Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site - just bought myself a 1976 Ford F-100 a few weeks ago. I've been poking around these forums thinking of what work I want to do on the truck, bought myself some tools, and have basically been loving driving it. I would not normally jump in with a thread right away, without reading more of what's out there, but I worry what I've got on my hands might be a little time sensitive.

The truck is in pretty good shape, largely original, gunked up and some rust but runs strong. It's a V8 automatic (my first automatic in many years, I normally drive a stick shift in cars) with 85k miles, believed to be original.

I put a battery in, replaced the terminals, and decided I'd need to work on the wiring as a first project, but there was one other thing - the steering has a lot of play.

It is drivable for sure, but the country roads around where I live are narrow and a lot of people have large trucks. I found myself slowing down going past other trucks because it is a little difficult to keep it going on a straight.

I know there are a lot of factors that can affect this, but I was lead to believe a minor adjustment to the steering adjustment screw might be a solution to tighten up some play here.

I identified the screw, and tried to turn the nut to loosen it while not moving the screw much. That proved very difficult, as this is one of many fasteners on the truck that is frozen from age and whatever else. I did manage to get it to move, but the nut and the screw essentially move together. I made an adjustment that was a half turn of the screw (originally planning to do a quarter turn), before I realized these pieces didn't move separately without considerable and difficult to apply force - basically I was unable to do what I planned to, whether or not it was misguided.

I tightened it back up at that half turn, and took it for a drive just now after making that change. It felt tighter at first (there was a LOT of play originally), but seemed more loose after a short drive. I also noticed a sound when turning, kind of high pitched, and definitely new. It drives fine, just like it did, but I'm worried that wasn't the right thing to have done.

For one, it didn't fix the problem.

For two, the applying left or right steering is now making a sound that was not there before.

And third, it was more of an adjustment than I intended and I fear I could damage the steering box since I'm new to this!

My question to you fine people is this: I just got some rust eater and am going to try and get that screw and nut so that they can turn separately rather than as one - should I try to set it back where it was (turn it back to its original position)?

I've been doing the research but I'm worried I should do that sooner than later if it makes sense to do, hence my request for advice.

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

Need more info... Power steering? Ram assist? Notta?

Tie rod ends in good shape? Track bar? 2wd? 4wd?

Help us, help you...

And welcome man!

 

Hi Flecker,

Thank you for the welcome! It's power steering, 2wd.

This truck is mostly original, I'm the fourth overall, and the other two non-original gentlemen were recent and short term owners - mostly owned by the original purchaser that was not driving or updating much.

So tie rod ends in good shape... they are pretty rusted. Nothing felt or looked loose but everything needs some love. I am worried I started in the wrong place and don't want to cause damage to something that doesn't need to be replaced. Is it unusual to make adjustments there?

I am getting an old chilton manual from a buddy next week... haha.

 

First off the steering box should not be fooled with, it can be damaged quickly. Start the truck and have someone rotate the steering wheel side to side while you check out all the linkage points and King pins for slop

 

Did you check your rag joint? Steering coupler.

 

Much appreciated advice! Those are the next steps, starting at the beginning. The question is should I keep moving forward with those reasonable steps as is or should I readjust to the starting point before doing that? Like go back to square one or is the damage done? It's only been driven to town and back as a test the way it is - about 10 miles or less. Just curious what the pragmatic minds would do given the situation.

 

The steering gear box is the last thing I examine... Linkage first (includes TRE's, rag joint or ujoint and etc.), then dampener, then axle components. After that the tires and alignment. I would set the box adjustment back and examine everything else first.

 

The steering gear wears in the center where it is located most of the time.If you tighten up that screw you mentioned,it may remove some slop in the center but will put a bind on things as you turn side to side. If your problem actually is the steering box,in reality,tho only fix is a professional rebuild.

 

Do yourself a favor and get a genuine Ford shop manual set for your year, It will contain around 5 books. As the others above have said, I wouldn't reccomend adjusting the steering box. Check linkage and king pins. Unlike modern vehicles dentsides have a lot of grease zerks if you keep them all well greased they will last a long time, if previous owner neglected you may have some parts worn. Inner axel ends and axel trailing arms along with the rag joint can wear being made of rubber.

 

The steering box mesh will tighten up to the left or right as compared to straight ahead. There is a procedure for setting the lash in it. If set just a hair too tight, accelerated wear is the minimum problem. There is a group of ***** in a loop that serve to ease effort, the steering gear has the sector and input shafts machined for the *****.

I tried it, then backed up, undid it, and did what I knew I needed to, bought a remanufactured Red Head Steering box. It was the right choice.

 

When I bought my '73, it was an unrestored two-owner truck with only 86k miles. The tie rods were badly worn, to the point of being dangerous. I could not drive the truck in a straight line. I replaced the entire tie rod assembly. Not much money, not much time, but made a big difference. Easy to check.

As others have mentioned, it's a good idea to check the rag joint, too. If it's bad, the steering will be sloppy. Dangerous, too... if the rag joint fails, you lose all steering control!