Steering Box Rebuild Procedures
05-01-2004, 01:43 PM
#1
Tech Contributor
Thread Starter
Steering Box Rebuild Procedures
For those that have asked I wrote the following procedures. I hope it helps the people that requested this information.
May 1, 2004
Revised April 2018
1963-1982 Steering Box Rebuild Procedures
By: Gary Ramadei
General Information
The boxes are divided into two groups, early and late. The early boxes,1963-1969early and Late 1969 to 1982. The early boxes have a finer spline worm shaft, use a different rag joint, have a cast iron cover. The later boxes, mid 1969 to 1982 use a coarse spline worm shaft with a flat milled into it, a different rag joint with a flat, and an aluminum cover. Some of the later boxes, 78-82, use a smaller cover bushing.
Tools and Materials Required
1. 0-30 inch pound Dial Torque Wrench
2. Large Channel Lock Slip Joint Pliers- I use a custom made tool
3. Pitman arm puller or HD 2 jaw puller
4. Basic hand tools
5. Parts cleaner
6. Micrometer or 6” dial caliper
7. 1” Dial Indicator and magnetic base
8. Bushing drivers or large sockets
9. Automotive synthetic grease- I no longer use Mobil1 or recommend any grease that shows signs of oil separation when opened up
10. Putty knife
11. GM Overhaul manual
12. Rebuild kit- I have stock on all the parts including new gears so I don't use the common kits.
Rebuild Procedures
1. Remove the box from the car. The box is held in by a connection to the “rag joint”(coupling), the pitman arm to the control valve (Power steering) or center link (manual steering) and 3 bolts through the frame. It will be in pretty dirty shape. Be careful not to collapse the 67-82 columns.
2. Clean the heavy soils off the box once you get it out of the car.
3. Reference mark the pitman arm to the box at high center in case the gears have to be replaced.
4. Remove the pitman arm nut. This requires a 1-5/16” wrench or socket. I bought a $40 ¾” drive socket set to use and it works very easily. If you’re going to work on your corvette then buy the tools, you’ll use them for other projects I guarantee it.
5. Remove the pitman arm using a suitable puller. I have several types and found the cheap imported fixed 2-jaw puller works a few times before breaking. If you don’t have an impact wrench then a ½” drive breaker bar will do but you have to “work it” good. Ok, now you have the box in front of you cleaned, pitman arm off and ready to tear into it-Right??
6. Before taking it apart, get out that nice DIAL 0-30 inch pound torque wrench you bought or borrowed. Mount the box in a sturdy bench vise by one of the mounting ears. I bolt on some nuts/bolts to hold them.Take a reading of the required torque going full CW and then CCW. Use the wrench lightly you don’t want to jerk it while you rotate it. Record it for future reference. It should start out low until you get about 2 full turns in and then you should feel it tightening up a bit. This is the high-center position with your wheel in the straight position. NOTE: I only use a dial inch pound torque wrench for this job. I can see the movement easily with this type of wrench. These wrenches run between $150-$250, so if you’re only going to use it once then see if you can borrow one. However, if you are going to rebuild your differential, as I outlined in another write-up, buy the wrench.
7. Now remove the three 9/16” head bolts from the cover. The 69-82 use special lock type bolts, if you look at the threads they are not fully cut in a 60* v thread. The 63-68 use std bolts but the head markings could be originals so save them.
8. Don’t try and pry the cover off, it will only break. Use a long narrow screwdriver and unscrew the cover off the lash screw.
9. Put the cover aside but notice there is a bushing in it. I found that the later box covers had a cupped bushing in them with a smaller OD then the older box covers. The rebuild kits I have don’t have this “newer” bushing. The majority of the boxes have a straight through bushing with 1.250” OD. This bushing doesn’t wear as much as the two in the housing so the cupped cover bushing can stay OR you have to bore it and fit a new bushing.
10. Remove the gasket under the cover
11. Use the large channel locks to loosen the lock Ring on the input nut of the box. You don’t have to remove the lock nut now just back it off. I have a special tool so I don't have to hammer the ring off and break or distort it. If you are careful you can remove it with the large pliers and taped jaws.
12. Center the pitman arm in the box by going to the end of travel and coming back approximately 2 full turns. In the muck that was once the box’s grease, you’ll see the pitman arm in the center of the worm nut. The worm nut looks like a rack gear.
13. Remove the Pitman shaft & lash bolt from the housing by pushing up from the bottom. You may have to tap it out. The lash bolt slides out of the T slot in the shaft. There is a thin washer on the bolt- don't loose it.
14. Now remove the worm adjusting nut and lock ring from the end of the box.
15. Slide out the worm assembly
16. Remove the pitman shaft seal from the bottom of the housing.
17. Use the putty knife to scrape out the old grease
18. Clean up all the parts in parts cleaner. If you don’t have a tank see if your local garage will clean them up for a small fee.
19. With everything clean lightly oil the pitman shaft and slide it back into the housing. Mount the housing horizontal in the bench vise and mount your 1” dial indicator against the end of the shaft at the end of the housing.
20. Move the shaft in/out and record the side play between the shaft and bushings, usually it’s around .007-. 010” The bushings in the kit will drop the side play down to around .005”. I like to get them between .001-. 0015” maximum. I have bushing now made to my spec and final fit them. You will have to use the bushings in the kits.
