Steering problem

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Steering problem
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry Kramer on Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 09:50 am:

How do you tighten the brass lower case to the steering column. Mine moves in the opposite direction to the steering wheel, causing looseness in the steering.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Georgetown TX on Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 10:01 am:

You tighten it by hand then tighten the set screw so that it won't come loose again.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 10:30 am:

Jerry -- The lower part of the case is held to the column with the 2 long brass rivets you can see in your pic. You can try peening them to tighten them up, but if it's been loose for a long time, there probably is wear on the rivets themselves, and they'll need to be replaced. When you get them out, if there is any discernable wear in the holes, order oversized rivets and drill the holes out to fit them. The usual vendors carry the rivets; I usually get them from Lang's. If that's all you're ordering, ask them to put them in an envelope to save on the shipping cost. Not all of the vendors will do that.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry Kramer on Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 12:00 pm:

My column is in a 27 and the rivets are not loose where they come out of the column, so I don't think peaning would do any good. How hard is it to remove the rivets altogether and replace them?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By william louis rosenthal on Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 12:02 pm:

Jerry;
Your lower brass case is both riveted and soldered. You must determine whether the nature of the failure, specially whether only the rivets have failed or whether the housing holes have been enlarged. In either event, this assembly must be resoldered, where the new rivets fit snug in these holes before being reset. The inner case bottom must be smooth once rivets are installed, meaning that you must either install the interior rivets flush with the housing interior, or machine them flush after setting them. This is not a complicated assembly, but will require removal of the housing components from the steering column, and may require strong shop skills.
Regards,
Scott


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry Kramer on Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 12:07 pm:

William, I don't suppose you have any pictures showing any of this. It would be a great help. Thanks


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By william louis rosenthal on Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 12:10 pm:

Hello Jerry:
Sorry I'm traveling. Send me a pm with your phone and I will call to discuss
Regards,
Scott


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Wrenn on Monday, August 18, 2014 - 08:54 am:

Jerry, I have the exact same problem in my '20, mentioned it in a previous post. For the time being, I was able to remove the steering wheel to get better access, then slipped in a couple of "shims" made out of some scrap aluminum duct work and it really helped. I'll take the column out of the car this winter and do it up right when I have more time. Give it a try. You no doubt can see where the gaps that show up every time you start to rotate the wheel.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Monday, August 18, 2014 - 04:55 pm:

Jerry,

You've got 4 guys telling you 3 different things.

With all due respect, Mr. Rosenthal is speaking about a steering column of the style pictured by Royce. If you have the correct steering column in your 1927, then William's advise does not apply to your case. Also, I believe Royce misunderstood your question so his information does not apply either.

Your problem is that the stem of your steering gear case is loose in the diamond shaped steering column tube. Even though the two rivets do not appear to be loose, they are probably worn down where they pass through the column, where you can't see. Also, the stem of gear case, and the inside of the column tube, are also worn some from having been shifting around loose for a long time. As Tim explains above, the solution is to carefully fill the excess clearance with shim stock and, as Mike suggests, install two new rivets, possibly slightly larger in diameter to also compensate for worn rivet holes. In extreme cases, the column tube may have cracks running down from the where the quadrant piece attaches.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Monday, August 18, 2014 - 07:06 pm:

I win! I win!!! :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Monday, August 18, 2014 - 10:20 pm:

I am so confused! We seem to be all over the place here.
Bottom line (or not), IF the movement is between the lower case and the steel diamond shaped tube? Jerry VanO is the one to listen to this time. Your '27 gear-case may look different than the early brass era case in the picture posted by Royce, however, the assembly between the case and tube is essentially the same.

You need to take it apart. Usually not difficult. But it may be tricky because the rivets tend to be counter sunk somewhat even though they were not originally. Sometimes you can simply file the head down and drive the rivet through with a small punch. A finishing nail set punch often works well here (blasphemy to a fine woodworker). Sometimes you need to go a little deeper to cut the rivet head. Use a small drill, but be careful not to enlarge the holes in the quadrant or column parts too much.

You need to check the diamond shaped column tube closely for cracks. They may be welded, however replacing the column tube would be preferred.

You may need to use a slightly larger diameter rivet.

Something rarely said. You may need to heat to red and shrink the column tube onto the brass quadrant. Often the tube has stretched and/or worn and the brass may also have worn a bit. It needs to be a tight fit. The couple times I have tried it, shrinking the tube NOT over the gear case was not satisfactory and usually made assembly difficult. Shrinking it onto the brass worked slick as (insert favorite non-objectionable euphemism here).

Once the quadrant, gear case, and tube are all lined up and tight, you may need to drill all the way through all three pieces and use a size larger rivet. Often, however, if the gear case is not oversize itself, just a cleanup on the quadrant will be fine. The rivet being hammered into the hole will fill minor offsets. In this location, I prefer to use heat on the rivet, not hammered cold (along with water pumps and which oil to use, this often brings about a lot of debate. For me, IT DEPENDS UPON THE APPLICATION! HERE, heated, hammered, and cool to shrink is best.)


If the movement is somewhere else? We may have to start all over again.
Good luck!
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Royce in Georgetown TX on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 07:08 am:

It requires good skills to rivet everything back together properly. The one in my picture above was reassembled by me using these tools:


The gear case is countersunk on the inside. Ford used soft solder to seal the case after riveting to keep grease from leaking onto your pants legs.

New rivets in nominal and over sizes are available from any of the T part sellers. They are shot cold, never heated.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jerry VanOoteghem on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 10:36 am:

Royce,

Read Jerry's comments. He doesn't have that kind of gear case! His car is a 1927!


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