Time to replace my leaky steering box

[vtboy51]

How do I remove the steering shaft from the steering box? Is there enough play to slide the shaft out?

 

[DonaldDouchebag]

Manual or power steering? If it's manual and you have a solid steering shaft you'll need to loosen the collar near the firewall. If it's power and you have a collapsible shaft you'll have enough play.

 

[vtboy51]

Yes it's the original manual

 

[DJs74]

How do I remove the steering shaft from the steering box? Is there enough play to slide the shaft out?

Should be a U-shaped clamp/collar where the shaft connects to the box male splines. You have to remove the bolt completely because the box shaft has a groove cut into it where the bolt shank locks.

As for enough play to remove the shaft, you'll have to maneuver it around and see. You can loosen the column up with the two mounting bolts inside the cab up under the dash and also loosen up the boot seal and bracket.

I recently replaced a manual box by removing the collar, then all the bolts from the box to frame connection and just pulled the box out and the shaft stayed... putting it back together with this method is a little tricky but doable.


DJs74

 

[DirtDonk]

See that clamp & bolt right there on the shaft by the spark plug wire? It's at the base of the column body, but only encompasses the shaft.
After you remove the lower bolt at the box, if this clamp is loose your shaft should slide right up into the column without having to loosen or remove the interior or firewall bolts.
In theory anyway...

Some EB columns had a second snap-ring that might keep your shaft from rising up, but I'm pretty sure that those were on the later columns. Your early should just slide right on up.

Paul