21. Custom bushings are not part of the kits sold. Also new gears are no longer sold. I have the complete stock from the former Corvette Steering co.
22. To remove the old bushings I made a tool out off a couple of washers the same OD as the bushing-1.250” Bolt a couple of washer together and grind a flat on one side. You do this so you can get the “tool” inside the housing in between the bushings and flat against the bushing OD.
23. Use a long drift and hammer the old bushing out. Flip over the housing and drive out the other bushing.
24. Use the long drift to drive out the end plug and bearing from the housing.
25. Use a punch to drive out the bearing races from the adjusting nut and housing end.
26. The housing is now stripped of all the parts. Get the box as clean as possible inside and out.
27. Now install the housing bushings, either the standard replacements or custom made. I made a shaft up that is the size of the bushing ID and a shoulder the size of the OD. I can hammer or press them in without any distortion.
28. At this point you can clean up the housing as needed for your purpose. Some were natural cast finish, others were painted black. I clean the housing and paint it.
29. I use POR15 Metal Ready and keep it wet on the parts to be painted for 20-30 minutes. Then wash it in water and dry. It should come out with a white film on it.
30. I then paint it with POR15 black and let dry.
31. When the POR15 is tacky I top coat it with whatever top coat finish I will be using.
32. I polish the aluminum cover on the late 69-82’s to bright shiny finish. The early boxes have a cast cover that I just finish the same as the housing.
33. To remove the bushing from the cover I use the Dremel and burr again to slot the old bushing and collapse it with a chisel. I’ve tired cape and pointed chisels but they didn’t work too well. Use emery cloth to clean up any burr you leave in the cover ID.
The gear condition should be checked to see if a good preload and high lash can still be obtained, if not they should be replaced. AGE AND MILEAGE ARE NOT A DETERMINING FACTOR- low mileage gears sets can be bad from acidic corrosion from old grease.
If the gears are still good you can clean and rebuild them.
34. Remove the ball guide clamp from the worm nut and remove the ball guides. These are split so watch out for the ***** inside.
36. Unscrew the worm shaft from the worm ball nut. Catch the ***** as you do this. There should be a total of 54 ***** in the assembly. If you are using a rebuild kit then you’ll have new *****. If you are just cleaning and sealing the box then wash the ***** for reuse.
37. Wash the worm nut and shaft. Inspect for any pitting, rust, anything that might cause a problem. Inspect the worm nut teeth for and heavy pitting or wear. It ok if they have a pattern as long as it’s not a grooved.
Assembly of the Steering Box
1. Install the new bushing in the cover and put it aside.
2. You should have the new bushings in the housing, if not install them now. Check the fit with the pitman shaft.
3. Count out 27 ***** and place them in two groups. I use a spray can cover to hold them from rolling all over the place.
4. Grease the ID of the worm nut and lightly the worm shaft. You want to do this in a very clean area so you don’t pick up any dirt in the grease and wreck your rebuild.
5. Lay the ball guide on a clean, flat surface and lightly grease the guides. Add 8-9 ***** to the guides and place the second half of the guide on top to hold the ***** in place. Remove the ***** from each grouping you have so you don’t get confused where they came from.
6. The worm nut goes into the housing in a specific direction. The teeth of the nut are tapered so the pitman shaft can be adjusted. Looking at the worm nut teeth, the side with the widest part of the teeth should be pointing to the bottom of the housing. The pitman shaft rack is tapered to tighten as it travels down into the worm nut teeth. If you get this mixed up you will not be able to adjust the box or fully assemble it.
7. The worm nut has 2 circuits for the ***** to ride in. I start installing the new ***** in one circuit then do the second. You have to hold the shaft up as you first start the ***** in the nut. I use a small pocket screwdriver to punch them down and around the shaft in the nut. When you have all the ***** from the first group in place install the loaded ball guide into the holes. It should fit easily and all the way down. Now do the same to the second circuit and install the clamp and screws. It should rotate nice and smooth without any backlash or ***** falling out. If you did this correct the 54 ***** will be in place and the worm assembly is ready for installation in the housing.
8. Install a new bearing race in the housing plug end. Be sure the radius side of the race is facing the inside of the housing so the bearing with mate with it. I use a bushing drive tool I made to tap the race in place.
9. Use some RTV on the plug counterbore. Use only a light coating, you don’t want it pushed inside the housing.
10. Place the new plug in the counterbore and hammer tap it into the bore. Wipe away any excess sealant. I like to reuse the original plug since they appear flatter.
11. If you use the new plug in the kits. Deform the plug to expand it into the counterbore to seal it in place. I use the ball end of a heavy ball peen hammer to do this. If you have a press and radius end shaft you can use that too.
12. Install new grease seal in the housing for the pitman shaft. Use RTV on the OD.Lightly grease the rubber seal.
13. Grease a new ball bearing and place it on the end of the worm shaft. This is just slip fit. Face the ***** toward the race you just installed. Place some grease on the race but not too much as it will not compress and it will push back the shaft when you install it.
