Steering box wear

[greenacres36]

What is the solution for a steering gearbox that the teeth are a little worn? I hate to buy a rebuild set of gears not knowing if that is what it takes to cure the teeth being worn in the box itself. My car is a 1926 Tudor. It’s not that the shaft or the cover is worn too bad it’s actually the teeth in the box. Do they make oversize planetary gears?

Brian

[TXGOAT2]

I think you'd need to replace the worn part.

[TWrenn]

I agree. Also...check the bushing down at the frame where the shift goes thru the steering bracket. An often overlooked area. And yes, it's a b--ch to change. I finally had to on my Ford or and am I glad I did. Major difference in the removal of slop. Another overlooked area is up on the quadrant with the 2 rivets...they often become loose allowing for steering slop that often one can't seem to find.

[TXGOAT2]

Also be sure you have the correct parts. Older Ts had 4:1 steering and the 26-27 had 5:1 steering gears. The parts look about the same and can be mixed up, with bad results.

[kmatt2]

It depends on what you mean by, a little wear. First check the steering case where it goes into the column looking for cracks or looseness when wheel is turned. If cracks or looseness is found, or if after inspection for wrong parts and-or at lot of wear is found then a rebuild is needed. For inspection remove the wheel and cover and clean out old grease and check for correct parts and excessive wear. The sun gear on the 5:1 steering usually has the most wear compared to the planet gears or 4:1 gears. If the gears and pins are ok try turning over and moving around the planet gears to get a better fit between parts. Install fresh grease in the case and reinstall the cover making sure it fits tight and aligns the set screw notch in case. Make sure to use a set screw. Reinstall wheel and key and nut, make sure the gear turns lock to lock with no binding.

[greenacres36]

Everything is new and tight but it appears that the teeth in the box itself has enough wear that standard gears will not eliminate the slop.

[TRDxB2]

Everything is new and tight but it appears that the teeth in the box itself has enough wear that standard gears will not eliminate the slop.

This sounds a bit contradictory "Everything is new and tight .... standard gears will not eliminate the slop". Thought it might be easier if we had a talk sheet to work from. You can use the numbers too for clarity in your answer.
so
What is new & tight?
How many teeth on the gears and do they look like the 5 to 1?
Where is the slop?

[greenacres36]

I apologize I probably wasn’t as clear as I could have been. I have replaced everything that had any wear at all in the steering system and I am down to the last part which is rebuilding the steering box assembly. I replaced the following, the king pins, tie rod end bushings, Pitman arm, and the bushing in the steering bracket. The drag link ends are tight. it appears that the small gears in the box are in decent shape, it visually looks like the teeth have some wear in the brass box itself. It is a 1926 with a 5-1 ratio. I’m not sure what the solution is to make it nice and tight in the box. Are there new ones being made that are any good? Is the best solution just to buy a rebuild kit including the new pinion gears and see how it is. Just trying to solve this in one easy step.

Thank you for all the great replies, it is certainly appreciated.

Brian

[DanTreace]

Sometimes odd to find the steering case brass teeth to be too worn, with sharp tooth form, does happen. So if yours is that worn the only fix to to replace that steering case. Two styles, the later after about 1921 have the groove for the long pin shaft on one of the triple gears, to provide the over lock turn of the earlier cases. The cases shown are very usable, esp. with new gears.

Those triple gears most times have the wear, as they spin within the fixed in place gear case, you can mike those and know if they are toast.

The new gears are real nice, but the gears themselves are stock dimension, but since heat treated they fit real snug in your typical worn steering case. Most all times with new pin installed, you have to lap the new gears to get the proper fit, for easy turning of the wheel and no slop.

Only an 'oversize' pinion shaft is avail, it comes with the new gears of stock size. You have to ream the case cover to fit that new pinion, and that will really make your steering case and gears work almost like NOS! Lots of time the looseness of that steering pinion that holds the steering wheel is what can cause the wobble feeling of control as you turn the steering wheel.

[greenacres36]

Thank you so much Dan! That was exactly the information that I needed. I’m just going to go ahead and put in new gears and I’m sure I need to go with an oversize shaft. I work in the machine shop so I’ll just take it in and bore the cover to fit the new shaft.