STEERING  BOX  REBUILDS

StangersSite  ©  2003 All pictures, diagrams, text and illustrations are the property of Stangers Site and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written  permission of the Webmaster

Deep In The Heart of Texas

Non-Integral Style Ford Steering Boxes

•  Steering box is thoroughly disassembled, cleaned & examined •  All external parts are painted with a dark Cast Iron paint •  New Sector Shaft Needle Bearings pressed into housing •  New Input Shaft Ball Thrust Bearings pressed into housing & nut

•  Input Shaft bearing surfaces are polished •  All thread holes are re-tapped •  Die used to clean threads on Sector Shaft •  New Sector Shaft Seal installed in housing •  Input Shaft Bearing Load is set to factory specs •  Gear Teeth Mesh Load is set to factory specs •  Box is filled with new molybdenum-based grease

If needed, the following parts are replaced at no extra charge:

•  Recirculating Ball Bearings •  Recirculating Bearing Guides, Guide Retainer or screws •  Top Plate, Plate Bolts, Adjustment Screw or Lock Nut

•  Input Shaft Bearing Adjusting Nut or Lock Ring •  Input Shaft Bottom Bearing Plug •  Input Shaft Rubber Water Seal (short shaft boxes)

If requested, box can be brushed to a natural iron finish and clear-coat sealed for a more "concours" look and finish

EXTRA SERVICES AVAILABLE

MACHINE INPUT SHAFT BEARING SURFACES

• • •  Not part of the standard steering box rebuild  • • •

Short Input Shafts (under 12") .... Long Input Shafts (over 12")........

$  20.00 $  25.00

After machining & polishing

The Input Shaft Thrust Bearings use the surface of the shaft itself as the inner bearing race. About a third of the cores that come in for rebuilding have damaged bearing thrust surfaces on the input shaft. Sometimes the surfaces are "faceted" from the bearings and are smooth but no longer round. Most often the surfaces are pitted from rust like in the picture to the right. Moisture gets into the steering box through the opening for the input shaft and goes through the top shaft bearing. It also settles to the bottom of the box into the bottom bearing. Damage like this causes the shaft to feel "notchy" and rough when turning, even with new bearings. The shaft surfaces must be reground to a new, smooth surface.

PLEASE NOTE!

Some people rebuilding Mustang & Ford steering boxes re-use old bearings, particularly the input shaft thrust bearings. WE ALWAYS USE NEW BEARINGS IN OUR REBUILDS.

Some rebuilders advertise and use an "improved" sector shaft bearing for better lubrication. This is simply a cheaper needle bearing with fewer needles inside it and allows a slightly greater chance of grease to get into the bearing. It also provides less support for the sector shaft and allows more play in the gear mesh. WE ALWAYS USE THE BEARING WITH THE GREATER SURFACE SUPPORT. This is the same needle count style as the original bearings.

So-called "improved" bearing

Correct needle-count bearing

When you send in your steering box for a rebuild, if you send the Pitman Arm and attaching parts along with it, we will clean, blast and paint the pieces at no extra charge.

If you send in your Steering Coupler, we will clean, blast and (if you request) clear-coat it at no extra charge.

REPAIR DAMAGED INPUT SHAFT THREADS

Occasionally we get in an Input Shaft that has the threads torn up where the nut that holds down the steering wheel goes. Shaft with light damage are easily repaired with a die, but if too much metal is missing for this, we can turn the shaft down and re-thread to a smaller size, thus saving the input shaft. A new steering wheel retaining nut is provided.

Turn & re-thread Input Shaft ......  $ 15.00

Pitted bearing race area

Shafts after blueing & machining