14. Slide the worm assembly into the housing and seat the bearing.
15. Grease the second bearing and place it on the open end of the worm shaft.
16. Install a new bearing race in the adjusting nut cover, again the race must face the bearing on the shaft.
17. Install new grease seal in the nut. Grease the rubber seal so it doesn’t get damaged when installing the nut over the shaft.
18. Use some thread sealant on the adjusting nut threads and screw the nut into the housing over the shaft.
19. Snug the nut and move the shaft by hand from lock to lock. There should be no backlash, if there is check the bearing in the plug end to see if it moved.
20. Use the torque wrench to check the rotational drag moving the shaft. I use an old rag joint that I welded a ¾” nut to. I use a socket on the wrench to check the drag for the earlier boxes a 12-pt 11/16 socket will work.
21. Tighten the nut until you have 5 inch pounds and you will feel a slight drag on the bearings. This is the pre-load for the end bearings. If the preload is jumping around at this point the worm ball screw radius is most likely worn and you need a new worm.
22. Install the lock nut and tighten it good, I don’t use a torque wrench just make it tight.
23. Recheck the drag to be sure it didn’t go beyond the 5 inch pounds you just set.
24. I add grease around the worm nut and housing now. Lightly grease the bushings too.
25. Check the gap of the lash screw between the screw bottom and the slot. It should be less then .002” Most times the gap is about .005-. 007” If using a rebuild kit there are shims to tighten this gap. You should be able to get it under .002”. I use a surface grinder to fit the gap to .001-. 0015” Use feeler gauges or shim stock to check the gap. I tighten the nut on the screw when checking the gap to get an accurate measurement. Try the feeler gauge in with the nut loose vs. snug and you’ll see what I mean.
26. Move the worm nut to the center of travel and slide the pitman shaft into the housing. The center of the shaft rack teeth must be on center of the worm nut teeth. There are not many teeth so don’t be too concerned, you’ll see what I’m talking about when you look at it.
27. Now finish greasing the box. You need to leave room for expansion when hot so don’t overfill it. 11 oz is the maximum amount of grease to use. I rotate the shaft full travel to check that it moves freely and add grease behind the gaps. With the cover off the shaft will slide down into the worm nut so you may have to hold it up when rotating it.
28. Use some #2 on the cover gasket and seal it to the housing.
29. Screw the cover on the lash screw until the cover seats in the housing bore, watch you don’t roll over the cover gasket.
30. Install the three 9/16” head bolts in the cover and tighten. You may have to bring the lash screw up to compensate for tightening the three screws.
31. Use the torque wrench to adjust the lash. You have to adjust through full travel. The center of travel, about 2 turns in from the end, should be tighter then the beginning or end of travel.
32. Set the lash torque to between 12-12.5 inch pounds, lock the nut down on the lash screw.
33. The box is now ready to go back in the car. Add the pitman arm- torque to 150 ft/lb, new rag joint, and clean up the three mounting bolts.
Final Notes:
Some of this work does not qualify for NCRS type of judging so you have to decide how to refinish the housing and cover. Most shops will not go to the trouble of machining new bushing so don’t expect a $150-$200 rebuild to cover this. Ask what will be done if you do have some else do the job.
Lastly, this is the way I rebuild these boxes. It pretty much follows the GM overhaul manual so it’s no secret but other may have different methods for this job. My aim is to help other corvette people maintain their cars either by themselves or by their mechanic.
:thumbs:
May 1, 2004
Revised April 2018
1963-1982 Steering Box Rebuild Procedures
By: Gary Ramadei
General Information
The boxes are divided into two groups, early and late. The early boxes,1963-1969early and Late 1969 to 1982. The early boxes have a finer spline worm shaft, use a different rag joint, have a cast iron cover. The later boxes, mid 1969 to 1982 use a coarse spline worm shaft with a flat milled into it, a different rag joint with a flat, and an aluminum cover. Some of the later boxes, 78-82, use a smaller cover bushing.
Tools and Materials Required
1. 0-30 inch pound Dial Torque Wrench
2. Large Channel Lock Slip Joint Pliers- I use a custom made tool
3. Pitman arm puller or HD 2 jaw puller
4. Basic hand tools
5. Parts cleaner
6. Micrometer or 6” dial caliper
7. 1” Dial Indicator and magnetic base
8. Bushing drivers or large sockets
9. Automotive synthetic grease- I no longer use Mobil1 or recommend any grease that shows signs of oil separation when opened up
10. Putty knife
11. GM Overhaul manual
12. Rebuild kit- I have stock on all the parts including new gears so I don't use the common kits.
Rebuild Procedures
1. Remove the box from the car. The box is held in by a connection to the “rag joint”(coupling), the pitman arm to the control valve (Power steering) or center link (manual steering) and 3 bolts through the frame. It will be in pretty dirty shape. Be careful not to collapse the 67-82 columns.
2. Clean the heavy soils off the box once you get it out of the car.
3. Reference mark the pitman arm to the box at high center in case the gears have to be replaced.
4. Remove the pitman arm nut. This requires a 1-5/16” wrench or socket. I bought a $40 ¾” drive socket set to use and it works very easily. If you’re going to work on your corvette then buy the tools, you’ll use them for other projects I guarantee it.
