Lost steering in my F100 this morning. Not a good feeling when you are coming down the on-ramp to the Interstate at 70 mph with an 18 wheeler right beside you. Luckily, my alignment is pretty close and it happened at the end of the ramp, so I was right in line with the shoulder and was able to coast to a stop. I never hit the brakes for fear of it pulling to one side if I did. Once I got it stopped and got the hood open, I found that both of the studs that go through the Rag-Joint were gone . One of them was still setting on top of the frame, so I can only ***ume that the other had fallen out sometime earlier. Too much of a coincidence for both of them to fall out at once. I had replaced the Rag-Joint a couple months ago and used the new studs that came in the Kit. They had lock washers, but apparently they were either Junk, or just didn't get a good bite. The stud that was laying on top of the frame didn't have any visible damage, so I think the nut just backed off it. I just finished putting a new Rag-Joint and new studs on it and I am going to put a spot-weld on each nut at work tomorrow. I'm not taking any chances of that happening again. I think I used up a couple years worth of luck all at once this morning. The road that I had just come off of is nothing but curves, trees, and deep ditches. On the other hand, if it had happened after I made the transition onto the interstate, I would have been screwed as well. It couldn't have picked a better time to let go.
That and loosing your brakes are the two scariest moments in driving history... Then there is the old Hellen Keller syndrome... loosing your steering AND brakes at the same time... Glad you are still with us... HC
Looks like the Lord was doing some serious watchin over you. Could have been really bad. Get some nylock nuts and put those ****ers on there too!
WOW!!! Did ya have to change your shorts after that one? Sounds like you better play the lottery and buy some loc***e! Glad no one got hurt. Bill
[ QUOTE ] Looks like the Lord was doing some serious watchin over you. Could have been really bad. [/ QUOTE ] Yeah, I got religion this morning. Didn't last long, but I had it for a while....
[ QUOTE ] WOW!!! Did ya have to change your shorts after that one? Sounds like you better play the lottery and buy some loc***e! Glad no one got hurt. Bill [/ QUOTE ] I wouldn't bother playing the lottery, you done used up your GOOD luck for the day!
I agree with Fraz you lucky devil you. Put some nyloc nuts on there. I wouldn't try putting a spot weld on there though. You never know when you will want to undo those bolts and you won't have a grinder handy. Also...don't weld on nylocs. I don't know what kind of angle your rag joint is on but I usually try to install bolts such that if the nut falls off for what ever reason, the bolt won't come out as well. Good luck, Michael
[ QUOTE ] I usually try to install bolts such that if the nut falls off for what ever reason, the bolt won't come out as well. [/ QUOTE ] I couldn't really do anything about the Studs, but I turned the two regular Bolts around so they were pointing towards the steering box this time. That way, even if the studs were to fail again, the bolts stick down far enough to hit the steering flange. It would have about 1/2 a turn worth of slop, but thats better than no steering at all if it failed again...
Ha ha, I can just picture you spinning that wheel round and round hoping that friction or religion or a stray spiders web would just make it catch and work again
The Jalopy Journal
