The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop steering column up against dash

A little background: I've replaced the '51 cab that was damaged when the Blue Funk (see my signature) was hit by a Semi last year with a '53 cab.

I've mounted the cab according to the manual and have started putting other things back together, e.g: instruments, wiper motor, heater, parking brake, and clutch/brake pedals.

I attached the steering box to the frame and noted that the bracket which is supposed to fit under the dash doesn't. There's not enough of a gap between the the column (mast) and the bottom of the dash.

I tried to first attach the bracket and then mount the box to the frame, as the manual suggests. The front bolt which attaches underneathe the gear box won't align. Neither will the front side frame bolt. The rear top and side frame bolts will line up, however.

The gear box attaches well to the frame with the column sitting up against the curved indentation on the bottom of the dash. For now, I've used the cap off of the bracket to hold the column to the bottom of the dash.

I don't understand what's going on with this. Can anybody enlighten me?

Thanks.

Can you Poat a pic?

Do you have the spacers that go between the dash and colum bracket?

Davey, Keep in mind the mast itself is only a cover and has nothing to do with the steering shaft and its worm gear.However, you obviously don't want any binding caused by mis-alignment.I would suggest after getting the steering box loosely mounted, add a couple of body shims under the front cab mounts to gain some dash clearance, than install the column clamp. A tight fit there should not be an issue in the function of the steering gear.

Thanks for the replies.

Gus: It would be easier if I could post a pic, heh? I'm too busy with Excuses to do that, but I will see what I can do.

I do have spacers that go between the dash and the bracket- 6 of 'em in fact. I kept them from the '51 cab.

Drew: It is some good information you've given me. For example, "you don't want any binding by mis-alignment". As I noted in the Driveline Forum, when I had the steering attached for towing to the body shop, it seemed to steer fine.

It seems that if I add some spacers under the front mounts, it's gonna throw off the 1 15/16" clearence specs as the manual advises. Raising the front of the cab will also throw off the clutch/brake pedal hole alignment. But, what the heck? I'm willing to give any of your suggestions a try.

I'll play around with it and let you know what I come up with.

Now: If, and only If, I would use the bracket cap as the sole attachment to the dash, could that maneuver cause any forseen problems that you know of?

Thanks again, guys.

Dave, I'm hoping your steering box is like mine. I had the same problem on my '38.

It sounds like your column has shifted on the steering box.

Loosen the top clamping bolts on the frame to the steering box and let the column drop to the proper position. This should also help the steering box bolts line up to the frame.
steering box

If you do try shim spacers, I woulld only do the 1/16" shims a couple at a time on each side. You should know if it might help prettty quickly when the cab and steering box are both snugged up. If it looks to take too many shims, it's back to the drawing board I'd say. Too many shims and everything else on the front clip becomes an adjustment nightmare then.

Thanks for the input!

Wayne: It appears that your '38's steering box mounts to the bottom horizontal frame rail. Mine bolts to the on top of the horizontal frame rail.

Thanks for the pic. I've never seen anything like your old truck taken down to some of its bare essentials.

Drew: Now that I recall, when I was having problems aligning the toe pan holes for the clutch and brake pedals, I tried shimming it up to no avail. I appreciate your "nightmare" warning, however.

I also posted this problem on the Driveline Forum and believe I have located the cause of this situation: The mast was pushed up when the cab was hit by the Semi, causing a narrowing between the mast and the dash.

My next step is to repair or replace the steering mechanisms.

Any further information is appreciated!

Dave,
If you hold down the control button on your keyboard and then the + button, you can enlarge my photo.

You will see it is mounted to the top horizontal rail like yours. These 2 bolts tighten the clamp around the steering box and prevent it from pivoting.

I found with mine, when I drove it without a cab and dashboard, I could pivot the shaft up and down if the bolts weren't very tight.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the contol+ photo enlarging information, Wayne.

I'll be danged if it doesn't look like the steering box is sitting on the inside of the frame rail. Hmm!

Ok, I understand! Mine is mounted to the underside of the top frame rail. The shaft to the pitman arm exits through a hole in the frame. This is where the clamp hold the steering box on my '38.

Thanks for the confirmation that I have a Consensual Perception of Reality, Wayne. I was beginning to be a little concerned.

I took the steering box/column to my FLAPS and asked a Fella in the Machine Shop if hthey could straighten the column as it comes out of the housing. He said they'd give it a try.

I'll let you all know the outcome.

The outcome is: the column was straightened, I got it mounted, and it seems to steer well!

Thanks to everybody for their interest and input! I really appreciate it!