Steering box questions
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7th Gear
Joined: Oct 2019
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Steering box questions
My steering box has begun leaking out of the upper seal. I am debating buying a remanufactured one for $210 vs sending my current one to Redhead or Blue Top for $326 plus shipping. I was wondering if anyone had experience with either of these routes or had any recommendations! Thanks!
Moderator & parts slinger
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 50,193
Likes: 5,793
From: S/W Missouri, Polk county
If the internals are ok just replace the input seal. But if the box is worn out internally and has slop/play save yourself $210 of wasted time and effort and just get the Redhead or Blue top. Both have an excellent reputations. A reman box from a parts house not so much....
The input shaft seal (F3AZ-3E502-A)....what you need. Sector shaft (out put) (D7AZ-3E501-A) seal kits are available from Ford and auto parts stores.
Seal kit, steering gear sector shaft
Parts list #64, With gear ID SPA-AB, AJ, AN, BN, BS, BX, CC, CN
Basically this covers all 73-79 2WD F100-350 w/powersteering
D7AZ-3E501-A.. Sector Shaft Seal Kit
Last dealer cost $29.41 List $43.71
So try the dealership.
Parts International, Farmers Branch, TX has 50 (972) 241-8730
Green Sales, Cincinnati, OH has 19 (800) 543-4959
Manderbach Ford, Temple, PA has 5 (610) 929-3683
Freese Motor Inc., Monticello, IA has 4 (319) 465-3541
Herb Chambers Ford, Westboro, MA has 2 (508) 366-8311
Steering box input seal…piece of cake 30 minutes 78 F250. Try dealership OR……Autozone part # 8520 $8.99 in stock.
Ford part # F3AZ-3E502-AInput Shaft Seal Kit…
Undo bolt at rag joint, remove plastic cover on steering column (in cab) loosen steering column bolts (2 bolts to dash) pull up on column and disconnect rag joint from steering box.
Drill small hole in dust seal on steering box & screw a screw in and remove seal remove snap ring, drill hole in seal remove with screw. Replace seal, snap ring, dust seal and reconnect steering column.
The input shaft seal (F3AZ-3E502-A)....what you need. Sector shaft (out put) (D7AZ-3E501-A) seal kits are available from Ford and auto parts stores.
Seal kit, steering gear sector shaft
Parts list #64, With gear ID SPA-AB, AJ, AN, BN, BS, BX, CC, CN
Basically this covers all 73-79 2WD F100-350 w/powersteering
D7AZ-3E501-A.. Sector Shaft Seal Kit
Last dealer cost $29.41 List $43.71
So try the dealership.
Parts International, Farmers Branch, TX has 50 (972) 241-8730
Green Sales, Cincinnati, OH has 19 (800) 543-4959
Manderbach Ford, Temple, PA has 5 (610) 929-3683
Freese Motor Inc., Monticello, IA has 4 (319) 465-3541
Herb Chambers Ford, Westboro, MA has 2 (508) 366-8311
Steering box input seal…piece of cake 30 minutes 78 F250. Try dealership OR……Autozone part # 8520 $8.99 in stock.
Ford part # F3AZ-3E502-AInput Shaft Seal Kit…
Undo bolt at rag joint, remove plastic cover on steering column (in cab) loosen steering column bolts (2 bolts to dash) pull up on column and disconnect rag joint from steering box.
Drill small hole in dust seal on steering box & screw a screw in and remove seal remove snap ring, drill hole in seal remove with screw. Replace seal, snap ring, dust seal and reconnect steering column.
Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 7,879
Likes: 2,367
Unless it drives great I'd just get it rebuilt. seals are just the most obvious worn out parts.
Redhead is at the top of the food chain I use nobody else. I guess blue top is a disgruntled employeee who left redhead and they say they do a good job as well. I can't say on that but I can vouch for redhead . you get what you pay for , the cheap rebuilds just fix whatever they can with cheap parts and labor and hope it holds together. redhead remanufactures them with tolerances as tight or tighter than new.
Redhead is at the top of the food chain I use nobody else. I guess blue top is a disgruntled employeee who left redhead and they say they do a good job as well. I can't say on that but I can vouch for redhead . you get what you pay for , the cheap rebuilds just fix whatever they can with cheap parts and labor and hope it holds together. redhead remanufactures them with tolerances as tight or tighter than new.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,808
Likes: 2,604
From: The Shenandoah Valley
I posted this in 2015:
Last year I addressed some looseness I felt creeping in, turned out that it was a loosened up pitman arm bolt due to cracked lock washer ... and the nut behind the steering wheel adapter had loosened up (I guess as the aluminum adapter seated on the steering shaft) so I went back to old OEM wheel with steel center, but that proved a hair too big when my elbow hit my new DIY door panel with arm rest (I had actually placed the arm rest a inch or so closer in without realizing it), so I got a new adapter and put the 14.5" wheel back on. This put things back so that with arm on arm rest, my left fingers rest on the steering wheel, very comfortable and steady. The Red Head Steering box is still tight & still a joy to me.
I have had my '77 F150 4x4 since 1986 and it was a 35,000-mile truck when purchased but the tie rod ends were sloppy. It is 4X4 and had the inverted Y steering. I swapped out everything from and including pitman arm to both tie rod ends totally to update to '78-79 style. The elimination of toe changes with every dip, rise, bump, etc greatly improved the steering then, but she still never had a tight feel. In the early years it wasn't so bad as all my cars and my police car also had recirculating ball steering .... but with time and wear and etc .... and the advent of more rack and pinion steering on other vehicles, I almost stopped driving the '77.
It just wasn't "fun" to drive as once she was. In 2012 I replaced the drag link again also as it had worn some at the pitman arm (ball joints are tight still at 102K as are the tie rods ends installed in 1986). I had played with the steering adjustment to no avail and returned it to stock setting. I had read of these Red Head Steering boxes and for several years considered one.
Thinking I'd sell it, I put it off ...... then decided I wasn't gonna give it away, so ...... on Dec 3rd, 2012, I ordered a Red Head Steering PS box and it showed up in Va in my driveway Dec 5th and I installed it Dec 7th. After a few days, I sent the old box back west via "if it fits it ships" 12x12x6 box, reinforced in the corners too .... and on the 17th my credit card was credited with the core charge. Fast and painless service is what I call it.
WOW .... my old '77 had NEVER driven this good. It's like a new "old" truck. I actually enjoy driving it now. The addition of a more modern sized 14.5" steering wheel was icing on the cake. I should have done it years ago. Now, she's up over 105,000 and she drives "super", I love what this box did for her!
It just wasn't "fun" to drive as once she was. In 2012 I replaced the drag link again also as it had worn some at the pitman arm (ball joints are tight still at 102K as are the tie rods ends installed in 1986). I had played with the steering adjustment to no avail and returned it to stock setting. I had read of these Red Head Steering boxes and for several years considered one.
Thinking I'd sell it, I put it off ...... then decided I wasn't gonna give it away, so ...... on Dec 3rd, 2012, I ordered a Red Head Steering PS box and it showed up in Va in my driveway Dec 5th and I installed it Dec 7th. After a few days, I sent the old box back west via "if it fits it ships" 12x12x6 box, reinforced in the corners too .... and on the 17th my credit card was credited with the core charge. Fast and painless service is what I call it.
WOW .... my old '77 had NEVER driven this good. It's like a new "old" truck. I actually enjoy driving it now. The addition of a more modern sized 14.5" steering wheel was icing on the cake. I should have done it years ago. Now, she's up over 105,000 and she drives "super", I love what this box did for her!
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