From: vancleef@netcom.com (Henry van Cleef)
Newsgroups: alt.autos.antique
Subject: Re: Steering/Alignment Difficulties
Date: 2 Oct 92 04:25:46 GMT
Organization: Netcom--posted from Andover, Mass.

In article <bakc.152.717931439@giraffe.ru.ac.za> bakc@giraffe.ru.ac.za (MR KR COMAN) writes:
>>I am not sure how "positive" the steering should be in this car.  There
>>was quite a bit of "play" in the steering; i.e., the car would "wander"
>
>Have a look at the actual steering box itself.  I've not direct experience 
>with US Fords of this age, but many UK cars from the pre rack and pinion
>era made provision for adjustment of the steering box to accomodate wear.
>
>1.
>The most simple to adjust was one that had a locknut and bolt on the casing. 
>Loosening the l-nut allows the bolt to be gently tightened to reduce the 
>degree of backlash on the actuating mechanism.
>
This was the method used on '54 Ford.  Virtually all US cars with
non-power steering used either a worm-and-roller or recirculating ball
(Saginaw---GM cars, starting at the top of the line in '40 or '41).
Both have an offset in the roller or rack mesh and a centering bolt.  Be
sure that the steering gear is at the center of its travel, then take up
any play in the bolt (has locknut on the top cover of the steering box),
but do not tighten beyond the no-clearance point.  Check that the
steering does not bind after making the adjustment.  
>
>I guess that your workshop manual would give you some direction as to the
>type of steering box you have.   BTW, take a hold of the connection out of 
>the steering box and have a helper gently turn the steering wheel from side 
>to side until the movement meets the resistance of actually starting to move 
>the connection -- this will give you an indication of just how much backlash 
>you've got in the steering box.  If the wheel can swing (say) 6" or more 
>either way before you detect movement on the connection you can be pretty 
>sure that the steering box needs looking at.  What someone on the net needs 
>to give you is the "acceptable" degree of steering box backlash for your 
>car.   	
>	Note that if the steering box is quite badly worn and if it is an 
>adjustable unit (as per 1 above) merely tightening up the adjuster will NOT 
>do the job.  Your steering will simply get very heavy, most if not all of 
>the castoring --self-centering action -- will be lost, and serious (even 
>dangerous) wear will occur within the box.  Remember one component in that 
>box (the worm on the end of the steering column) is likely to be made out of 
>quite soft bronze -- so thumping the adjuster up tight is *not a good idea*!

In the US designs, worm and roller were both steel---no bronze used.
The worm generally had tapered roller bearings, with the inner (cone)
races being ground on the worm itselg, and a long bronze bushing for the
roller shaft, with a seal at the bottom.  

On '54 Ford, power steering was a linkage unit, not in the steering
gearbox, and has adjustements of its own.  

While there is a lot of talk that old cars won't handle radial tires, I
have put radials on old cars----set the caster to its maximum plus limit
in the published specs.  '54 Ford used shims on the upper control arm
inner support, so caster is easy to set over a wide range.  The ride may
be hard, and there may be tire noise, but the handling is greatly
improved.   
-- 
Hank van Cleef  vancleef@netcom.com vancleef@tmn.com  Andover, Mass.
Unix systems consultant---kernel, device drivers, networking, X11
SysV, BSD, Sun, Ultrix, AIX, SCO. Porting a specialty. 
	     The Union Institute  History of Science