65ZR1

Finally rebuilding my steering box on the 58. I have a couple of questions that I hope someone can answer. First, I am replacing the roller on the sector shaft. Does anyone know what the correct torque is for the bolt? The S12 doesnt even mention replacing it. Second, what did you use for the spring scale? Are the ones available in a fishing shop accurate enough and do they go low enough?

Thanks in advance! Spring is coming and I cant wait to get on the road

Frankie the Fink

Not sure about the torque - maybe Tom Parsons will chime in. I DO know you don't want to refill it with that thin steering lube...it will leak on you. Here is the service bulletin correcting that conditions.

DZAUTO

I'm not aware of any torque spec for that bolt. I've always just tightened the nut on the bolt with a socket until it felt snugged nice and firm.
At one time, I put together some information and pictures of the processes I do when rebuilding a steering column. I posted this on the 49-54 pass car section of Chevytalk. Maybe it will provide some additional information for you.
http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/sh...hp?tid/225413/

Tom Parsons

Vet65te

When I rebuilt my '61 steering box, I used the ST-12 and a tech article from Corvette Enthusiast written by John Hinckley ('JohnZ' on this Forum) and I believe he mentioned tightening the pivot bolt for the sector roller to 50 ft-lbs. As for the 'fish-scale', some guys have done this often enough to have developed a 'feel' for the right amount of resistance but for those who don't have the experience to draw from, a decent fish scale will work. The article mentioned using a 'Chatillon' brand 1-10# pull gauge. Since the max pull expected on an early Vette steering box is under 2 ft-lbs, I bought the 0-2# pull gauge with the max reading indicator. Not cheap but nicely built plus it gave me an excuse to buy another tool .
Mike T.

GCD1962

If you are going through the trouble of taking it out of the car, you really should replace everything you can in the insides - roller, sector, bearings, cups. You can use a torque watch (if you can find one cheap), or you can use the spring scale as shown in the manual. A fish scale will not be accurate enough. I bought a similar scale on line (do a search) in small increments to get an accurate settings. It takes a few trys, but does work.

chris ritchie

How does the column come out with the engine in the car?

I did this a long time ago, and scratched the heck out of the column and the inner fender. But now I forget.

I know the expansion tank comes off. I know the pitman arm is a bear.

What about the exhaust manifold?

Another great article, Tom. Boy, you do good work. Better than any tech manual I ever saw.

1snake

I used rebuilding things like these as an excuse to buy a Snap-on 0-30 in. lb. dial torque wrench. Very spendy but everyone needs more tools, right?

Jim

65ZR1

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I am rebuilding the whole box, not just the sector bearing. I agree, if its out, do it all. I made the mistake before of using gear oil and have used grease ever since. As for the bolt. I figured using my arm as a torque wrench was fine but just wanted to check if there was a torque value. I am almost done and a CF member has offered to lend me his scale.

Bad thing is, it started snowing again.....

AZDoug

You take the hood off. Don't remember if I removed the LH exhaust manifold or not.

Doug

jim lockwood

When I pulled the box out of my '60, I found it necessary to remove the exhaust manifold.

I got lazy regarding the hood... just disconnected the hood prop and let the hood go straight vertical.

Jim

Vet65te

I left the hood in place as well, not so much by choice but mostly due to no nearby wrenchers available to help with the R&R of the hood. Disconnected the hood support, raised the hood to full vertical, tied it up to the rafters and then manhandled the box/column out. Not real light but more of a problem than the weight, when doing this by yourself, is the awkwardness of trying to clear everything that caused me to put a couple of scratches in the side edge of the hood . My '61 has Hooker Headers that I didn't want to have to mess with so I supported the engine and removed the drivers side engine to frame mount.
Mike T.

unclecuzz

I rebuilt the box on my '62 with info from an article in Corvette magazine. No problems that I remember. I still have the copy in my shop and would be glad to mail it to you, if you like. If so, send me your address and I'll get it out in the mail Monday.

devildog

A couple of those bearing races are nearly impossible to remove. Unless they are pitted, galled, etc.. I left mine in and used the bearings in the original race.

they are not high speed or high pressure like a wheel bearing.

