Hi guys - My F-1 Ford steering box is smooth and has zero steering wheel play from dead center to one full turn off of dead center in EITHER direction. However, once it gets to this point, play starts & increases to about 2" at just about full lock, again, in either direction. Sector screw is adjusted properly. Problem is, I don't know how much, if any, steering wheel play I should have once I'm this far off of center, and don't want to rebuild the box with new gears, only to find out I was trying to fix a design problem. Help?
It is normal for there to be play in early Ford steering boxes when you get off center - the worm is made that way so that as it wears in the center position you can adjust it tighter without causing it to lock up as you turn the wheel. You won't notice it when you are driving - the caster angle will be pulling the front wheels straight and this will keep the roller tight against the worm.
SimonSez - Many thanks for the reply & help. I would have thought Ford, even in the 50's with a rolling sector gear, would have designed in less freeplay even at the ends of steering wheel travel, by cutting the worm gear a bit differently. I wonder what their reasoning was.
If there is freeplay when you are driving straight ahead the car will wander all over the road. If there is freeplay when you are turning the play will be taken up by the cars tendency to return to a straight ahead position and there will be no problem. As SimonSez with this design the wear in the center position will be less of a problem since you can adjust it out with causing binding at the extremes (where there would be less wear). The original gears on my '32 Ford have this same design of being tight in the center. I ***ume this same design is used today but don't know. This is not a design problem it is a design feature. Charlie Stephens
The Jalopy Journal
