Replacing the lower steering shaft bushing

[Dave1]

It’s time to replace the lower steering shaft bushing on my 26 Tudor. The part number on the pivot is T 932C which I’m told is the correct part for this car.
I will remove material from the contact area of the shaft to correct the wear, and will make a bushing to suit.
Researching on the form, it seems there were a number of changes to the bushing over the years. The earlier cars used a one piece bushings as well as a felt seal.
Mine being a 26 is without a felt seal.
Looking at the design it has a lubrication cup which applies “grease “ above the contact area of the bushing, which would not do much in way of lubricating the bushing contact area??

The length of the bushing is 1.200” the lubrication port is 2.00” from the end of the bushing….. wonder if the bushing should be longer??
Dave

[Moxie26]

Check with your certified part supplier, I believe the 26-27 steering bracket used two bushings..... Replaced mine over 20 years ago and I kind of remember replacing two bushings, but Mr. Snyder tells me differently.,.. Time for another cup of coffee.

[John Codman]

My '27 definitely has two bushings, as well as no felt seal. The original bushings are of top quality; I know that because they wore out the steering shaft while remaining in perfect condition. The bushings that it left the factory with the car are still there, but I had to replace the steering shaft with a unit that I bought from a member here. The grease is ducted from the grease cup to the space between the bushings. As you tighten the grease cup, there is no place for the grease to go except through the bushings.

[DanTreace]

Earlier post on the 26-27 bracket. One bushing. 7/8” dia.

There is an internal boss so don’t make your bushing too long. Otherwise grease won’t get there.


https://share.google/Y4a5DYsogphfeUiB0

[Dave1]

John, that is what I suspected, think I will install two bushings then drill the grease hole through the bushings.
Thanks

[speedytinc]

Earlier post on the 26-27 bracket. One bushing. 7/8” dia.

There is an internal boss so don’t make your bushing too long. Otherwise grease won’t get there.


https://share.google/Y4a5DYsogphfeUiB0

My memory tells me the bushing hole doesn't go all the way thru the casting & the old one is tougher to remove.
You will figure it out with it in your hand.
Be sure to use a solid bronze/brass bushing, not a cintered bushing some of the vendors will send you.

[DanTreace]

Correct

The 26-27 steering bracket casting # 932C (factory number) has only ONE bushing, at lower end.

The upper end of the casting is a narrow chamber, just for the steering shaft, and to retard grease exiting the upper.

The bushing is Part # 3545B2 with Factory Number 944B. That bushing must come out from the Pitman arm end, and be replaced from the same end. One bushing as the leverage of the Pitman arm on the steering shaft in that one bushing is what stabilizes the shaft.

Another bushing at the other end, if one could fit it, would not provide more stabilization.

And such an upper bushing would have to aligned reamed with the lower bushing to prevent steering shaft binding.

[Allan]

You may not be able to remove all the worn section of the shaft to make a good fit in a new bushing. Machining all the wear off the shaft may compromise the length of the taper on which the pitman arm engages. A better fit may be the best you can do, rather than a complete fit.

The 26-7 steering column is set at a lower angle than the earlier ones. The greaser is set at an angle rather than at right angles to the shaft. It has just one bushing at the bottom. Whether you could ream the top of the bracket to take an additional thin walled bushing to run on an unworn portion of the shaft I do not know, but it may be worth considering.

Allan from down under.

[John Codman]

My '27 definitely has two bushings. Perhaps in the distant past someone replaced the lower shaft bracket with a unit from a different year.

[DanTreace]

Will be restoring the steering gear on my '27 soon.

Last done in 2003, and now the steering shaft is wobbly in the bracket bushing. The shaft was an old original and when fitting the new bushing, reamed it to a slip fit. Likely now that old shaft was a bit oblong worn anyway, and fitting a new bushing gained some more life.

So got a new 5:1 shaft from Birdhaven, along with new pinion gears for the cluster, and a new reproduction cluster cover too.


Note the shaft has the new 7/8" bushing fitted for display, and there is just 1 bushing in the correct '26-'27 steering bracket factory number marked on the bracket, T-932C. The '26-'27 Fordor and bare chassis uses a different part, T-933.