Loose Steering

When I bought my 69 Road Runner several years ago, it was a project car. The steering wheel had 6-8" of play and it leaked bad. I sent it to a rebuild shop in Mo. After re-installing it, it didn't leak anymore, but I still had the play and it would auto steer far right. I've got the auto steer figured out. Gear box is tight to the frame rail. When I turn the wheel back and forth, the pitman arm doesn't move at all. Loosing the nut and tighten down the screw straight up from the pitman arm hasn't helped. The screw is as tight as I can get it. There's no binding when turning. I just can't get rid of the play. I'd hate to pull the gear box out - what a pain. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Well if there is no play in the upper shaft and coupler and the box still has that much unresponsiveness at the output there has to be a box issue. Are you setting the play according to the FSM? The box has to be centered when making this adjustment.

Get yourself a Borgeson box.

bing69 said:

When I bought my 69 Road Runner several years ago, it was a project car. The steering wheel had 6-8" of play and it leaked bad. I sent it to a rebuild shop in Mo. After re-installing it, it didn't leak anymore, but I still had the play and it would auto steer far right. I've got the auto steer figured out. Gear box is tight to the frame rail. When I turn the wheel back and forth, the pitman arm doesn't move at all. Loosing the nut and tighten down the screw straight up from the pitman arm hasn't helped. The screw is as tight as I can get it. There's no binding when turning. I just can't get rid of the play. I'd hate to pull the gear box out - what a pain. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Did the rebuild shop warrantee their work?
Mike

Have you checked the coupler? Maybe that needs a rebuild.

Have someone help you and do a thorough inspection. If the wheel is tight on the shaft, it has to be the coupler, box, or steering linkage. Move the wheel back an forth with the engine not running and observe the parts. It sounds like the shop just resealed and didn't rebuild the steering box. A possibility.

When you adjust the steering box by loosening the nut, and turning the centre screw, alan head I think. Turn it snug, and back it off a small amount. The main shaft on some steering boxes get quite lose. Not many shops can, or know how to fix.
I had mine fixed, and I adjust every year. BUT, if I had known about another steering box, I would have ought it. We wondered all over to the Arctic and back. I discovered most camper vans did the same. Your steering box may be different than mine. But it does sound as if you also have some warn other parts.

When you turn the wheel can you see any movement on the gear box side of the coupler in the shaft into the gear box? If not it could be the coupler has been apart and not put together correctly. I managed to put the shoe pieces into a coupler sideways. I somehow sensed I hadn’t paid attention putting it together and took it apart discovering my error right away. If the shoes are installed like that it leaves quite a bit of room in the housing for the shoes to move as the shoes are slightly rectangular.

Sounds like you have tightened the lash screw down pretty tightly which would normally give you binding when turning the box past the center point. That kind of makes me think they left something out or left in a badly worn part when putting the top of the box back together.

Only other thing I can think of is the collapsible steering column and the pins have sheared. But I don’t think that can cause this issue,