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I am looking to get rid of the 4" of play in the steering on my 53, non power steering.
i know there are ways to adjust and tighten it up. Does anyone here have any experience or knowledge on how to do this?
any info would be appreciated ! Thanks
Whole front suspension and steering linkage has been replaced and or tightened and lubricated.
Only thing that has not been touched is the steering box.
this issue has been there since i have had the car
I looked on rockauto. They have a power and non power lares rebuilt replacement steering box. Unfortunately both are listed as out of stock (assuming a 53 88)
good news is lares is a us company, i called them several years ago when i replaced my 72s box w a fast ratio unit.
i have seen other rebuildable items listed on rockauto as “send in for rebuild price”. I would try calling lares and see if you can send yours in for a rebuild, or maybe find another box and send that in for a rebuild.
all this assumes the box is where your play is. My rag joint accounted for 1/3 of my play, my box the other 2/3s new box n rag joint and i was GTG as the kids say.
Last edited by RetroRanger; June 28th, 2020 at 04:03 PM.
awesome!
thanks a lot for the info, i will have to look into that!
honestly I am first trying to figure out if there is any way to make adjustments in the original box to tighten it up first before replacing it.
Being that I dont have any of the necessary tools show in my shop manual, im sure I would have to take it somewhere.
But replacing it all together might just be the easiest and best way to go in all honesty.
Idk anything about these old boxes ( i hope tedd desnt catch me in this thread ) but the newer ones had a tension adjustment on the top loosen the nut turn the bolt 1/8turn and done. More than likely tho that wont make any difference if yours has a ton of play.
may e one of the 50s car guys will chime in but a rebuild is probably in your future.
My 53 does have that nut and adjustment screw on top.
i have been hesitant to touch anything since im not sure what im doing, but after watching some videos on other classic cars steering, its seems fairly simple to at least try that. everything else is tight as far as the linkage and tie rods.
also going to check and make sure there is enough heavy grease in there as well.
thanks for the tip!
Just found this thread and it looks like you are on the right track. You can get some of the slop out of the box, doubtful if 4 inches will go away and you don't have a rag joint if you need to remove the box...Tedd
Just found this thread and it looks like you are on the right track. You can get some of the slop out of the box, doubtful if 4 inches will go away and you don't have a rag joint if you need to remove the box...Tedd
thanks for the feedback
Any idea if there ARE any replacement rag joints for a 53?
I have seen Fusick offers some for later years but not 53
I'm used to it
If i replace the steering box i might as well replace that too
I don't think you have a rag joint (I think they came in on the 56 model, could be wrong on this though.
First get the front end off the ground, No weight on the wheels brake loose the lock nut on top of the box and tighten the bolt clockwise with a allen wrench or screwdriver depending on what it takes to lower the adjusting bolt maybe 1/8 to 1/4 turn a little does a lot. Stop if it starts to bind up and back it up slightly, You can mess up the box if you get to aggressive here, tighten the lock nut and take it for a drive and see if that helps. If that's not enough(still has slop) You will need to get deeper into the box and at this point I usually get the box rebuilt and start over with new stuff...Tedd
Last edited by Tedd Thompson; June 29th, 2020 at 09:13 AM.
I dont see a rag joint either from the looks of it.
I DID tighten up the lock nut and screw a little as well as added more heavy duty gear oil in the box.
It did make a noticeable difference and took out a little of the play in the wheel, but there is still a good 2" of play.
It seems that the best bet is try to have the box rebuilt, or find one that has been rebuilt.
Im sure its long overdo being that it is 100% original.
June 28th, 2020, 09:20 AM
) but the newer ones had a tension adjustment on the top loosen the nut turn the bolt 1/8turn and done. More than likely tho that wont make any difference if yours has a ton of play.
