The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Steering set-up

Hello, I have a '53 3100. With the drag link unhooked, I turn the steering wheel all the way til it stops, turn it all the way the other direction, then turn it back half the amount of turns, which I'm assuming centers the box. But the top of the steering wheel is approx at the five o'clock position with the box centered. So I have to turn the steering wheel back almost a half turn to get the steering wheel so the top is at the noon position. Then I adjust the drag link so the tires are pointed straight while the top of the steering wheel is still at the noon position. While going down the road, the wheel is centered nicely. But I know the steering box isn't quite centered in it's stroke like this. Is this normal? Should I rotate the steering wheel on it's splines so when the box is centered the top of the steering wheel will be at the noon position? Is it even possible to rotate the steering wheel a bit, or is it polarized? Thanks in advance for any help.

That isn't normal. You need to find center on the box, pull the wheel and mount it in the proper orientation, then readjust the drag link (I'm taking it you have an adjustable drag link by what you posted)for steer ahead.

Yes, I made an adjustable drag link for my Sids dropped axle setup. What is the best way to pull the steering wheel off? Will removing the wheel cause any issues with the horn switch?

If your gear box is adjusted correctly, you will have a tight spot dead center. The wheel should pull off with a steering wheel puller, you may need special bolts to fit the wheel, but nothing to weird. My '37 uses 10-32 threaded screws, which is very small, but it works ok. I had to make the center piece of the puller since it's so small, yours should be pretty normal.

If you get to the point of being dead centered and still don't have a small amount of drag across center, read the following manual and adjust the gear box if you haven't done so already. https://www.flickr.com/photos/advance-design_parts_co/sets/72157632210242370/

Joe

A couple weeks ago I adjusted the drag on the wheel as per the manual. It still wandered a bit while driving straight. I think because the box isn't in the "tight spot" while going straight ahead. I'll have to re position the wheel and set things up accordingly.

If your drag link is not parallel with the road surface with the weight on the springs, no amount of steering gear adjusting will stop the wandering- - - -that's bump steer you're experiencing. Did you raise the steering gear on the frame the same amount you dropped the axle, or maybe modified the steering arm to level the drag link?
Jerry

I mounted the front of the drag link under the spindle steering arm instead of on top like factory. That gets the drag link close to original angle with a 4" drop axle, but not exactly, so I do believe there is a bit of bumpsteer coming into play here. Also, I was mistaken in my original post. With drag link unhooked and box centered, the top of the steering wheel was at about the 10 o'clock position. I changed it so top of wheel is now at noon with box centered, and then re adjusted drag link so wheels are straight while top of steering wheel is at noon and box is centered going down the road. I didn't notice much, if any, improvement. It's not a big deal, just a little wander. I'll have to live with it, I guess it's just the price of looking "cool". Haha

Just be sure looking cool doesn't put the people who share the road with you at risk. It's hard to explain to some ambulance-chasing lawyer why you modified something, made it unsafe to drive, and killed or injured someone in the process. Civil lawsuit juries generally aren't made up of hotrodders.
Jerry

Somehow I just knew something to that effect was inevitably going to come up. Trust me, if I thought it was unsafe, it wouldn't be on the road.

What is your toe-in set at? What are you running for castor shims? Are you running a V8/automatic transmission? Power steering? All of these mods will affect handling.
Carl

Toe is in 1/16". Everything is new and tight up front. 4 degree (if I remember correctly) caster shims from nostalgia sid's. 235 inline six with SM420 four speed. Manual steer.

I would try doubling your toe-in to 1/8 inch. Since you are using original weight engine/transmission, you may have too much castor. Is there a reason why a lowered axle needs twice as much castor as original? One more question, what kind of tires are you running? Are they new?
Carl

Sid recommended the caster increase to help the truck track better. I am running brand new radials from Coker tire.

I run 4 degree caster shims since the truck has been lowered some. How much does the front end raise if you steer it left to right while setting still? On a slick garage floor, mine doesn't raise all that much, a lot of caster will raise it. It should track straighter the more you add, get to much and its hard to steer at slow speeds. Does the wheel return to center after a turn at normal driving speeds? This is also a result of caster, if it whips back straight, to much, if you have to pull it back, not enough caster.

Give it another 1/16" toe-in and double check the tire pressure. You might also tweet the gear box sector adjustment just a tad tighter.

Joe

My "wandering"(stock truck) was from toe out! The simple fix was to pull the Tie rod and clean it up then adjust to about 3/16 toe in( it is in the book). Not too hard and made a ton of difference. All of the rest of the "geometry" was checked and was good. The "bump steer" issue has been discussed. You need to do the adjustments(all of them) and fix what you find. The old "close enough for government work" just will not fly. Special considerations for the dropped axle. Sids is a good source for information. Call and talk to him if need be. Get the steering box set right. Get the Caster set right, Get the toe in set right. Then address the "Bump Steer". Like brakes, your life and the lives of others depend on the work.

I have the caster shims that Sid recommended, and yes, they are in the right way, thick end towards the rear. I have the toe within the perameters Sid recommended, 1/16" to 1/8" toe in. I adjusted the steering box with a scale just like the manual states. Everything is new and tight up front. I even re-centered the wheel to the box, approx 45 degree adjustment to do so. The "close enough for government work" approach has not been instituted in any way in this case. Perhaps I could try a bit more toe-in as suggested.