Pitman Arm Help Needed!

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Sep 22, 2005 | 07:23 PM

Ban_four

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From: Lanett, Alabama

Pitman Arm Help Needed!

Hey guys,

I am finished with my ps/pb conversion with the exception of fitting the pitman arm. I have the original pitman arm from my manual steering 70 f-100, and the donor pitman from a 78 f-150. The arm from the 70 is the proper length and angle but the hole in the geared end is too small by just a very small margine.

The pitman from the 78 fits on the geared end perfectly but the angle to fit with the ball joint is too steep.

Does anyone know where I can get a pitman that will mate up properly or of a fix for this situation?

Sep 22, 2005 | 07:35 PM

thesprocket26

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From: South Central Boise

Go have one of the arms machined to fit. If one is close then they shouldn't charge you too much.

Sep 23, 2005 | 07:19 PM

Ban_four

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From: Lanett, Alabama

Machine shop said they could not replicate the grooves in the gear end of the arm if they enlarged the hole. He offered to cut both the arms I have in half and weld the ends I need together.

He had some reservations about the safety of doing this but said he had done it before.

Were all of the gear ends of the manual pitman arms smaller in diameter then the power steering ones? If I can find a 70-72 Ford with PS would that pitman be the same dementions as my original arm except with a larger gear end to attach to the ps gear?

I am really ready to test my new breaks and ps...please help me get there!

Sep 24, 2005 | 10:40 AM

rebocardo

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From: Atlanta GA

> He offered to cut both the arms I have in half and weld the ends I need together

Never weld a pitman arm. It has to be the strongest item in the steering, not the weakest.

Sep 24, 2005 | 08:24 PM

Ban_four

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From: Lanett, Alabama

Well, my dad did the normal middle-aged blue collar thing in our area this morning (get up early dress in his work uniform even though he is off and meet all the other guys at McDonalds at 6:30 for breakfast) and talked to our local transmition shop owner. This lead to them taking the pitman arm from my 78 donor to the shop heating it up and bending it to match the angle I needed.

I got it this afternoon and installed it with no problem. My steering column is still out being modified. I am really getting excited about running my truck with its improved parts.

Thanks for all of the advice on this and my other threads.

Sep 24, 2005 | 11:25 PM

"Beemer Nut"

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From: "Islander"

Are you referring to both pitman bores not being parallel? On a 72 pitman the ball joint end is forged 30 degrees up vs the spline end. 74 or 75 have the parallel bores, at least the ones i've collected from pick N pulls. If it were me I would remove that "torched" pitman and replace with the correct one that hasn't been heated. A pitman failure after heating is too risky to gamble your life or others, JMO.
.....=o&o>.....

Sep 24, 2005 | 11:40 PM

buffalobob

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people who are certified to weld have welded and heated/modified parts that are more critical than a pitman arm....ya think there might be a few welds when air frames are made/repaired for airplanes?

as long as the person doing the mods - KNOWS what hes doing there is more than one way to solve a problem....its the lay - cobbler that endangers himself and others.

good advice to look for a stock pitman from something else ...that can be used on your truck...but sometimes....there just isnt any other way but have a "real" pro do what you need...the machine shop guy who had "reservations" welding wasnt your man.

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Sep 25, 2005 | 01:09 AM

buffalobob

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Beemer....youre right......your sharing valuable experience reinforced what I said.

A pitman arm is not something you want to modify without being absolutely sure of the result. Only a properly certified welder should be trusted...IF...a stock pitman from something else cant be found to work .....problem is... a pitman is probably a DEALER item & most dealers arent going to let you rummage around their stock .....if they even stock pitmans....soooo what do you do?

Its not surprising to hear about knuckelheads like you mentioned...Im sure many on this site have similar "stories" that they could share.....

gotta take my hat off to the 74 year old though....what in the hell is he doing welding pitmans arms????...at 74 he should be happy he can still contol bowel movements......or can he???...after that RXR crossing incident....maybe not... :-)

....by the way...what is a A&P

Last edited by buffalobob; Sep 25, 2005 at 01:18 AM.

Sep 25, 2005 | 01:17 AM

#10

ivanribic

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From: Spokane, WA

I don't think most people understand the amount of stress that a pitman arm has to contend with. Think about how much force it would take to turn your tire at a stand still if you were to push from the side. Then go in and decrease your amount of leverage by about 50% to compensate for how short a pitman arm is. Day in day out the arm is loaded with incredible force. I wouldn't trust a welded arm, I don't care HOW certified the welder is. Don't even compare this to an air-frame which will not see anywhere NEAR the force that this arm does.

Ban_four, the pitman arm is a cast piece and I really fear the heating/bending method used could weaken it significantly. Try www.nwtonline.com and look for drop pitman arms there. If you don't see the one you need try calling them. It's really far too important a piece to risk breaking.

Sep 25, 2005 | 01:48 AM

#11

460 Crew

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From: at my house

Bulletproof steering has some nice pitman arms. http://bulletproofsteering.com/main.html

Sep 25, 2005 | 02:34 AM

#12

buffalobob

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Ivan ....pitmans are FORGED STEEL

one CANT argue that it IS better to find a custom pitman....but Ban_four has a 1970 f-100..not exactly something that the aftermarket is going to have something for....even the '78 steering box is 28 years old...

Good Luck Ban_Four..Im outta here

Sep 25, 2005 | 05:14 PM

#13

"Beemer Nut"

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From: "Islander"

buffalobob, A&P is for Airframe and Powerplant mechanic which i'm a FAA licensed mechanic. Large commercial aircraft over 12,500# not General Aviation tin cans.
.....=o&o>.....

Sep 25, 2005 | 06:32 PM

#14

Ban_four

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From: Lanett, Alabama

Thanks for all the comments. The pitman that was heated and bent was allowed to cool on its own (I was told that forcefuly cooling heated steel is what weakens it). It seems good but I will proceed with caution. Since this truck is my hobby and not my daily driver, I am going to use the "torched" pitman for now and will continue looking for a good used one.

If anyone has a pitman from a 1969-1972 truck with ford power steering, let me know and we might be able to work out a deal.