Joe

DZAUTO

Joe is 100% on the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tom Parsons

Pilot Dan

It would be interesting to get some feedback from people who have used the new worm and sector gears as to their quality (hardened and well finished ??) and whether there was a subststantial improvement in the steering. I believe only one manufacturer is now supplying all the vendors. Pilot Dan

GCD1962

Not easy, but not impossible. I got the lower one out with a small grinder with cut-off wheel and chisel. The upper one is the hardest. I made a little "slug" of steel in an egg shape that, at an angle, passed through the opening and then rested on the upper part of the race (there is some room at the top). Once there, I then took the old length with the worm gear, put it down the shaft (the steering wheel end), a couple of raps with a hammer and the race popped out.

Vet65te

Dan, Don't know if that's true but I heard that too, that there was only one manufacturer of the solid axle Vette steering rebuild kits. You're asking two questions, one about quality of the rebuild components and one about whether there was a substantial improvement in the steering afterwards. As to the first one, here's a shot of the original sector roller from my '61.

I only got a total of about 60 miles of driving the car before I pulled the steering box because I felt what could best be described as 'notchiness' that felt like momentary binding followed by a brief smooth spot only to be followed again by more binding, etc. As the pic shows, there was some serious galling going on probably caused by a PO getting heavy handed with the lash adjustment since there was ample amounts of grease in there when I pulled it apart. Most guys don't have access to Rockwell Hardness testing equipment so all I can say is the visual inspection of the new hardware looked alright, hardly scientific but you're trusting that the new parts are made correctly.
On the second part about whether there was a substantial improvement in the steering, yes it was better since there was no notchiness or ratcheting being felt but it still has a lot of resistance which is the nature of the beast. Like most folks, at the same time as the steering box rebuild I wound up having to replace other parts of the steering setup like tie rods, third arm bearing and cleaning/lubing the drag link as well as inspecting the a-arm/spindle areas for problems. So, for me, the steering is now smooth and steady but the steering effort is still more than I'd like even though I have the front 215-70x15's at about 32/33 pounds of pressure. Also, I have a smaller 15-inch steering wheel which adds to that effort.
Mike T.

Pilot Dan

Good reply Mike, OP started a very interesting thread. (OP don't mean to hijack but rather to expand on it a little more). For years these gears were unavailable new so people polished, welded, and re used what they had or could find. It was (and still is) difficult to determine what a correct tight C1 steering box should feel like. Everything in my front end was done and I went through my steering box years ago (before these new gears were available). My gears "LOOKED OK" but I had no reference as to a wear measurement to go by, just visual inspection. My box is correctly adjusted, but I can still feel a slight bit of play if I shake the pitman arm with the wheels off the ground when the wheel is turned off the high spot. With that being said, the car drives very well, but I have always wondered if new gears would eliminate that bit of play or if it is just the nature of the beast. Pilot Dan

Vet65te

Dan, my '61 had been autocrossed and drag raced a lot while the OP's family owned it ('74-'08) and I'm fairly sure that badly worn sector roller is the original. I only had a modest amount of time behind the wheel when I drove it across Austin (~50 miles) and with that crummy leather wrapped 15-inch steering wheel which was slick as hell which made me grip it like my life depended on it plus the steering box feeling like it had 'speed bumps' in it, I have no recollection of how much slop there was 'before' I rebuilt the steering system. With the new parts installed, I adjusted the settings (worm and lash) to around middle of the acceptable range. On the bench it felt like it was right on the money. Put it all together back on the car and I find I've got at least an inch and a half of play and that annoys me no end. I was so careful when putting this all together that I really doubt I messed up along the way. The car tracks fine on the highway but sitting still in the garage with the hood up, I can move the wheel a good inch-plus before I see the pitman arm move. Granted, since I'm a one-man-band doing this check, I've got the right hand on the wheel moving it while I'm leaning as close as I can forward to see the pitman arm move with a strong flashlight so maybe I'm not seeing it close enough but it feels sloppy. Also, when setting the worm and lash adjustments I used the original 17-inch wheel in order to not skew the results. Bottom line, it's smooth and consistent but that inch and a half of play irritates me.
Mike T.

Pilot Dan

Maybe OP (Kris) or someone else could do a follow up posting of how the new gears worked out in the box. Sounds like my original gears (good appearance) and your new gears produced a similar end result. That makes me wonder even more now if that is the way these boxes were when new. I hope some more people who have done the rebuild will chime in to confirm or refute this theory.