The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Steering Box Adjustment on 1966 C50

Hey guys,

My '66 C50 is pretty sloppy in the steering department. I know it won't cure it all, but I'd like to adjust the manual steering box on the truck. I've done plenty of car boxes, but this one doesn't have the normal lock nut and adjusting stud. It has what looks like a plug on the top of it and no noticeable adjustment stuff.

It is a Saginaw manual box.

Any ideas/direction?

Hy Brian Lohnes, Your steering box may be the adjustable type, or it may require the removal of some shims to tighten it up. Look for a large locknut at the steering shaft input end of the box, if there is no locknut then you must remove the steering box end cap and remove some shims to restore the proper worm shaft preload. I will try and describe the adjustment procedure, firstly you want to remove all the load from the steering box, so remove the drag link from the pitman arm. Next loosen the sector shaft lash screw locknut, and back the screw out two or three turns. Now turn the steering wheel slowly in one direction until the steering wheel stops, be gentle, now turn the wheel one turn in the opposite direction, now measure the pull required to keep the steering wheel in motion, use a fish scale if you have one, and pull 90 degrees to the steering wheel crossbar, the scale should read 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. If the preload is too light loosen the locknut on the worm shaft adjuster and tighten it up a bit and recheck, remember to keep turning the wheel back and forth across the same one turn of steering box travel, the reason we do it in that area is that the steering box is designed to be its tightest in the straight ahead position. If there are any lumps in the motion when you turn the steering wheel then you probably have damaged bearings. If you get that adjustment done with no lumps then proceed to the sector shaft adjustment. Slowly and gently turn the steering wheel from one end of the steering boxes travel to the other counting the number of turns as you go, now put the steering box in the center of its travel. Now you can turn in the lash adjuster screw until all play is removed from the sector shaft, you can feel this by rocking the bottom of the pitman arm back and forth from the end, stop and tighten the locknut as soon as the play is gone, check the steering wheel pull again this time it should be 2 3/4 - 3 1/4 lbs. when the steering wheel is turned through the center of the steering boxes travel, hope that helps.

Wow 3B -- thanks for taking the time to write that!

I'm going to go through it this weekend and I'll use your procedure as a guide! If it is too far gone, I'll order up a new box.

Man, can't thank you enough for laying all that out for me, too cool!!!

Brian