'wrong way' and 'right way' photos in the same post, so others would know and maybe save themselves a bit of work. Below is with the plate on the engine side of the frame mounted on the outside of the frame rail. Wrong way.

Attachment 278842

You have to place the plate about a quarter of an inch inside the frame, between the top and bottom rails, and the metal brace tubes should not protrude past the edge of the frame. By that I mean that if you placed a ruler touching the top and bottom rails of the frame simultaneously, the tubes would not stick out further than the rulers edge. As below. Correct way.

Attachment 282152


Because with the old plate welded to the outside of the frame, the steering box sat about 1/2" closer to the engine. That meant that the column shaft and the box shaft did not align. So I had to use this below, a double U joint.

But that made the column stick 6" further than oem into the cab, and that drove me crazy. I am very happy to return it to oem, except for this great bearing below.

Attachment 281047

It was a great feeling to slide the column in and see it align perfectly with the rag joint.

 

Question:
If one had:
1. Chamfered the holes on the inner frame box prior to installing the pipes,
2. Fitted the pipe, then welded (HOT) the fittings and filled the chamfer with weld
3. Ground the "new" pipes flush with the plate

Might that have worked to prevent modifying the frame box? Asking honestly. I'm looking at doing the same thing, but I'm hoping to avoid messing with the factory frame boxing.

Thanks!
-jb

 

Dunno. Might have worked. But I don't know if the tubes would insert with the oem 'brace' still in the frame. The brace would not allow the tubes to be inserted. Also, my brace and inner frame piece were cracked and welded so many times that I really wanted get it out of there and start anew.
Attachment 278282
Attachment 278283

Don't do any long vertical welds that will weaken the frame. Good luck.