Hi all,
Okay so my 1960 F100 Panel Truck has been laid up for about 5 years, under trees, so sap and moss and spider webs everywhere.
I decide it's time to get her back on the road.
I would love to take my time with her but my workshop is full of other goodies.
I decide it would be a rolling restoration not perfect but serviceable as a daily driver.
Only ever had one problem with her before and that's carb related, I will start a new thread when I get that far. The brakes cylinders are all being renewed as are the hard lines but my issue now is steering.

Forgive me if I get the name of the components wrong, it's an English/American thing.
Bonnet = Hood
Boot = Trunk
Nipple = Zero
Petrol = Gas
Rain Channel = Roof Gutter
And so on

Here goes...
I remember when I last drove her, years ago, the steering was always vague, always wandering and me having to make adjustments with the steering wheel to keep in a straight line.

So the trucks on axle stands under the I beam and I dropped the center bar and fitted new tie rod ends. I checked the kingpins 12 and 6 o' clock, no play the spindles swing back and forth with no effort and no noise, so I grease them up.
Refit center bar and fit a new drag link, pitman arm at 6 o'clock wheels straight, all fits perfect.
I did notice that on each wheel spindle there is a turning circle bolt or turning lock bolt these are set at different lengths but alignment was never an issue.

But now I get in the truck, still on stands, and I turn the steering wheel from lock to lock, to see if it's centred before I get to full lock about half a turn, each way, there is a rumble which I can feel through the steering wheel,
I'm thinking steering box so I center the steering wheel take up the play with the steering box nut and try again.
Same rumble
I'm thinking kingpin bearings I don't know. It's still on axle stands on the I beam I will move the to the chassis rail but not sure that will help.
Maybe I'm missing something polite surgesstions welcome....
Sorry for the novel..

 

wing - fender / drophead - convertible / saloon - sedan / shooting brake - station wagon

The UK and US, two nations separated by a common language. -George Bernard Shaw.

 

Thanks fo that pic,
Today I will remove the axle stands from the I beam and locate them on the chassis rails and remove the drag link from the pitman arm and see how the steering feels in just the box.
That then just leaves the kingpin bearings

 

So back up the workshop today, trucks outside and it's raining hard.
I took the drag link off the pitman arm and the steering feels fine no noise or any vibration through the column. Slight tighter spot when it's coming to centre but not sticking at all. Loose near each full lock and with little effort the wheel will spin the last turn and a half to full lock, seems okay to me
I couldn't move the pitman arm by hand but I guess that's normal.
The front wheels connected by the centre link turn lock to lock easy with no noise or vibration at all, but then there is no weight on them I guess.
I didn't bother to hook the drag link back on I was going to see if anyone had any suggestion regarding the rumble I can feel on the steering wheel.
I think it must be the passenger thrust bearing as the kingpins don't show any sign if wear

 

That almost sounds like a bad bearing in the steering box, either one of the two worm shaft or possibly the sector gear bearings and may not be as noticeable with the pitman arm removed and no load. Did you check the fluid level?
Also the sector shaft bushings are notorious for wearing out.

 

Thanks for that,
Makes sense that there is no vibration with no load on the pitman arm.
I will order two bearings, pitman seal and how many sector shaft seals will I need?

 

Also there was no fluid in it, I put in EP90

 

You need two sector bushings #3576 and sector shaft seal #3591 as in the picture Bill provided. Try attaching the pitman arm so all the front linkage is in load and have some one turn the steering wheel back and forth and watch the pitman arm and sector shaft to see if there is any movement other then circular, if it also move up/down or left/right the bushings are shot. Ask me how I know, I have replaced mine several times over the years LOL. Another option would be to buy a complete rebuild kit which will include a new worm and sector gear, and all the bearings, bushings, seals and shims they are about $250

#90 weight is fine

 

1957/60 F100/250 2WD: Who sells a rebuild kit for this steering gear box? The steering shaft/worm and sector shaft were Ford dealer parts only.

No Ford dealer or obsolete parts vendor has the sector shaft (B7C-3575-A). All the other gearbox "wear" parts are available NOS including the steering shaft/worm (B7C-3524-A).

 

I believe the kits at Midfifty.com include a sector gear, not the complete sector shaft assembly. I thought they had worm gears but I see they don't
https://midfifty.com/item.php?INV_ID...or-roller-gear

Carpenter has a kit that also includes a worm gear, no shaft.
https://www.dennis-carpenter.com/en/...ox-rebuild-kit

 

No Ford dealer or obsolete parts vendor has B7C-3575-A .. Sector Shaft / Obsolete

B7C-3524-A .. Steering Shaft & Worm / Obsolete

GREEN SALES has 3 .. CARPENTER has 101
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Pic: B7C-3504-A .. Steering Gear - Parts List #1

I looked yesterday: 3524/3552/3553/(2)3571/(2)3576/3581/3591/3738 are all available NOS

 

Sorry didn't get back to you yesterday couldn't get a cursor to type a anything.
Up the workshop today manage to grease all the kingpin zerks as one would not take any grease, removed zerk that was fine and so I dug out the hole and sprayed GT40 in it them replaced zerk and bingo grease flowing.through. I got that tip from this forum so happy....
The kingpins are fine no play in any direction the ball joints all replaced so yes steering box.
The pitman arm is still on the box and so I got a buddy to turn the steering wheel whilst I tried to hold the pitman arm. There is no play in any direction on the pitman arm when I try to move it, but once my buddy started to turn the steering wheel we both felt it, a rumble like a guards baton on a prisoners cell or a stick along a correguted roof sheet. It was on the same two places, near each end of the complete steering movement, about a full turn from either sides full lock.
I ordered the two bearing and the two seals, thats all Rock Auto stock
The rumble lasts for about 3 bumps and then the last full turn is fine, just those two places for about half a turn if the steering wheel.each side.

 

I got a Parr number of the steering shaft so It may have been a Ford dealer replacement at some time

Well I found the problem with my steering..
this is the worm at the end of the shaft, what do you guys call it?
I think I need a new one, this one has a keyway are they cold pressed on?



I've ordered two new bearings although mine seem good also ordered two seals one for the pitman arm which I can see needs replacing the other a sector shaft seal, but there were no other seals in the box so I guess that must slide on the shaft the pitman arm attaches to before it's dropped in the box.
The other worm, sorry don't know it's name and the bushings all look good.
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Whats the best way to go about this, I need the shaft worm and I need to know where the sector seal fits I don't really want a whole rebuild kit just now if I can get away with it.


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Quick update C & G Ford spares have the shaft worm gear so I will order one, may as well get my 51 hood springs as well.
I will keep my sector shaft roller so just need to know where the sector seal fits in
I appreciate NumberDummy' s exploded diagram but I only have a phone no pc so when I expand the pic I can't see or read anythingclearly

 

That was my other fear, a chipped gear. That can be caused by several things, excessive wear, maybe from a lack of lube, adjustment on the sector shaft play or bad bearings letting the worm over ride the sector gear. What ever the cause I would replace both gears, worm and sector. The best I remember there is only one seal for the sector shaft, it goes in from the outside of the box were the sector shaft exits, replace before putting the sector shaft in.
If you look at the kits they contain many gaskets for the end cover of the worm shaft, they are various thickness that can be mixed and matched to set the worm bearing preload.