5. Remove the pitman arm using a suitable puller. I have several types and found the cheap imported fixed 2-jaw puller works a few times before breaking. If you don’t have an impact wrench then a ½” drive breaker bar will do but you have to “work it” good. Ok, now you have the box in front of you cleaned, pitman arm off and ready to tear into it-Right??
6. Before taking it apart, get out that nice DIAL 0-30 inch pound torque wrench you bought or borrowed. Mount the box in a sturdy bench vise by one of the mounting ears. I bolt on some nuts/bolts to hold them.Take a reading of the required torque going full CW and then CCW. Use the wrench lightly you don’t want to jerk it while you rotate it. Record it for future reference. It should start out low until you get about 2 full turns in and then you should feel it tightening up a bit. This is the high-center position with your wheel in the straight position. NOTE: I only use a dial inch pound torque wrench for this job. I can see the movement easily with this type of wrench. These wrenches run between $150-$250, so if you’re only going to use it once then see if you can borrow one. However, if you are going to rebuild your differential, as I outlined in another write-up, buy the wrench.
7. Now remove the three 9/16” head bolts from the cover. The 69-82 use special lock type bolts, if you look at the threads they are not fully cut in a 60* v thread. The 63-68 use std bolts but the head markings could be originals so save them.
8. Don’t try and pry the cover off, it will only break. Use a long narrow screwdriver and unscrew the cover off the lash screw.
9. Put the cover aside but notice there is a bushing in it. I found that the later box covers had a cupped bushing in them with a smaller OD then the older box covers. The rebuild kits I have don’t have this “newer” bushing. The majority of the boxes have a straight through bushing with 1.250” OD. This bushing doesn’t wear as much as the two in the housing so the cupped cover bushing can stay OR you have to bore it and fit a new bushing.
10. Remove the gasket under the cover
11. Use the large channel locks to loosen the lock Ring on the input nut of the box. You don’t have to remove the lock nut now just back it off. I have a special tool so I don't have to hammer the ring off and break or distort it. If you are careful you can remove it with the large pliers and taped jaws.
12. Center the pitman arm in the box by going to the end of travel and coming back approximately 2 full turns. In the muck that was once the box’s grease, you’ll see the pitman arm in the center of the worm nut. The worm nut looks like a rack gear.
13. Remove the Pitman shaft & lash bolt from the housing by pushing up from the bottom. You may have to tap it out. The lash bolt slides out of the T slot in the shaft. There is a thin washer on the bolt- don't loose it.
14. Now remove the worm adjusting nut and lock ring from the end of the box.
15. Slide out the worm assembly
16. Remove the pitman shaft seal from the bottom of the housing.
17. Use the putty knife to scrape out the old grease
18. Clean up all the parts in parts cleaner. If you don’t have a tank see if your local garage will clean them up for a small fee.
19. With everything clean lightly oil the pitman shaft and slide it back into the housing. Mount the housing horizontal in the bench vise and mount your 1” dial indicator against the end of the shaft at the end of the housing.
20. Move the shaft in/out and record the side play between the shaft and bushings, usually it’s around .007-. 010” The bushings in the kit will drop the side play down to around .005”. I like to get them between .001-. 0015” maximum. I have bushing now made to my spec and final fit them. You will have to use the bushings in the kits.
21. Custom bushings are not part of the kits sold. Also new gears are no longer sold. I have the complete stock from the former Corvette Steering co.
22. To remove the old bushings I made a tool out off a couple of washers the same OD as the bushing-1.250” Bolt a couple of washer together and grind a flat on one side. You do this so you can get the “tool” inside the housing in between the bushings and flat against the bushing OD.
23. Use a long drift and hammer the old bushing out. Flip over the housing and drive out the other bushing.
24. Use the long drift to drive out the end plug and bearing from the housing.
25. Use a punch to drive out the bearing races from the adjusting nut and housing end.
26. The housing is now stripped of all the parts. Get the box as clean as possible inside and out.
27. Now install the housing bushings, either the standard replacements or custom made. I made a shaft up that is the size of the bushing ID and a shoulder the size of the OD. I can hammer or press them in without any distortion.
28. At this point you can clean up the housing as needed for your purpose. Some were natural cast finish, others were painted black. I clean the housing and paint it.
29. I use POR15 Metal Ready and keep it wet on the parts to be painted for 20-30 minutes. Then wash it in water and dry. It should come out with a white film on it.
30. I then paint it with POR15 black and let dry.
31. When the POR15 is tacky I top coat it with whatever top coat finish I will be using.
32. I polish the aluminum cover on the late 69-82’s to bright shiny finish. The early boxes have a cast cover that I just finish the same as the housing.
33. To remove the bushing from the cover I use the Dremel and burr again to slot the old bushing and collapse it with a chisel. I’ve tired cape and pointed chisels but they didn’t work too well. Use emery cloth to clean up any burr you leave in the cover ID.
The gear condition should be checked to see if a good preload and high lash can still be obtained, if not they should be replaced. AGE AND MILEAGE ARE NOT A DETERMINING FACTOR- low mileage gears sets can be bad from acidic corrosion from old grease.
If the gears are still good you can clean and rebuild them.
34. Remove the ball guide clamp from the worm nut and remove the ball guides. These are split so watch out for the ***** inside.
