Anybody on here admit to pulling the threads for the steering box mounts? You know, the welded on nuts, one being inaccessible. And if so, what is the best way to repair? Got only myself to blame for this one.....
Steering box to K-frame stripped nuts
- Thread starter hunt2elk
- Start date
- Local time
- 1:08 AM
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2009
- Messages
- 34,025
- Reaction score
- 41,725
- Location
- Pasadena, Texas
Dayam!! Is the engine still in the car?? Tap to the next biggest size????
The outer one?
- Local time
- 1:08 AM
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2009
- Messages
- 34,025
- Reaction score
- 41,725
- Location
- Pasadena, Texas
I can understand.....but the only easy fix I can think of is to drill it for an insert. If the engine is in the car, that will make things hard to do if that's even possible.
- Local time
- 1:08 AM
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2009
- Messages
- 34,025
- Reaction score
- 41,725
- Location
- Pasadena, Texas
If it's the outer one, might be able to fix it with the engine in place but can't see doing it with the steering box being in place. Heck, the box probably should come out for any of them....
- Local time
- 6:08 PM
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2012
- Messages
- 35,059
- Reaction score
- 93,834
- Location
- NZ - just short of the South Pole
Agreed.....drill out and use a Heli-coil insert.
dang elk! That sucks but I gotta ask how did the threads get damaged?
The outer one as well as the top inner. The inner one I could add a nut to the front if I had to, but the outer hole is not accessible.
I'll have to get the K-frame out of the car to do that, which with my luck will have to happen. The other thing is that a 1/2" helicoil needs a 17/32" drill bit. I don't have one, but am sure can buy 1 somewhere. Then I am looking at the size of the coil. Once the nuts are drilled out for that, there sure wouldn't be much metal left on the original nuts. Not even sure how strong that would be.Agreed.....drill out and use a Heli-coil insert.
Last edited:
Did you install the drivetrain from below? I would be sick as well but for me I would have to remove it and fix it right or it would drive me crazy.
66 Sat
Well-Known Member
That SUCKS big time!
I had the same thing happen, but it didn't fully strip. As I was torquing it up I felt it start to soften, so I took it back out, put some red loctite on the bolt and torqued it back up to about 10lbs/ft less. I think I was going for 80 lbs/ft but that one is only 70 - something like that. It's been fine for 4 years since, but I was shitting myself when it started to go.
I had the same thing happen, but it didn't fully strip. As I was torquing it up I felt it start to soften, so I took it back out, put some red loctite on the bolt and torqued it back up to about 10lbs/ft less. I think I was going for 80 lbs/ft but that one is only 70 - something like that. It's been fine for 4 years since, but I was shitting myself when it started to go.
- Local time
- 2:08 AM
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2008
- Messages
- 19,117
- Reaction score
- 52,846
- Location
- South Jersey USA
OMG! ......
you know what you gotta do
hang the engine from the cherry picker and pull the K
you know what you gotta do
hang the engine from the cherry picker and pull the K
When I had originally put the car together, the treads were fine. I had an original box that was rebuilt several years earlier and run in another car. After driving that for a bit, I decided to remove it and send it to Steer and Gear. for a refresh. Then this spring, PST came out with their new 20:1 boxes. Bought one of them and installed it a couple weeks ago. I really like it, but the steering wheel wasn't perfectly straight. I drove it probably 40 miles or so. Had an appointment for an alignment this morning to get the wheel straight and check everything else. Drove it into town and remember thinking that the steering does feel kind of sloppy and I'm glad the alignment is getting done. My 64 year old alignment guy drives it on the rack and immediately asks what I did to it while moving the wheel back and forth. We pop the hood and had a look. Here the shaft on the new PST box was moving 1/2 turn before the tires would move. While turning, the shaft was also coming out of the box at least a 1/4". So he sends me home of course, and I'm lucky I made it. 2.5 miles and hardly and steering, getting worse every time I turned it. Didn't go over 20 mph the whole way. So I have changed the box at least 3 times, but the big mistake I made was slobering up the bolts with anti seize and trying to get the 100 ft. lbs. of torque stated in the FSM. When I put in the PST box, I knew I had a problem and didn't sleep well for 2 nights because of it, wondering how I was going to fix it.
Called PST this morning and they shipped out another box. First one they have had a problem with, and the tech guy says I am the 1 in a million that this would happen to. Welcome to my world I tell him. I didn't mention my stripped bolt holes to him.....
Maybe this was just the Big Guy up in the sky looking out for me and forcing me to fix the bad holes, idk.
What makes this even worse is the fact that I finally got the car running decent and was looking forward to racking up some miles.
Also never posted about this, but I finished up the rotisserie restoration on my Road Runner this spring. Put probably 50 miles on that car with a major oil leak coming from the back of the motor. I had it freshened up this winter and was there when it was dyno'd. No oil leaks at that time. I pumped 2 pounds of air in the dipstick tube while soaping the back and sure as **** it is blowing out around the crank. The builder says to pull the motor and bring it back and he will take care of it. He has had it 2 weeks now and it has been back on the dyno twice.
So I have 3 old Mopars. All nicely restored cars. My 2 B bodies are out of commission. One with a motor pulled and the other about to be in the same condition I am afraid. My Duster is still hanging in there so far. I tell you, sometimes I seriously contemplate selling all 3 and buying a new Challenger.....
Hows that for a story?
The helicoil will work. The 1/2 -13 helicoil insert is 3/4 of an inch long. So that should have plenty of strength.
I was thinking more of the width of the original square nuts as far as strength goes. I had to leave the garage for the night to clear my head, but will measure them tomorrow. I'm thinking they are only 3/4" or so across, and then drill a 17/32" hole. That doesn't leave much.
Drop the K member, hang the engine & trans with one of these...
Once it's out I'd strongly consider cutting out the old nuts & welding in new ones....
Once it's out I'd strongly consider cutting out the old nuts & welding in new ones....
I agree with the above I would support the engine and drop the K and fix it properly. Helicoils are ok I’m personally not a fan but it still wouldn’t be easy to install them with the K in the car. Sounds like the threads were wore out already and just couldn’t take the 100 ft lbs the anti seize wasn’t the cause of them stripping out I’ve always used ARP lube on the steering gear bolts and torqued to 100 and haven’t had an issue yet I might on the next one who knows.
Similar threads
