taking play out of steering...

been working on my '55 today, slowly but surely turning it into a decent car. Had JP order me a new top bearing for the steering column, installed that along with the detent spring and ball bearing for the shifter (was missing previously.) Steering column is nice and tight now! Shifter has nice clicky detents too, no more sloppiness. Unfortunately this now shows up the slop in the lever where the roll pin has worn the pot metal casting, but that sounds like another project for later, after I've fixed everything else on the car :)

Put the whole steering linkage loosely back together, had about 1" of play at the rim of the steering wheel. Most of it appeared to be from the center pivot. I took it apart again, pin mic'd right at 1.000" so that is not the problem (within .001 of a NOS one) but it did have a little end play so I switched some washers around to get it right. Probably had about .015": end play before. I now have about 3/4" play at the rim but JP is underneath the Avanti so I'll have to wait for him to crawl out again to check and see whether that's something I can do something about.

Two questions:

how much play in the steering can I reasonably expect to have? I know it will be greater than zero, but let's say I'm test driving a hypothetical zero mile Studebaker, how much would it have?

Also, that little upper bearing on the steering column, should it be lubed in any way? It appeared to be leather with some kind of dry lube on it, not sure if I should let some oil run down the column or not.

nate

Reply to
N8N
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well, I rechecked everything and it's exactly the same, play in the center pivot. JP had a NOS bearing/pin kit, installed that, NO CHANGE. Is this normal? It's certainly acceptable but still seems like more play than is necessary. If anything I have erred on the side of not enough endplay, the center pivot drags a bit when you turn it by hand.

nate

Reply to
N8N

Nate you do realize that after you get the whole car within 0.001 of the engineering departments tolerances, some dumb ass is going to hit your car and total it out.

Lee

Reply to
Lee Aanderud

Nate: I've forgotten, what steering gearbox did you actually wind up using? If it's a Ross, it might be gimpy and causing the slop. BP

Reply to
bobcaripalma

Nope, I found a good Saginaw power box. I know better than to use a Ross :/ There is a hair of play in the box, but I can see the reach rod moving and the tie rods not (well, actually moving up and down.)

It's really no big deal, but I am on a mission to make this car drive as well as humanly possible. Just 'cause I can.

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

True, but I'll have at least 100 miles or so to enjoy it before that happens :/

nate

(you've driven > Nate you do realize that after you get the whole car within 0.001 of the

Reply to
Nate Nagel

By the way, replacing that upper bearing was the easiest, most dramatic improvement I've done to the car yet. It was way easier than anticipated, it's a very light interference fit in the upper part of the column so sockets and a medium sized hammer were all that was required to get the job done, hardest part of the whole job was threading the turn signal switch wires back down the column yet again.

nate

Reply to
N8N

Ray and I took a trip to NY to pick up my parts car... I think I was in MD for a total of 19 miles.

Lee

Reply to
Lee Aanderud

Next time tie a string to the wires as you remove them and leave that string in place. Tape it to the wires when you want to pull them back through. If you forget the string when you take it apart you can usually get a string in there using your air gun. The air will travel down the column and want to exit out the hole when the wire would come out. A string would be pulled down the column by the air and in most cases would exit at hole where the wires will come out.

Reply to
Alex Magdaleno

Geeeeeez, your car is over fifty years old and there is wear all over. An inch of play at the steering wheel is almost "like new." Don't expect it to be like rack 'n pinion which has virtually no play due to the tight lock to lock ratios.

My truck has about 2" with a well worn Ross SE box (same as Avanti) but when on the road increases to about 4" due to other worn factors. Worn wheel bearings and probably tie rod ends are the probably culprits. Could use a new worm gear but those are scarcer than unobtainium.

Ya gotta kick back and just turn the radio a little louder...

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Reply to
Mike Williams

Well, that's another thing I have to work on... the only sound system in the car is by Don Simmons :)

nate

Reply to
N8N

Uh, the only *legal* sound system for that year is an AM pushbutton radio...

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Nate, isn't that power steering in your car? If that is the case, it should be evaluated with the engine running and of course the power steering pump connected and all. It should make quite a difference. Tim K.

Reply to
GTtim

Nate, isn't that power steering in your car? If that is the case, it should be evaluated with the engine running and of course the power steering pump connected and all. It should make quite a difference. Tim K.

Reply to
GTtim

I guess I'm gonna be a scofflaw then. I just haven't gotten to that point yet...

nate

Reply to
N8N

There is actually minimal play in the steering box itself, although I'm sure that with pressure to the control valve it might tighten up even more. However, there is definitely perceptible play in the center pivot even with a new pin and bearing kit.

I guess this is one of those issues that will be shelved until the car is back on the road again; I was toying with the idea of using a later center pivot with the bushings, thinking that that might be tighter than the bearings, but right now I think it's time to move on to getting an engine back under the hood...

nate

Reply to
N8N

N8

GTtim is probably right. I don't know about the Saginaw box (yet), but the later linkage steering on my 64 has noticable play when the engine's off. It goes away as soon as the engine is running. I would carefully adjust that Saginaw box exactly per the manual, after you put good lube in it. Then check every joint in the entire steering linkage, and also the front suspension. Are you checking play with the front tires on the ground? Need to in order to provide resistance against the steering linkage. Loose wheel bearings will also cause play, and worn king pins too.

Have JP turn the wheel, and hold each linkage ball joint with your fingers (no, not all at once) so your touching both halves of the joint at the same time. Your looking to feel relative motion between the two halves.

I'm a real bug on tight suspension and steering. I trust you put new tie rod ball joints on. In my opinion, those joints are undersized. Also, I found they take a LOT of grease, at least when new. After I had about 3000 miles on the car since it's overhaul, the steering started creaking and stiffening up. Those tie rod joints were completely dry! And I'd greased them during the overhaul.

And don't forget those cotter pins, especially on the the tie rod joints. I could tell a story about that, but it still scares me to remember it.

You're going in the right direction!

Frank Starr

Reply to
fstarr

Did you shim the center pin to eliminate end play?

JT

N8N wrote:

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

yup, if anything I got the end play a little *too* tight, with no grease and no o-ring you could still feel a drag when turning by hand, but I didn't have a thin enough shim to get rid of it and not have perceptible end play

nate

Grumpy AuC> Did you shim the center pin to eliminate end play?

Reply to
Nate Nagel

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