36. Unscrew the worm shaft from the worm ball nut. Catch the ***** as you do this. There should be a total of 54 ***** in the assembly. If you are using a rebuild kit then you’ll have new *****. If you are just cleaning and sealing the box then wash the ***** for reuse.
37. Wash the worm nut and shaft. Inspect for any pitting, rust, anything that might cause a problem. Inspect the worm nut teeth for and heavy pitting or wear. It ok if they have a pattern as long as it’s not a grooved.
Assembly of the Steering Box
1. Install the new bushing in the cover and put it aside.
2. You should have the new bushings in the housing, if not install them now. Check the fit with the pitman shaft.
3. Count out 27 ***** and place them in two groups. I use a spray can cover to hold them from rolling all over the place.
4. Grease the ID of the worm nut and lightly the worm shaft. You want to do this in a very clean area so you don’t pick up any dirt in the grease and wreck your rebuild.
5. Lay the ball guide on a clean, flat surface and lightly grease the guides. Add 8-9 ***** to the guides and place the second half of the guide on top to hold the ***** in place. Remove the ***** from each grouping you have so you don’t get confused where they came from.
6. The worm nut goes into the housing in a specific direction. The teeth of the nut are tapered so the pitman shaft can be adjusted. Looking at the worm nut teeth, the side with the widest part of the teeth should be pointing to the bottom of the housing. The pitman shaft rack is tapered to tighten as it travels down into the worm nut teeth. If you get this mixed up you will not be able to adjust the box or fully assemble it.
7. The worm nut has 2 circuits for the ***** to ride in. I start installing the new ***** in one circuit then do the second. You have to hold the shaft up as you first start the ***** in the nut. I use a small pocket screwdriver to punch them down and around the shaft in the nut. When you have all the ***** from the first group in place install the loaded ball guide into the holes. It should fit easily and all the way down. Now do the same to the second circuit and install the clamp and screws. It should rotate nice and smooth without any backlash or ***** falling out. If you did this correct the 54 ***** will be in place and the worm assembly is ready for installation in the housing.
8. Install a new bearing race in the housing plug end. Be sure the radius side of the race is facing the inside of the housing so the bearing with mate with it. I use a bushing drive tool I made to tap the race in place.
9. Use some RTV on the plug counterbore. Use only a light coating, you don’t want it pushed inside the housing.
10. Place the new plug in the counterbore and hammer tap it into the bore. Wipe away any excess sealant. I like to reuse the original plug since they appear flatter.
11. If you use the new plug in the kits. Deform the plug to expand it into the counterbore to seal it in place. I use the ball end of a heavy ball peen hammer to do this. If you have a press and radius end shaft you can use that too.
12. Install new grease seal in the housing for the pitman shaft. Use RTV on the OD.Lightly grease the rubber seal.
13. Grease a new ball bearing and place it on the end of the worm shaft. This is just slip fit. Face the ***** toward the race you just installed. Place some grease on the race but not too much as it will not compress and it will push back the shaft when you install it.
14. Slide the worm assembly into the housing and seat the bearing.
15. Grease the second bearing and place it on the open end of the worm shaft.
16. Install a new bearing race in the adjusting nut cover, again the race must face the bearing on the shaft.
17. Install new grease seal in the nut. Grease the rubber seal so it doesn’t get damaged when installing the nut over the shaft.
18. Use some thread sealant on the adjusting nut threads and screw the nut into the housing over the shaft.
19. Snug the nut and move the shaft by hand from lock to lock. There should be no backlash, if there is check the bearing in the plug end to see if it moved.
20. Use the torque wrench to check the rotational drag moving the shaft. I use an old rag joint that I welded a ¾” nut to. I use a socket on the wrench to check the drag for the earlier boxes a 12-pt 11/16 socket will work.
21. Tighten the nut until you have 5 inch pounds and you will feel a slight drag on the bearings. This is the pre-load for the end bearings. If the preload is jumping around at this point the worm ball screw radius is most likely worn and you need a new worm.
22. Install the lock nut and tighten it good, I don’t use a torque wrench just make it tight.
23. Recheck the drag to be sure it didn’t go beyond the 5 inch pounds you just set.
24. I add grease around the worm nut and housing now. Lightly grease the bushings too.
25. Check the gap of the lash screw between the screw bottom and the slot. It should be less then .002” Most times the gap is about .005-. 007” If using a rebuild kit there are shims to tighten this gap. You should be able to get it under .002”. I use a surface grinder to fit the gap to .001-. 0015” Use feeler gauges or shim stock to check the gap. I tighten the nut on the screw when checking the gap to get an accurate measurement. Try the feeler gauge in with the nut loose vs. snug and you’ll see what I mean.
26. Move the worm nut to the center of travel and slide the pitman shaft into the housing. The center of the shaft rack teeth must be on center of the worm nut teeth. There are not many teeth so don’t be too concerned, you’ll see what I’m talking about when you look at it.
27. Now finish greasing the box. You need to leave room for expansion when hot so don’t overfill it. 11 oz is the maximum amount of grease to use. I rotate the shaft full travel to check that it moves freely and add grease behind the gaps. With the cover off the shaft will slide down into the worm nut so you may have to hold it up when rotating it.
