Steering box removal

Cully37

Bigger Hammer
Jul 15, 2014
57
Chicago Suburbs
First Name
Brian
Willys Model
  1. Other
Willys Year:
  1. 1953
I am in the process of removing my steering box for a rebuild. I have the fender off and steering wheel off. Is it better to disconnect the steering arm from the sector shaft and leave it in the drag link, or disconnect the steering arm from the drag link and take it all out together and then remove the steering arm on the bench after?
 
I would recommend taking the Pittman Arm (I believe you are calling it the steering arm) off the steering gear box output shaft / sector shaft. The less parts that are attached, the easier the removal will be. If you are rebuilding the gear box, you'll want to separate the Pittman arm, the drag link, and the rest down the line to clean, grease, adjust - or possibly rebuild some of those components, too. Sometimes they just come apart real easy, sometimes you get "lucky" and have to beat things and use the "tuning fork" splitter.
 
Ok, I will try to separate the pittman arm before pulling the steering box out. We will see how "lucky" I get. It is a west coast Willys with zero rust so It has been a dream to work on so far. How Do I mark the position of the pittman arm/splines especially since I plan to blast and repaint the steering box?
 
Southwestern vehicles are great! As I thought about my answer a little further, I realized that you can't get the gear box out without removing the Pittman, anyway - it wouldn't be able to come out through the frame...

Anyway, going back together - I always just get the steering gear box centered in it's travel (I actually make a cardboard pointer and tape it to the steering wheel end of the shaft), and count total revolutions to extreme travel in each direction until it hits the stop - divide by two, and turn back that many turns to center. (in other words, if the whole assembly will rotate 6 turns by watching the pointer, then go back 3 turns from the stop on either side). Now it's centered. Then, mark the steering wheel shaft for where centered is, a line drawn across the meeting point of that shaft and the top of the box (because it will move while you're working) - and with the drag link installed, wheels straight - that will determine where the Pittman has to be on the sector gear, it will only go on in one place.
 
How Do I mark the position of the pittman arm/splines especially since I plan to blast and repaint the steering box?

Unless I'm missing something, the splines on the sector shaft have four 'fat' splines so it's difficult to not install the steering arm properly (the Willys parts books call it a "steering arm", not a pitman arm). Not sure why, but in later years (starting in 1954 if I recall correctly) the sector shaft no longer had the 'fat' splines making it much more fun to reinstall the steering arm.
 
Steering box is out. Now I need to borrow a puller to get the arm off, order the rebuild kit and get everything blasted and ready for paint and rebuild.

I already did the bell crank and drag link rebuild kits as well as took both steering knuckles off, rebuilt them with the correct preload and drag. This steering box rebuild should be the last step to no more death shakes and hopefully smooth steering.
 
Back
Top