Re: Steering problem

Posted by Jack Richard on January 03, 1998 at 11:28:27

In Reply to: Re: Steering problem
posted by MRR on January 02, 1998 at 08:28:27

Gentlemen, I beg to differ.I think you can do better than 1.5 inches of play if you are persistant.First, I think the bearing confusion is beacuse Ford used balls in the early bearings I have seen, where Timken uses rollers in the replacements for this same bearing.They seem to be exactly the same sizes, although the unloaded drag in the roller type seems more than in the ball type to me. If one builds up the lower end of the worm shaft or uses an undersized bushing to reduce the clearance to a minimum it really helps reduce play in the system.Since worm to sector clearance is not adjustable, the only real solution to reducing clearance (and play at the wheel) is to beg, buy or borrow several sets of worm and sectors, from different manufacturers if possible, and try different combinations until the best fit is found.I did this using three sets and it was amazing the differences in clearances found with the various combinations.This may be a time consuming process, but is easier than adapting a two-tooth box to a seven-tooth upper column (as has been suggested) or finding the elusive two-tooth Gemmer column which was used on some 1929 cars.A better solution would be to figure out how to make offset worm shaft bushings which could be rotated and adjust the worm to sector clearance.
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: Yo Mike!Been there done that.1.5 inches of play in a 7 toother should be considered on target.I spent about $300 refining the fit of mine and still have about that much.It's better than the quarter turn I started with though.One thing of note is that although the bearings look very similar, the spindle bearings are not exactly the same as the steering shaft bearings.If you are going to take it apart (I would leave it alone) you should get the specific bearing for the shaft.I have a set of A 3571-AR bearings that are the correct for your box in case you need it.E-mail me for more info on 7 tooth rebuilds if you need it.

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