I know a couple of us have done it...are there detailed instructions anywhere? I think I will go ahead and swap out the bearings and put in the grease-zerk fitting like a couple of guys on here have done, but I need to know how to get it apart, how to clean it out, and how to reassemble (with torques, etc.).
i watched a guy rebuild one for me. if i were you...i wouldn't go there...i would suggest you take an old one apart first and see if you can get the balls back in and get the rack back in time.JMO...frank...
Which balls? I have it apart, and grease removed, and all it is is 2 gears, with a bearing at each the pinion and steering shaft (rag joint end). The ball bearing at the rag joint end is a little sloppy, but the rest seems quite nice. I feel confident that if I did the zerk and filled it back up, it would last for a very long time, but I would like to get that one bearing, at least, swapped out.
Inside the box there worm and sector gears that use recirculating balls. This will give you a better idea of what your dealing with. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/steering3.htm I had a steering box apart years ago and it will test your patience.
Mine is a 1970 manual box. It just has two gears in it, I don't see any balls. I guess they are inside the square item that rides along the long gear (copper colored)? Would I have to remove them to swap out the one bearing? I have so far just removed all the grease, then shot a thin coat of spray-on white lithium to keep it clean until I fill it back up. It is very humid and rainy here, and I don't want everything to rust up on me before I get it all back together.
Not sure if you got a chance to see this thread: http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=27852&highlight=steering+gear+box The links inside the post might help. Good luck and keep us posted.
Rick, cool thing is, when you click on "LOTS of information" link, it tells you "no matches found"... I was hoping it was something I could do myself, but now that I found out it was a recirculating ball system, I now understand why they are charging so much. What did you find in the Houston area? NOW I will go read that other thread...
After reading the thread, there really is some good info in that Stanger's site. Makes me think I am just going to lube it back up and drive it... At least I got all the old gunky lube out and can put in something clean and new. My parts do not appear to have any wear, and the "tight spot" I felt in the center apparently is machined in there on purpose, so it should be OK...
Hmmm.. that was, at one time, a link to all the "steering+gear+boxes" search. too. I haven't yet. I was hoping somone in the Angleton area was going to tell ME. Axially, I found there was no slack when I move the steering wheel.Everything is pretty tight. I was chasing down a reason for the car weaving at 100+mph. I found the driver side wheel to have positive camber.
I know I've posted on this before, but this is an extremely easy thing to do. These boxes are very simple - I have been through a couple of them. When I rebuilt mine, I took them completely apart and cleaned everything with parts cleaner to remove all old grease and any other material. Make sure not to lose any of the rollers during disassembly - do it on a nice clean table. All the bearings and seals can be bought from any bearing shop with the exception of the upper seal, which is all rubber. I got it from a gearbox shop from up north (Michigan I think). Anyway, putting it together is as easy as taking it apart. Use grease to keep the rollers in place. The general rule to adjust them is to tighten it until there is a slight bind and then back it off a hair. I've discussed the grease/oil thing with multiple rebuild shops. Overall, no one really knew what the factory put in. Many think it was oil as I also do. But all of them I talked to used a oil grease mix that they made themselves. The shop that I bought the seals from told me to mix heavy weight oil with grease to make a "really light grease". Essentially it's thin enough to move around and prevent any resistance caused by thick, sticky grease - but thick enough not to leak out the seals. Anyway, these gearboxes are a breeze and you'll be really happy with how easy it steers when you're done.
Yeah, Randy, I read about your experiences with them in another thread. I think I will PM you for specifics...
