My steering column has a lot of play in it so I'm going to rebuild it. I've found the bearings on Dennis Carpenter's, but no picture of how it all goes together. They note a bottom bearing cup that is welded in. Does the steering shaft come out the top or the bottom? How tough is it to do the rebuild. I have very limited access to the bottom of the column in the engine bay.

Peter

 

Pull the column. Four bolts under thE dash and the bracket on the firewall. thEn jus take loose the rag joint bolts and unplug the wire harness. As to your question the shaft comes out the bottom.

 

Can you replace the bearings without taking the shaft out? Can you disconnect the steering wheel and drop the shaft out the bottom?

Peter

 

Pull the steering wheel...at the top of the column in the upper flange are one bearing and plastic retainer.

These two parts may be all you need to fix the problem, maybe not.

These two parts are still available from Ford

C3DZ3517A.. Bearing / MSRP: $3.75 / ftepartsguy.com price: $ 2.70

B1AZ3518A .. Retainer / MSRP: $ 2.33 / fteparts guy's price: $ 1.68.

At the bottom of the column is another bearing and retainer, the column needs to be pulled to replace these.

D0AZ3517A.. Bearing-Steering Column lower ~ 4WD only

C6TZ3518A.. Retainer-Steering Column Bearing-lower ~ 4WD only

(1965/72 2WD's use the same parts top & bottom)

There's no such thing as a bearing retainer that needs to be welded in, that total BS!

I have the parts catalog illustration, the lower retainer for the bearing nestles in between the mast jacket and the steering shaft.

Illustration: For $22.00 you can buy a CD copy of the 1964/72 Ford Truck Parts Catalog from hipoparts.com, also sold on ebay.

Every part is illustrated, so the catalog can also be used as an assembly/dis-assembly manual.

Parts catalog exploded view (illustration) of the 4WD steering column: Section 35, page 9.

 

But if there's a lot of "play" its not in the steering collumn, its got to be the rag joint, sterring box, or linkage.

 

Thanks NumberDummy you - once again - are the MAN.

DarkWolf40 - the play isn't insn't in the steering as in play when you turn the week, it's in the entire column, it clunks and binds - like either the top bearing or bottom bearing is worn and not keeping the shaft in posistion.

Peter

 

OK, thats makes more sence. I rebuilt mine using all the parts from Dennis Carpenter. Its very straight foward.

 

Quoted from post #4. Note new bearing part number & ftepartsguy is now PARTSGUYED.COM (Horizon Ford in Seattle WA).

 

My 71 4wd f250 has a welded in lower bearing cup.The lower bearing fits up against it. Then there's a shaft bearing clamp that adjusts the shaft end play. At the bottom of the column. If this clamp becomes loose the steering shaft moves upward increasing the gap at the top of the column an the steering wheel. If you can push down hard on the steering wheel and there's lots of end-play then it's one of 4 things 1. Lower bearing 2.The welded in bearing cup. 3.The lower bearing end play clamp. 4.The upper column head spring is broken. I just rebuild mind last summer..
orich

 

i took mine apart so i can swap the wire harness in with the shorter one for a saginaw when i converted from bendix. the number one most bizzare pain in the neck i came across was how the whole head of it is held on. it has 2 square head bolts, one on each side left and right, the face up and are held in by a 7/16 nut, and the square heads on the bolts fit into the column, taking it apart is easy, but putting it back together was so tricky. i had to use little pieces of tape to try and hold them in, then tighten the nuts, and then pull the tape out. this procedure took about 2 hours, no joke.

 

Ah yes been their done that. Went through the same when changing out the column tube. I noticein 1973 even the 4x4's steering column lower end of the tube just uses a white plastic bearing holder that just snaps inside the lower end of the column tube. That replaced the welded in bearing cup race for earlier yrs..
orich

 

here's some pics of the rebuild in this thread https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...uild-some.html i havent got to the reinstallation yet waiting for my parts to get back from powder coating. i'll post more pics when i get everything back. hey NumberDummy i need to get the upper bearing and retainer and the lower bearing and retainer for my 71 f250 4x4. where can i locate these at? i went to my ford dealer and they couldn't help me at all. said they were all discontinued and couldnt get any can you post the numbers ill need for these 4 parts to try and see if they can match them up to anything in there system? does partsguyed carry all 4 f these or no? any help is appreciated this is my nain problem i need solved so i can get my column put back together

 

The parts guy at the dealer you went to, is a BALD FACE LIAR! The only part that is obsolete is the lower bearing sleeve.

The part numbers are listed in post 4 and an updated part number for the lower bearing is listed in post 8. But, to save you the trouble (and update the prices), here's the info again.

C3DZ3517A .. Steering Column Bearing / Available from Ford.

MSRP: $10.68 // FTE sponsor PARTSGUYED.COM price: $7.69 (PartsGuyEd = Horizon Ford in Seattle WA).

B1AZ3518A .. Steering Column Bearing Sleeve / Available from Ford.

MSRP: $10.12 // PARTSGUYED.COM price: $7.28.

Both fit: 1966 F100 4WD-UPPER only / 1967/72 F100/250 4WD-UPPER only / 1961/72 F100/250 2WD Upper/Lower / 1966/74 Bronco w/M/S Upper/Lower / Myriad 1950's/60's Passenger Cars and etc etc etc!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
F23Z3517B (replaced: E1FZ3517B, DOAZ3517A, C7SZ3517D, C3AZ3517A) .. Steering Column Bearing / Available from Ford.

Fits: 1966 F100 4WD-LOWER only / 1967/79 F100/250 4WD LOWER only / 1981/97 Escort/Lynx/Tempo/Topaz / 1972/77 Bronco Lower (w/P/S) / 1978/79 Bronco-Lower / Misc 1963/79 Passenger Cars and etc!

MSRP: $19.97 / PARTSGUYED.COM price: $14.38.
-----------------------------------------------
C6TZ3518A .. Lower Bearing Sleeve / Obsolete

Fits: 1966 F100 4WD / 1967/72 F100/250 4WD.

The upper sleeve is nylon, nestles inside the bearing. The lower sleeve is rubber, stretches over the outside of the bearing.

There's a similar thread in the 1961/66 forum (title: Steering Column Bearings... NumberDummy???) asking for the same parts for a 1966 F100 4WD.

I responded yesterday (see post #3), typing this same info...and listed the sources that have C6TZ3518A. I found 12 of these NOS.

The OP in that thread also has pics.

 

thanks NumberDummy that's what i thought when they said they couldn't help me at all. when i went there with part #'s (i got from another forum member who had just bought these parts acouple weeks before from his local dealer) and showed them to look them up the guy acted as if i had just committed a crime and was hesitant to answer any of my questions. that was some of the worst service i have gotten from anyone my whole life wasnt expecting that. can the partsguyed get all 4 of the parts or only 3 and not the lower bearing sleeve?

 

C6TZ3518A is obsolete, no longer available from Ford.

I found 12 of them NOS (closest to PA is a Pulaski NY Ford Dealer-has one).

I listed the sources yesterday in the 1961/66 forum = thread titled: Steering Column Bearings... NumberDummy??? / See post #3.