Yet Another EB Steering question...

[Salashhavoc]

How much play do you have in your steering wheel? With the vehicle off, I can rotate my steering wheel up and down easily with a pinky one inch either way without the pitman arm moving. Open the hood, and you can observe the shaft rotating in sync with the play in the steering wheel. It would not appear the steering wheel is loose as the shaft follows in perfect unison.. Yes, it does wander on the road a bit, but it is somewhat controllable.The box does not appear to be loose on the frame and i do have power steering. My question is, how tight should it be, and if it is better to replace the box or rebuild? Note - I haven't rebuilt a steering box before.

I am running 33x12.50s, 302 w lift, etc...

Thanks...

 

[Lmfp]

heck i might have a 1/4" play not much more than that. but my stuffs brand new. (steering column, shaft, and box)

 

[croft75]

Ive got that much play as well

 

[xcntrk]

That sounds like a typical steering box rebuild candidate. If the wheel and the steering shaft are tight you can see the play in the box by observing the input shaft. If the input turns 1/4 turn or more (each side) without the pitman arm turning, then it's probably time to rebuild.

West Texas Offroad is a popular one for rebuilding EB boxes. They can also change the ratio from the original 6:1 down to something faster like 4:1..

 

[enovey]

I had my 6 turn 74 box rebuilt by WTO and currently have a call in to them regarding the play. I have confirmed that my new bushings etc are all installed correctly and tightened down correctly as well. My truck doesnt wander, but when I try to turn the wheel, there is at least an inch or more of steering wheel movement prior to the pitman arm moving the wheels.
Even though the 6 turn boxes are supposedly easier to turn, I wouldnt expect that the factory intended for them to have so much play prior to engagement.
Can anyone speak to box adjustment or the experience with a rebuilt 6 turn steering box?

 

[Apogee]

My '77 with power steering has about +/- 10 to 15 degrees of rotational free play and it's never seemed like a problem to me, but my rig tracks and returns to center pretty well with decent caster numbers.

Is the nut holding the pitman arm onto your sector shaft loose? it looks like the lock washer isn't fully compressed in your pictures.

 

[Justafordguy]

That's not a factory EB steering box. Who installed it? Do you know what it came off of?

 

[DirtDonk]

Nice looking Bronco Salashhavoc. Is it new to you, or have you had it awhile?
Is that 1" either way a pretty accurate description? If so, I'd agree with the others that you're not experiencing excessive play.
That type of box ("F100" type, but actually looks like it came from an F350?) is not known for being very loose, but your play still sounds pretty nominal to me.

Since you're experiencing wandering a bit, best to check all the system at once with a helper turning the steering wheel far enough each way to make the tires move on the ground while you watch. Engine can be on or off.
Best to leave it off if you're not comfortable with whatever helper you have. If you trust them not to mess around though, the engine can be running to make it easier on their arms.

While the wheels are moving back and forth, watch everything from the box where it's mounted all the way down to the wheels and ball-joints.
If something's loose you'll see it.
If the frame is cracked behind the box, you'll see it. You typically can't see it any other way.
Pay particular attention too, to where your trackbar mounts to the axle and frame. Any play here, whether it's in the bushings or the mounts themselves, will cause wandering.
If it's really bad there, you can actually see the body moving side-to-side over the tops of the tires. If it's just a little, you have to look closely or even put your finger on the mounts to feel it.

You will likely have some "twisting" of the steering links too. A little is normal, but with tie-rod ends that are really worn out, you can get quite a bit of twist before the tie-rod starts to move the wheels. New ones will tighten it up for awhile, but not usually cure it completely.

Doesn't hurt to know what your alignment specs are either. If you haven't, maybe take it to someone that can put it up on their rack and give you a printout sheet of what you have.
You're looking particularly to your caster readings. Too little is very common on lifted Broncos.
What year is yours by the way?

Good luck.

Paul

 

[scrapman1971]

thats a thunderbird/lincoln box 1965-66 on the t-bird and 1965-69 lincoln continental

 

[toddz69]

I've driven a few Broncos with those boxes in them and they have a real nice feel to them when they're working well. Nicely weighted with some decent feedback - for a Bronco anyway. Definitely less "slop" than a typical 6 turn stock EB box, for example.

Todd Z.