I have about a 1/8th play in either direction in my steering wheel and wanted to know if theres an easy fix? its on a '71 E-100.

 

Lube your front end. Ball joints and kingpins.

 

Power steering or what? :/

Get under it and feel/hold of all the places "there could be play" while someone gently rocks the steering wheel back and forth. Find all the sources of the play.

Fix and/or replace all that stuff. It's worth it, the vehicle ain't much good with crappy steering, IMO.

What I found after re-doing -everything- on mine, there was play from the inside of the integral power steering gear. The "sector shaft" would move to the opposite side -before- twisting and turn the pitman arm.

A re-built one was only slightly better.

Took my original apart and realized the bearings were shot.

Funny thing...

The bearings are the cast iron housing.

So after much messing around finally found a machine shop that was setup to "line bore" the power steering gear and press in and ream brass bushings.

Only to find out they couldn't buy the bearings anymore, Ford discontinued them. And they hadn't been able to fix any of them for years. The local bearing shops couldn't come up with any bushings the right size either.

Got on the internet and found the bushing at Emerson Bearings, took the new bushings, my dismantled original steering gear and the invoice for the bearings to the machine shop... and were they ever glad to see me!

That alone (with everything else like-new) reduced the play on my old pickup from over 2+1/2" to less than 1/4".

Alvin in AZ ('75 F150)

ps- In my rear window I want one of those little "pisser boys" and have him pissing on some sort of "Ford Parts Division" symbol. What do you think?

pps- a guy can "fix" slighlty loose ball joints and tie rod ends using a hammer, depending on how good of a hammer mechanic you are.

 

Also the flex coupler between the steering wheel and the steering gear, or a loose Pitman arm (rare and obvious).

One thing that is worth mentioning beforehand. There is an adjustment screw on the side of the steering gear and people assume that it's something that may help. That's the mesh preloading screw, it will not affect slack. It was set right at the factory and if it gets set out of adjustment all that happens is the box is toast in a fairly short period of time. It cannot even be adjusted on the vehicle, so basically if you mess with it the box is screwed.

 

The worst I ever saw was the steering gear was falling off the frame! The two bolts (that were left) were so loose the gear would move over an inch.

It was a cowgirl's pickup. Brown/Yellow '75 F350? camper special with a 460 and the extra long bed with the "side spare" etc.

I drove it half a mile one day and stopped and figured out what the heck was wrong with that sucker. Fixed-on-it right there too!

Double nutted my gear on after that.

Alvin in AZ
ps- much later that pickup "went south" to may-hee-co
pps- I was counting on it as parts for mine