Ok, what am I doing wrong? I'm trying to take the steering box off, finding it hard to disconnect the box from the steering column. I removed 4 bolts (you can see where I tried to separate the two parts) but it's not coming free.... This I have never done before, so any info would be great!
That is because it is all one unit,the shaft runs the entire length all the way up to the steering wheel.If you send Retro Jim a pm He can hook you up with the Ford parts CD which has exploded views of the entire cars parts so you can see how to take it apart and re***emble the entire car.In a nutshell you will have to raise the car up really high and remove the steering wheel and unbolt the column from the dash and slide out the box and shaft.
Like Jeff said it's all one piece , unless you either cut the column and get a Locar universal to join back together or a common rag joint . Now you take the spear out and slide the spear out from inside the column but that takes some work . Can I ask why you want to remove the steering box ? Thanks Jeff ! Yes I have the parts and trim on a cd disk that MEMBERS of this group ONLY can get from me for $10 . If you are going to buy or work on a Ford car from 1949 to 1959 then you need this disk ! It shows you the parts or item you are trying to find or how it comes apart or needs to be put back together . It shows you the exploded view just like the good ole time parts stores use to have ! You just load the computer to your desk top and that's it . That way you can find the part you need and the original part numbers . It a must to have and way easier than trying to use those cheap books that are out there now . If anyone wants is interested in one just send me a PM and I will tell you how to get one . Jim
Just because I am getting ready to separate the body from the frame, so I can blast the frame and recoat it, replace all the old body mount pads, some are badly worn 2 are missing. I've pretty much disconnected the box from the frame (3 bolts through the frame, into the box) and the gaskets, where I took the 4 bolts out of the plate on the box, that the spear goes through, are damaged and the box lube is leaking out (now that I took the bolts off of course).................... Did I answer your question Jim I tend to ramble on sometimes
thanks for letting me know ! I wasn't sure if you were going to replace the steering box with a newer one or rebuild your original one . If you need a box to fix your's see if Johnny--Rockabillykat666--is going to keep his . If the box is fine then you can get all the gaskets you need from MACS to rebuild the box . Jim
So if you are going to upgrade to the Jeep box do you just cut the steering shaft so you don't have to dis***emble the whole car?
Ok, how do I remove the horn ring off the steering wheel? I've been looking at this for about an hour. I don't see any screws holding it on, I was looking for a way to get the center emblem off, thinking there was a screwset under it, but I can't seem to find anywhere to pry the emblem off. I know I have to get the horn ring off, to get at the shaft nut... Confused
To remove the horn ring press it down hard and turn it counter clockwise at the same time and it should pop loose.
Also www.usapartssupply.com has complete rebuilt steering boxes available for your Ford.I would send for their catalog as there are some good deals on interior parts like headliners $99 and up.
Well i tried and tried today to remove the steering wheel and no luck.. i even broke out the impact wrench to help "persuade" it to come off.it just laughed at the impact.. should i be shooting some PB Blaster into the splines? did anyone else have this much trouble?
Johnny , are you using a steering wheel puller ? Should pop off easily with one . Mine did and was very easy to do . Jim
yeah i'm using one..and like i said when it got too hard to turn i actually put the impact on it..it turned a little but now the puller wont turn anymore..i just don't have the strength..i just sprayed it down with pb blaster..we'll see if that helps. i pulled the ring off, pulled the horn ****on out and took the nut off..that should be it right? my threads are a little bent from trying to pull it off with a harmonic balancer puller but i'm not worried about that i can reshape them
You could try heating the shaft with a small torch like you get at autozone. It has worked for me bunches of times pulling bearings off and stuff like that.
i might try heating it..cause i keep bending the bolts that hold the puller down..it just doesnt want to come out.. i mushroomed the threads so hopefully i can file them down and still get the nut back on..or i'll take the steering shaft out of my 55 parts car..
I tried to remove my steering wheel yesterday... go figure, the damn thing fell apart as I tried to wrench it off... Guess I'm going the heating route too
yeah after many attempts to pull the wheel off i ended up just taking the sawzall to it. the threads were way beyond repair so the steering shaft was junk but i wanted to save the turn signal and column. i also cut it from the steering box. as soon as i bring my parts car to the new house i'll just cut the column from the gear box and pull the whole thing out in one piece. this was the only part i ever had a problem with taking off this car..
I've had 'em fight back, too, but never to the extent that I had to resort to a sawzall. A 50/50 mixture of ATF and acetone will penetrate between the parts faster than Blaster, but it's a bit tricky to use as the acetone will eat everything other than metal. Gotta use great care around your eyes, too. Nasty stuff, but effective. There's no use putting so much tension on the wheel that the column is distorted. All that will accomplish, as you learned, is to ruin the shaft. Better to use a pointed puller after drilling a shallow hole in the middle of the shaft so that the puller won't wander off center. Put moderate pressure on the puller...then stop! Leaving moderate pressure on the puller, soak the shaft area with your solvent and stop, turn out the light and go into the house. Then, after letting the solvent penetrate over night, tap lightly (!) on the end of the puller center bolt to set up a vibration. Stop tapping after a short while and add more solvent, give it a while to penetrate, then tap again. Repeat as required. Resist the temptation to add pressure by cranking on the puller. Patience will get the job done and eventually the steering wheel will pop loose...undamaged.
patience? i don't know what that word means..ha ha.. thanks for the great tip! Hopefully my other steering wheel won't be so hard to pull
well it probably didn't help that I couldn't find all the parts to my wheel puller so I resorted to using a bearing puller and the 2 claws, snapped all the plastic on the wheel off and left the underlying steel still in place I admit it, some days I can be retarded
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