28. Use some #2 on the cover gasket and seal it to the housing.
29. Screw the cover on the lash screw until the cover seats in the housing bore, watch you don’t roll over the cover gasket.
30. Install the three 9/16” head bolts in the cover and tighten. You may have to bring the lash screw up to compensate for tightening the three screws.
31. Use the torque wrench to adjust the lash. You have to adjust through full travel. The center of travel, about 2 turns in from the end, should be tighter then the beginning or end of travel.
32. Set the lash torque to between 12-12.5 inch pounds, lock the nut down on the lash screw.
33. The box is now ready to go back in the car. Add the pitman arm- torque to 150 ft/lb, new rag joint, and clean up the three mounting bolts.
Final Notes:
Some of this work does not qualify for NCRS type of judging so you have to decide how to refinish the housing and cover. Most shops will not go to the trouble of machining new bushing so don’t expect a $150-$200 rebuild to cover this. Ask what will be done if you do have some else do the job.
Lastly, this is the way I rebuild these boxes. It pretty much follows the GM overhaul manual so it’s no secret but other may have different methods for this job. My aim is to help other corvette people maintain their cars either by themselves or by their mechanic.
:thumbs:
Last edited by GTR1999; 04-01-2018 at 10:41 PM.
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05-01-2004, 06:32 PM
#6
Melting Slicks
Re: Steering Box Rebuild Procedures (gtr1999)
You the man!! :hurray:
05-02-2004, 07:44 PM
#8
Re: Steering Box Rebuild Procedures (gtr1999)
You definitely understand the workings of these steering boxes...can I request a little help?
I have a '74 with manual steering. I had the box rebuilt locally about 3-4 years ago, but have accumulated only about 3000 miles since.
The steering wheel has more play than I want, everything is brand new (bushings, ball joints, tie rods and ends, etc) and I have traced the looseness to the box itself.
Should I yank this thing and have it rebuilt again or can it be adjusted to take the slop out. I have tried tightening the screw on the top, but it is already really tight and didn't seem to help.
Thanks!
Jeff
I have a '74 with manual steering. I had the box rebuilt locally about 3-4 years ago, but have accumulated only about 3000 miles since.
The steering wheel has more play than I want, everything is brand new (bushings, ball joints, tie rods and ends, etc) and I have traced the looseness to the box itself.
Should I yank this thing and have it rebuilt again or can it be adjusted to take the slop out. I have tried tightening the screw on the top, but it is already really tight and didn't seem to help.
Thanks!
Jeff
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ren80 (02-22-2021)
12-29-2017, 08:54 PM
#9
Heel & Toe
Member Since: Mar 2014
Location: Hilton NY
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Issue removing the pitman arm from the steering box
I've grabbed a cheap puller from Harbor freight, but it doesn't seem to be budging the thing. Looks like the arms are starting to bend on the puller too. I've soaked the arm/shaft end with WD40 and am letting it sit to try again tomorrow, but it really appears that it's not going to come out without much more of a fight than I expected. Could there be anything I'm missing or forgetting that would prevent it from coming off? I've removed the bolt and lock washer. Doesn't look like there's anything else there. Lots of gunk though. I cannot see the splines on the shaft from the end, they're recessed beyond the outside edge of the arm. Looks like there is more of the backside of the splines showing now so maybe it came off a little, but I'can't be sure. Should have taken a picture or scratched marked it before I started. Honestly didn't expect it to be this hard though. Do I need the torch? I'll also turn on the compressor tomorrow and see if the impact can do a better job of it.
12-29-2017, 09:44 PM
#10
Instructor
get it as tight as possible. Give the driver of the puller a whack with a big hammer. Wear eye protection and be careful. If this fails get a stronger better quality puller or visit a machine shop or auto repair shop and pay them a few bucks to pull it. They are very tough to remove after so many years.
Last edited by Sunracer; 12-29-2017 at 09:44 PM.
12-29-2017, 10:03 PM
#11
Burning Brakes
I had an extremely difficult time removing mine also. Here's what worked for me. Get the OEMTOOLS 27016 Pitman Arm Puller, $17 on Amazon. Grind the end of the hex so you can get an impact wrench on it. Hit it with the impact wrench, it'll come right off. WEAR EYE PROTECTION.
12-29-2017, 10:13 PM
#12
Heel & Toe
Member Since: Mar 2014
Location: Hilton NY
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I had an extremely difficult time removing mine also. Here's what worked for me. Get the OEMTOOLS 27016 Pitman Arm Puller, $17 on Amazon. Grind the end of the hex so you can get an impact wrench on it. Hit it with the impact wrench, it'll come right off. WEAR EYE PROTECTION.
12-29-2017, 10:27 PM
#13
Burning Brakes
I tried cranking pressure on it for a week, soaking it with Kroil over and over. Took a propane torch and 3 lb sledge to it. Nothing budged it until I broke out the impact wrench.
12-29-2017, 10:33 PM
#14
Tech Contributor
Thread Starter
WD40 isn't going to do a thing. The splines are tapered and the nut should be torqued to 150 ft/lb. Those cheap 2 jaw pullers may work but I have broken a couple before going to the tapered cone puller.
