I think you are right Bill.I have ordered a complete Idler Arm-NORS American Made.Not one of the "Repro's" offered by several Dealers.And you know what-it was cheaper than any of the Repro's!

  

Mark, you,r on right track, my only suggestion is the bushes are the same as a nut rotating on a bolt and hence i think you could share the wear between both, so would be better to replace idler arm assy to rule out any wear on the idler shaft threads also.

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia

Hi Paul! I posted the question on the technical the other day and regarding how much vertical play there should be in the idler arm.About 1/8 inch max.You shouldn't be able to move it up and down by hand more than 1/8 inch.I have about 1/2 inch play.With the weight on the wheels the linkage moves without moving the wheels until the slack in the idler arm is taken up.Very noticeable when driving straight.Dead spot in the centre.I had the alignment done on Monday and the Mechanic said it just needs the bushings replaced.Chevrolet used the same type of idler in theirs and he has owned a bunch over the years.If you look at Ebay item # 190648905331 that's the bushings.I ordered 2 from Joblot and 2 seals.Bushings are $4.00 each and the seals $2.00.Part # MB 3356 Bushing and A 3359 Seals.You should check your idler arm as the play might not be in the box at all.

  

Oldcarmark:When you refered to"free play in the middle" are you meaning that the steering is loose or wanders at centre? And how can I check to see if my idler arm bushings are worn? With the wheels on the ground every thing appears tight, although I've had problems trying to get the idler arm to accept grease. My 57 c/w a 58 box is loose on center & on some surfaces wanders quite badly. Ive adjusted the centre screw some, but don't want to over tighten it.. Any info appreciated.- Paul

Paul

If you are looking for parts to rebuild a stock 55-56 box be it 2 or 3 tooth sector shaft try Joblot Automotive.You can download their online Parts Catalog.They list various Parts including replacement input gears(reuse your existing shaft) as well as complete input shaft assemblies.Complete overhaul kits includes bearings and seals.The problem with these boxes seems to be the input gear-not so much the sector gear.I just bought a rebuilt box that the seller builds as a later 3 tooth sector shaft type box.He uses the 2 tooth ones for Thunderbirds.When I took my old 2 tooth box apart after it was out the problem was obvious.Section of the input shaft gear was gone.In the middle of the travel which is where the gear mesh is the closest.I will post a pic if I get a chance.When I was looking for parts before buying a complete box Joblot seemed to have more parts to rebuild mine.Carpenter had an NOS Sector shaft in his inventory.The new box is quite an improvement as far as turning effort etc.I just ordered 2 new bushings from Joblot to repair my Idler Arm which is causing freeplay in the middle.Get that fixed and that should be it.

  

Didn't see it mentioned but you could lengthen your pitman arm to give it more travel over degree of movement. But of course it would be harder to turn the steering wheel. With your new Brodie Knob you will be 'drifting' in no time.

Desclaimer; The above is just a suggestion and highly not recommended.

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL

[quote]Roy (1/7/2010)

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Don't know if this will help but I just bought a 09 Toyota power steering column. Should have it in a day or two. Its electric powered. There's an electric motor on the column. Looks like the motor will end up under the dash and then it can connect (one way or another) to the existing column, modified no doubt. So you leave your steering box and this motor somehow knows when to help and how much. The guy included the wiring harness plugs to help a little, but I'll definitely need to do some thinking. I can't believe all I need to do is add power. But who knows. If your interested, I'll update you. Hi Roy, did you ever get the electric steering sorted out?


South Australia

I forgot to mention, when you adjust your steering box, most people use the adjusting screw only, but at least on my 52 Ford F1, there are also shim gaskets that tighten or loosen the bearing end gap. Sometimes that can get sloppy and people turn the screw in too far to make up for it. If the bearings have too much end play your steering feels real loose and the car wanders a lot. Tightening the screw can dampen it but not eliminate it. It can make for a bad situation. Roy

Life isn't about arriving at the end in a pristine, well preserved body; It's about sliding in sideways, all clapped out, yelling "What a ride!"

Don't know if this will help but I just bought a 09 Toyota power steering column. Should have it in a day or two. Its electric powered. There's an electric motor on the column. Looks like the motor will end up under the dash and then it can connect (one way or another) to the existing column, modified no doubt. So you leave your steering box and this motor somehow knows when to help and how much. The guy included the wiring harness plugs to help a little, but I'll definitely need to do some thinking. I can't believe all I need to do is add power. But who knows. If your interested, I'll update you.

As far as the steering that is locking up at the extreme ends, you may want to check that the spindle stops are properly adjusted. Also, as someone mentioned, the middle of the worm gear gets the most use and the chrome hard face wears off leaving a softer metal in contact with the steering gear. As you adjust for the wear in the middle, you tighten the extremes and they can lock up or not allow you to turn as tight a radius. Without the hardface it will wear quickly and can be dangerous. I have bought some NOS steering parts from Joblot in NY.

Hope this helps. Roy in New Hampshire

Life isn't about arriving at the end in a pristine, well preserved body; It's about sliding in sideways, all clapped out, yelling "What a ride!"

Those things always gave me trouble. I kept trying to stop & look at the picture

Butch "In a world filled with stress it is better to give than to receive"