One of the FIRST things to check, and one of the LAST things most people
try, is to adjust the play out of the steering box. When getting an old truck
, it is pretty much a safe bet you should crawl under the truck to chedk
important components like King pins and linkages, and such. But the steering
box gets little attention, as most people either don't think about it, or
think it's a hard adjustment to make. It's NOT! There's usually a stud
sticking out of the cover of the box....that's the adjustment. FIrst, do this
check :
Have a person outside watch your wheels....turn it slightly left until the
observer notices movement...hold your position. keeping your hand in one
position, mark it's location with a visual reference. Then, turn the wheel
the other way. If you move the steering wheel more than two inches before the
wheels turn the other way, you have too much play in the box or other parts.
There shouldn't be more than two inches of travel before the wheels move, or
something is too loose.
To adjust the box, do this :
1) loosen the nut, making sure the truck steering is centered properly before
starting and jiggle the wheel back and forth slightly to get it to the
"center of looseness". :)
2) turn the stud clockwise until it stops, then back off a 1/3 of a turn.
Lock the nut down without the stud turning, you'll need an open-end wrench
for this, so you can observe the stud slot to prevent unwanted movement when
retightening.
3) Recheck the steering movement with an observer. Hopefully the play will be
less. IF not, then there's play in other components. This adjustment can be
done even if other components are worn, as the box probably needs this
adjustment anyway. If the stud tries to go below the nut, the box is probably
too worn out to adjust anymore. IT's not a hard adjustment, it's simple, and
can save alot of hassle. Good luck!
Jerry Casper
'55 TF Chevy Suburban
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