Use a propane and heat the arm around the splines, put the nut on to protect the threads and I use a plug I made to protect the end of the sector shaft. This should pop off the arm. I haven't had one in yet(100's) that I couldn't get the arm off.
Use a propane and heat the arm around the splines, put the nut on to protect the threads and I use a plug I made to protect the end of the sector shaft. This should pop off the arm. I haven't had one in yet(100's) that I couldn't get the arm off.
01-03-2018, 10:06 PM
#15
Heel & Toe
Member Since: Mar 2014
Location: Hilton NY
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Heat!!!
I think the heat did it. Tried with the Impact and no joy. Hit it with some heat and that did the trick. Actually lit the damn thing on fire. I didn't hear it pop, nor see it. I got frustrated again and backed it all off, then removed the nut all the way off again and whacked it with a hammer on the end. It just kinda slid off in a very anticlimactic manner. I must have put the nut back on to far and that deadened the breaking free moment.
Now that everything big is out, I need to decide if my major parts are good, or if I need the big rebuild kit. There's some marking in the journal on the worm unit. I rolled a ball over it and it seems like it doesn't interfere, but I'm thinking it shouldn't be there. The pitman shaft seems pretty clean except up near the teeth, where it has some corrosion and what looks like bronze colored deposits. I'm not sure that touches anything, so might be merely cosmetic. I can see where the teeth contacted the worm unit, but it's all in one spot so this may never have been adjusted before. As I said, I can see where they made contact, but can't really feel it running my finger across the contact marks. The pitman shaft teeth seem to have small grooves running the length of them on each tooth face. Not sure what that means. The grease wasn't dry, but was quite globby and hard to dig out, and there was also a very runny component so I'll assume it had separated. All and all I'm very curious if I had cracked the thing for nothing. I wonder if all I needed was to adjust it.
Gary, can you send a picture of what you use to remove the sleeves and bearing races? I can't picture the tool you're describing. Thanks.
Now that everything big is out, I need to decide if my major parts are good, or if I need the big rebuild kit. There's some marking in the journal on the worm unit. I rolled a ball over it and it seems like it doesn't interfere, but I'm thinking it shouldn't be there. The pitman shaft seems pretty clean except up near the teeth, where it has some corrosion and what looks like bronze colored deposits. I'm not sure that touches anything, so might be merely cosmetic. I can see where the teeth contacted the worm unit, but it's all in one spot so this may never have been adjusted before. As I said, I can see where they made contact, but can't really feel it running my finger across the contact marks. The pitman shaft teeth seem to have small grooves running the length of them on each tooth face. Not sure what that means. The grease wasn't dry, but was quite globby and hard to dig out, and there was also a very runny component so I'll assume it had separated. All and all I'm very curious if I had cracked the thing for nothing. I wonder if all I needed was to adjust it.
Gary, can you send a picture of what you use to remove the sleeves and bearing races? I can't picture the tool you're describing. Thanks.
Last edited by sticky69; 01-03-2018 at 10:09 PM.
01-03-2018, 11:59 PM
#16
Tech Contributor
Thread Starter
Drive out the races with a punch. I machined up a tool for the bushings but you can use a couple of washers and a bolt/nut through them. Grind parallel flats on the edges of the washers and it will slip up inside and lay on top of the bushings, then you can drive them out with a long driver bar. I machined a shaft to install the new bushings so they are not damaged, take care the bushings can be damaged hammering them in.
I do not use the common rebuild kits, I have all the parts to build 100's of boxes. The bushings I use are not kit bushings and are fit to each shaft for the best possible fit. The copper etching you see on the shaft is from corrosion between the factory bushing & shaft, you should be able to polish the shaft in a lathe if it's still good. Many boxes are affected by corrosion over the years. If you install new bearings and find the preload choppy= jumping 2-3 in/lbs you need a new worm to dial it in correctly, few places do that since they don't have the new worms. It should not have more then .5 in/lb of change, that is why a 0-30 in/lb dial TW is required, anything else is shooting in the dark.
You are better off correctly fixing it then to have left it as it was. The whole cottage industry of rack and jeep conversions has been created because the quality of rebuilt boxes the past 15 years has been poor. Again lack of proper fitment, custom bushings, and new gears is the problem, along with labor/profit concerns.
If you take your time, use good parts, and have access to a lathe you can build a better box then new. If you just use a common kit, it will be ok at best. Sometimes ok is a 100% improvement over the condition of the box to start though.
I do not use the common rebuild kits, I have all the parts to build 100's of boxes. The bushings I use are not kit bushings and are fit to each shaft for the best possible fit. The copper etching you see on the shaft is from corrosion between the factory bushing & shaft, you should be able to polish the shaft in a lathe if it's still good. Many boxes are affected by corrosion over the years. If you install new bearings and find the preload choppy= jumping 2-3 in/lbs you need a new worm to dial it in correctly, few places do that since they don't have the new worms. It should not have more then .5 in/lb of change, that is why a 0-30 in/lb dial TW is required, anything else is shooting in the dark.
You are better off correctly fixing it then to have left it as it was. The whole cottage industry of rack and jeep conversions has been created because the quality of rebuilt boxes the past 15 years has been poor. Again lack of proper fitment, custom bushings, and new gears is the problem, along with labor/profit concerns.
