Steering Column Rebuild Question WWYD?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: Steering Column Rebuild Question WWYD?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Katy, Texas on Saturday, November 24, 2012 - 10:18 pm:

In taking apart my 27 coupe steering column to replace the spark and throttle rods, as well as the steering gear case and cover with freshly plated ones, everything came apart easily with the following exceptions. The quadrant on the wheel end wouldn't budge so I guess I'll just leave it be. I had a NOS one that I had planned to replace it with. The other problem was the spark lever on the bottom end of the spark rod, turned out to have been brazed on at some point. I didn't notice this until I had removed the pin and tried to twist it off. The end of the spark rod came off with it. The other problems with both rods are that besides being bent a little, they both show wear where they went through the lower steering bracket and the rod guide. I was not planning to reuse these rods as I have another pair freshly plated. So my question is this; would you try to save what is left of the rods by heating and prying apart the fingers on the gear case, or would you just cut the rods below the 90 degree bend with a cutoff grinder for quick removal. With the rods out, opening the fingers later for the new rods would be easier.
The other question pertains to the steering shaft. It has major wear where it passed through the steering gear case and the lower bracket. Enough to easily hang your finger nails on and more. I can see where brass has been put on the lower end of the shaft right above the pitman arm and dressed down. I know the same could be done to the worn places, but I don't have a lathe to turn it down in. Although more expensive, it would just be easier to buy a new replacement. WWYD?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Gould on Saturday, November 24, 2012 - 11:23 pm:

Few folks restore steering components like what you are anticipating. IMHO you should cut off the rods so you won't mess up the fingers. You also need to address the wear on the steering shaft. I welded and turned mine on a lathe but the welding warped the shaft so I had to straighten it before dressing down the weld. The alternative is to purchase a new shaft.
The other problem you may encounter is the holes where the shaft and rods pass thru at the bottom of the steering column are probably enlarged and need to be brazed or welded and drilled out to the correct diameter.
Reason I did all this is because the shaft was making a racket by banging against the buggered out hole in the column when the car was running down the road. It cured the problem although it was a lot of work.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 12:06 am:

Heat the fingers until they just turn red and let them cool. Be sure to get the red heat at least down to 50% of the rod thickness. This will anneal (soften) the fingers. You can then pry the old rods through the fingers with a screwdriver. Place the screwdriver between the rod and gear case near each pair of fingers and twist. The rod will spread the fingers and pop through.

Heavily worn shafts with a ridge can create stress areas that can lead to fractures. As important as something like steering, I'd go for a new shaft or at least a good used one. I don't have a spare 5:1 or you'd be welcome to it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 12:19 am:

Forgot to mention. The quadrant is brazed to the column housing. You need to heat them to remove then clean and re-braze.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Larry Smith on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 11:37 am:

Ken: I rebuilt a steering column a while back, and the quadrant was NOT brazed! That is what the two rivets are for, among other things. Ford apparently didn't use a fixture for drilling the two holes for the quadrant, as the NOS quadrants are not drilled. When I did mine it took a lot of time to drill the holes, so they would line up with the existing holes in the tube. It is also a two man operation to pein over those two rivets, and while I'm at it, pay close attention to the size and shape of the rivet heads. I like your suggestion on annealing the gear case. Another thing, while the spark and throttle rods are out, weld up the bottom side of them, and file them down to the correct shape, and then get them nickel plated.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Adam Doleshal on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 11:48 am:

You can usually pry open the fingers on the gear case just enough to get the rods out without breaking the fingers.

You then have to anneal the fingers so they will not break when you bend them back around the new rods.

In order to anneal brass, you heat the fingers up to a dull orange or medium orange and then immediately quench them in water.

Brass is annealed by heating and immediately quenching...


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan Treace, North FL on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 12:04 pm:

Usually the ears can be bent cold if you use care. If someone has been there before, then heat orange and pour water over to quench as Adam posted. Red hot will burn away the brass. Trust me on that one :-(

Be sure during bench work to support the round brass steering case, up off any contact, as the soft case can be bent easily and not be round anymore, and the planetary gears won't circle again...I know that too :-(









Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 02:27 pm:

Well, I've only pulled one quadrant and it was brazed on. It was in sad shape with grind marks all over it so I suppose it could have been a repair at some point.

Orange is way too hot for brass. You'll burn the zinc out of it or melt it. Stick with a dull red. And you don't need to quench brass to anneal it. All it does is remove heat so you can work with sooner. The annealing takes place during the heating phase.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Townsend ; ^ ) Gresham, Orygun on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 03:01 pm:

Dan-
I was worried as a I scrolled down your pictures and noticed the steering gear box upside down. Then saw in your riveted together" picture that is had been righted.

For anyone who did not notice, the set screw should be on the top side. On cars after about 1920 there is a arc shaped groove in the steering gear box with a longer pin for the gear that acts as a stop. If it is put together upside down, the stop doesn't stop.

: ^ )

Keith


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By ex trooper on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 03:08 pm:

[IMG]http://i49.tinypic.com/1zpqv89.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i46.tinypic.com/2poxwr8.jpg[/IMG]

Make 'em work for it. troop


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Katy, Texas on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 03:16 pm:

Thanks for all the responses, however only the first response answered my questions. I knew I had to heat the brass fingers at some tim, however my two questions were about the spark and throttle rods (should I try to save them even if I don't plan to reuse them) and should I replace the steering shaft with a new, or at least, less worn one. See descriptions above. Now, anyone else care to give me their opinion?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gavin Harris (Napier, NZ) on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 06:45 pm:

Keith, even worse than that, my steering box had been put together upside down ( and no, it had nothing to do with NZ being down under) and one of the other pins had slipped down into the slot thereby locking the steering on hard right lock.
Very exciting but fortunate that it happened at a very low speed.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Terry Woods, Katy, Texas on Sunday, November 25, 2012 - 08:39 pm:

Well, since no one has voiced an opinion against cutting the rods to remove them, instead of removing them whole, as normal, I am going to cut them with my cutoff grinder. I really don't think they are rare enough to warrant saving for restoration and the same goes for the steering shaft. They'll both go to the scrap man with some later stuff.
If anyone has a usable 5 to 1 (26-27) steering shaft in usable condition, I'm in the market for one. The new ones are priced kind of steep for a car that is going to be more of a garage queen than a driver.


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