1963-1982 Steering Box Rebuilding

[Mooser]

Originally Posted by gtr1999

Mobil 1 is known to separate and leak, ....

Hi Gary
Any recommendations on a grease your having luck with lately?
Thanks
M

[gtr1999]

Any quality wheel bearing grease will work. Some like to use the Marine Green, others Lucas Red & Tacky, if you are not sure about the oil separation issue put some mild heat to it, like 100* F and see if it separates out but you should be ok.
The Mobil is a quality grease, once it finishes weeping it will be fine but I don't like to use it anymore.

[Mooser]

Originally Posted by gtr1999

Any quality wheel bearing grease will work. Some like to use the Marine Green, others Lucas Red & Tacky, if you are not sure about the oil separation issue put some mild heat to it, like 100* F and see if it separates out but you should be ok.
The Mobil is a quality grease, once it finishes weeping it will be fine but I don't like to use it anymore.

Thanks Gary
I've got a couple of tubes of red in the shop (use it on broaches actually) so I'll go with that.

[gtr1999]

Just be sure the gears are still good.

[Mooser]

Originally Posted by gtr1999

Just be sure the gears are still good.

I'm going to open it up this weekend and give everything the once over.
No problems of any kind (steers good, no real play, etc, I've just got it off right now and figure at the very least I'll clean, inspect and re-grease.
Hopefully it will be uneventful, otherwise expect more questions next week

Thanks again
Mooser

[gtr1999]

Before you do anything check the lash with a 0-30in/lb dial TW to see where it is now. Then look at the lash screw to see how much is showing. If there are several threads showing and the lash is loose then you might be able to dial them in, if the lash is tight and few threads are showing the gears may be done. This will not account for any internal gear damage either, may times I can dial in gears but they are pitted affecting preload ability.

You can use anyones rebuild kit but those do not really address the main issues in these boxes and many times while the box will feel better, it will not be as tight as it could be.

Still you will do a better job then most of what is sold today as rebuilt. I also don't know, other then myself, who stocks new gears now. Last year everyone was getting them from Corvette Steering and it's been a full year now since Tom passed away and the business closed. I have his stock of new gears.

[Mooser]

Originally Posted by gtr1999

.... Last year everyone was getting them from Corvette Steering and it's been a full year now since Tom passed away and the business closed. I have his stock of new gears.

I've recorded everything I could with the box on the bench (using the old gm manuals, chiltons, hayes, and a bunch of this thread) everything seems very good, lots of adjustment left on the thread, etc.
I can't tell if it's ever been apart before, the only thing I see that's maybe out of place is a metal tab/tang on one of the 3 bolts on the top.

I didn't realize that you had stock on the gears. Hopefully I won't need one

Thanks again Gary

[Mooser]

My new bushings etc all finally showed up and today I opened the case and started cleaning.
Everything looks pretty good, rack and pinion have a wear mark on the faces but nothing that can be felt. I'll run an indicator over them later just for numbers,
The main shaft shows some marking on the load side of the bushings, I'll mic the difference from 90deg to see where they are but I can't really feel a change. after installing the bushings I'll see if I have a little room to give it a light polish with some 1000
The rack looks like it was plated (chromate/bronze, missing where the teeth wear)
The bushings are the original grooved style
The grease was all hard and clumped up (wax like)

And the questions begin...
The bushing in the aluminum cover is all the way in, no gap to grab behind and pull. Before I put it up on the lathe and machine the old bushing out, is there an easier way?
Mooser

[Mooser]

Went ahead and just used the lathe as a shaper and cut a groove through the bushing. PIA job, silly way to install a consumable part but they probably weren't thinking 40 years down the road..

Mic'd the shafts and they only show .0003 and .0005 out on the "worn" areas.

Mooser

[gtr1999]

I believe the covers were sold with bushings in them so that was the replacement part.

[Mooser]

Originally Posted by gtr1999

I believe the covers were sold with bushings in them so that was the replacement part.

That would make sense.
That one in the cap is the only one that was really worn to any great extent, or at least more than the other two.
Thanks again Gary

[Mooser]

Did these come in different sized housings over the years???

Went to finally assemble everything and the new bushings were way oversize on the o/d. and .010" undersize on the i/d prior to installation.
The bores on the housing are 1.250, bushings were 1.287
The endcap hole is even smaller and the bushing o/d is the same.

I think I've got a box from a dump-truck or something

Had to make up a tapered shaft and remachine all the bushings down and then spun a set of pie jaws and machined the bores to try to get something closer to size once installed.

Align honed the two main bushings to .001-.0015" clearance.
Cap is at .0014-.0017+ slightly out of round but it's the best I could get on the sunnen that close to the blind end.

Should I increase those clearances a bit or is that enough?

Thanks
Mooser

[gtr1999]

All the housing vary, even amoung the same years. One reason I won't sell new gears to anyone separately because they won't be able to fit them correctly. Man, I think it would have been a lot easier to just buy a box from me!

[Mooser]

Originally Posted by gtr1999

All the housing vary, even amoung the same years....Man, I think it would have been a lot easier to just buy a box from me!

Easier yes, but look at the fun I'd be missing out on .

Somehow this is therapeutic and I'm learning a lot about the inner workings of the steering box setup that I didn't know before so it's worth it.
Mooser