If you take your time, use good parts, and have access to a lathe you can build a better box then new. If you just use a common kit, it will be ok at best. Sometimes ok is a 100% improvement over the condition of the box to start though.
01-04-2018, 06:58 AM
#17
Le Mans Master
Drive out the races with a punch. I machined up a tool for the bushings but you can use a couple of washers and a bolt/nut through them. Grind parallel flats on the edges of the washers and it will slip up inside and lay on top of the bushings, then you can drive them out with a long driver bar. I machined a shaft to install the new bushings so they are not damaged, take care the bushings can be damaged hammering them in.
I do not use the common rebuild kits, I have all the parts to build 100's of boxes. The bushings I use are not kit bushings and are fit to each shaft for the best possible fit. The copper etching you see on the shaft is from corrosion between the factory bushing & shaft, you should be able to polish the shaft in a lathe if it's still good. Many boxes are affected by corrosion over the years. If you install new bearings and find the preload choppy= jumping 2-3 in/lbs you need a new worm to dial it in correctly, few places do that since they don't have the new worms. It should not have more then .5 in/lb of change, that is why a 0-30 in/lb dial TW is required, anything else is shooting in the dark.
You are better off correctly fixing it then to have left it as it was. The whole cottage industry of rack and jeep conversions has been created because the quality of rebuilt boxes the past 15 years has been poor. Again lack of proper fitment, custom bushings, and new gears is the problem, along with labor/profit concerns.
If you take your time, use good parts, and have access to a lathe you can build a better box then new. If you just use a common kit, it will be ok at best. Sometimes ok is a 100% improvement over the condition of the box to start though.
I do not use the common rebuild kits, I have all the parts to build 100's of boxes. The bushings I use are not kit bushings and are fit to each shaft for the best possible fit. The copper etching you see on the shaft is from corrosion between the factory bushing & shaft, you should be able to polish the shaft in a lathe if it's still good. Many boxes are affected by corrosion over the years. If you install new bearings and find the preload choppy= jumping 2-3 in/lbs you need a new worm to dial it in correctly, few places do that since they don't have the new worms. It should not have more then .5 in/lb of change, that is why a 0-30 in/lb dial TW is required, anything else is shooting in the dark.
You are better off correctly fixing it then to have left it as it was. The whole cottage industry of rack and jeep conversions has been created because the quality of rebuilt boxes the past 15 years has been poor. Again lack of proper fitment, custom bushings, and new gears is the problem, along with labor/profit concerns.
If you take your time, use good parts, and have access to a lathe you can build a better box then new. If you just use a common kit, it will be ok at best. Sometimes ok is a 100% improvement over the condition of the box to start though.
01-05-2018, 03:07 PM
#18
01-05-2018, 08:47 PM
#19
Team Owner
Drive out the races with a punch. I machined up a tool for the bushings but you can use a couple of washers and a bolt/nut through them. Grind parallel flats on the edges of the washers and it will slip up inside and lay on top of the bushings, then you can drive them out with a long driver bar. I machined a shaft to install the new bushings so they are not damaged, take care the bushings can be damaged hammering them in.
I do not use the common rebuild kits, I have all the parts to build 100's of boxes. The bushings I use are not kit bushings and are fit to each shaft for the best possible fit. The copper etching you see on the shaft is from corrosion between the factory bushing & shaft, you should be able to polish the shaft in a lathe if it's still good. Many boxes are affected by corrosion over the years. If you install new bearings and find the preload choppy= jumping 2-3 in/lbs you need a new worm to dial it in correctly, few places do that since they don't have the new worms. It should not have more then .5 in/lb of change, that is why a 0-30 in/lb dial TW is required, anything else is shooting in the dark.
You are better off correctly fixing it then to have left it as it was. The whole cottage industry of rack and jeep conversions has been created because the quality of rebuilt boxes the past 15 years has been poor. Again lack of proper fitment, custom bushings, and new gears is the problem, along with labor/profit concerns.
If you take your time, use good parts, and have access to a lathe you can build a better box then new. If you just use a common kit, it will be ok at best. Sometimes ok is a 100% improvement over the condition of the box to start though.
I do not use the common rebuild kits, I have all the parts to build 100's of boxes. The bushings I use are not kit bushings and are fit to each shaft for the best possible fit. The copper etching you see on the shaft is from corrosion between the factory bushing & shaft, you should be able to polish the shaft in a lathe if it's still good. Many boxes are affected by corrosion over the years. If you install new bearings and find the preload choppy= jumping 2-3 in/lbs you need a new worm to dial it in correctly, few places do that since they don't have the new worms. It should not have more then .5 in/lb of change, that is why a 0-30 in/lb dial TW is required, anything else is shooting in the dark.
You are better off correctly fixing it then to have left it as it was. The whole cottage industry of rack and jeep conversions has been created because the quality of rebuilt boxes the past 15 years has been poor. Again lack of proper fitment, custom bushings, and new gears is the problem, along with labor/profit concerns.
If you take your time, use good parts, and have access to a lathe you can build a better box then new. If you just use a common kit, it will be ok at best. Sometimes ok is a 100% improvement over the condition of the box to start though.
01-06-2018, 11:15 AM
#20
Tech Contributor
Thread Starter