Technical HOW DO YOU ADJUST SLOP IN VEGA BOX

How do you adjust the slop out of a Vega Steering Box?......I know one of you guys have probably figured out how to do this.............

 

there are few things in life worse than a sloppy box.

 

Is it a real GM box or from China?

 

Looks to be the real deal......Most of the China ones I've seen are Chrome

 

Dose it say GM or Saginaw on the case?

 

Mine has a screw/stud sticking up out of the triangular plate with a jam nut on it. Run it in to tighten.

Run your stud in more?

 

it has 7808990 and x-x 2 on it...........can't see anything else, but it is bolted on the car and you can't see all the way around it.

 

First step is to see if you can take the slack out by adjusting the adjustment screw.
Loosen the nut (I usually hold it with a wrench while turning the screw) and turn the adjustment screw in until it just bottoms out but don't put excess pressure on it. Then tighten the nut.

 

I loosened the nut and was able to turn the center with a shorty screw driver 1/2 round and barely snugged up.....it sure feels better....haven't drove it yet........this is the first one I've had that had this much slack, but again it feels good ....I remembered putting the corvette Worm gear in back in the 70's on our Late Model after you all got to responding, but that's been 40 years ago..........thanks guys, I'll let you know the results after I drive it.

 

Do not run that screw down. That is and old wife,s tail. Back the screw out 2 turns,next on the end of the box is a big lock nut and a big slot.Back off the lock nut 1 turn next turn the big slot in until you feel light pressure then tighten lock nut. Center the wheel then turn in the screw to light pressure. FIRST check to see if there is oil in the box

 

I forgot about that step but if there is a lot of slack in the box it would be wise to go through the whole process that Dan suggested.
Don't under any circumstances over tighten either adjustment too much or you will end up locking the box up or crushing the bearings in it. I've had to fix a couple that someone decided that they needed to put a preload on the adjustments and the box had to be rebuilt.

 

The steps to adjust the vega box are good but that may not be the problem. After adjusting the vega boxes on both our Model A's, the steering was still sloppy. Here is what I found. I watched the steering box while my wife turned the steering wheel back and forth slightly. Wholly crap! The tie rod end at the pittman arm had a LOT of play. I replaced the rod end and while checking to see if there was still any play, I found that the bolts securing the box to the frame were very loose allowing the entire box to move! I tightened the bolts and the slop is GONE. Moral? Be sure to check the tie rod ends for slop and the box mount secure. Let's be careful out there.

 

If it's an after market box, might as well adjust it three times now. It'll need it again tomorrow and the day after. I had a Flaming River on my coupe and it was garbage. I replaced it with a Unisteer rack and pinion. 1000% better. I think the internals are made of silly putty on the cheapo box.

 

Again, easy to adjust IF you understand what you're doing, At exact center there is a tight spot, meant to keep the car from wandering. Outside of exact center, you'll still have some play, and that's the way the box is supposed to be. What I do is jack up the car, unhook the drag link, and push and pull the pitman arm to feel for the tight spot, (mind you, I do this with the box in a vice), You should JUST be able to feel the tight spot and that's where your adjustment will be made for slop in the box. Outside the tight spot, the pitman arm should spin the input shaft easily, but remember, this is not the place to check for slop, only at dead center. Clear as mud?

 

Trade it in a newer model....

 

Or alum.

 

Try this.....

 

i recently rebuilt a steering box out of a late 60's corvette that looked a lot like that. i tried to adjust it from instructions out of a general motors factory manual. tighten the large nut down till it takes 6 inch pounds of torque to turn the worm shaft. then steer the box all the way one way then all the way the other way, then center it and adjust the sector till it takes 9 inch pounds of torque to turn the worn shaft.
problem i had was where does one get an inch pound torque wrench that goes that low? i just did it by feel and it came out good.

 

I guess I am lucky that I have a couple of good OEM Vega boxes that I picked up years ago.
What concerns me in the video is the tech’s comment about the need to adjust a new box. Might be true with a knock-off vega (no capital letter, that crap doesn’t‘t deserve it) but I doubt that it’s necessary with a box made by Borgeson on the original machines and tooling and assembled here by a talented workforce. YMMV

 

I adjusted a reverse Corvair a couple of years ago, I took it out then chucked it up in a vise where everything was easy with a good feel, it worked out real good with the vise holding it and no steering component resistance......still going strong and tight.

 

I put some STP in all of mine. You can tell the difference in how easy it steers.

 

I've never found a sloppy box. They're all tight for me.

 

That's why I told him to trade it in....

 

Usually the problem isn't the box, it's what's put in it that causes the slop.