The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Turning the wheels

Prior to rebuilding my '40 gearbox, I could easily turn the direction of the front wheels after the front end was jacked up by grabbing a tire at 3 and 9 o'clock. Now I can barely do that. No problem turning if I use the steering wheel. Both wheels turn fine when disconnected at the pitman arm. I used to use lube like STP but now have Corn Head grease. So, is this normal after a rebuild with the proper lube?

Dennis

Should not turn real easy. Requires some effort. Sounds to me like you got it right.🛠

Sounds right to me to, you want some amount of drag, helps the truck maintain a straight line down the road.

Oh, I have drag all right. I can move with a lot of effort most of the way, but can't move it lock to lock. I also tried backing off the steering box adjustments but that didn't seem to make a difference. It must be the thicker Corn Head grease. I'll tighten everything up in the morning and move to the next step.
Thanks for the feedback guys.

Dennis

Did you make the adjustments to the box by the book?
The tolerance for gear tooth fit change over the length of the screw. In the center they are tight so there is no slack so no wander when the wheels are straight. There is more "slop" when you get off center so turning to the locks are easier.
When the wheels are centered there is a small amount of steering wheel play, a full turn left or right there will be twice as much free play.
That's why turning the jacked up wheels by hand takes a substantial push to get them started, but then moves easily to full lock.

No way I can turn them lock to lock. I think it is put together right, but this is the first time I've worked on a steering box so maybe I did something stupid.

Dennis

Try this: front wheels off the ground, center the wheels.
Move the steering wheel back and forth slightly to judge any free play. Now using 2 fingers on one of the spokes, turn the steering wheel all the way to right lock. It should move smoothly and get easier to turn as you get closer to the end. Come back 1/2 turn and check the free play, there should be slightly more than there was at the center. Check in the other direction.
If there is still no free play near the ends of the run, gears are set too tight.
If it takes a lot of effort to spin the steering wheel, you may have the bearings too tight.

I pulled it out and rechecked everything inside comparing with the manual. Looks good. Feels good at the steering wheel but still no go with turning at the tire. I can move it some like I said above then it is just my butt sliding on the floor.

Dennis

Drive it some and see how it acts before getting to worried about it.

The turning torque on the steering shaft should increase 10 in/lbs as you turn the shaft across the center point with a torque wrench. Past the center point it should drop to the same turning torque as before. The preload is adjusted by turning the adjusting screw across the box from the Pitman arm shaft.
Jerry

Hey Jerry, why in the world did GM recommend using a glorified fish scale to do that procedure? Weren't inch pound torque wrenches available back then.
BTW, a trigger scale works great for that check. It has a 90 degree bend on the end to hook the steering wheel spoke and a maximum pound stop on it, so you don't need to watch the gauge while pulling the wheel around. Just take it off and see where the stop ended up.