jusplainwacky

Yea, I agree soak it all. I'm really surprised how good everything looks and there wasn't a bunch of debris mixed in with the grease. The grease was like heavy syrup.

I was thinking of calling some local mechanic places today and ask how much to "soak" my parts.

jusplainwacky

I cleaned up some of the parts and here are some pictures. The end of the worm gear looks to be chipped, but I couldn't find any metal debris. Not sure how important this lip is and perhaps I could weld it up...but not sure I want to take the chance. The flat end has some grooves. I haven't looked at how it all fits together and if the grooves are a non-issue or a problem.

jusplainwacky

More pics...

The link shaft has some grooves inside also...I maybe able to sand them down, but not sure how I could easily do that.





Housing looks to be in good shape.



The seal is breaking down and the spring is showing.

rich5962

It looks good to me based on the pictures posted.

That chip in the worm is outside the working area and was probably like that a long time ago, maybe when new, since you found no remnants. The sector roller needs to be looked at very closely on all 4 contact sides. If no chips, it's good. It's worn, but I've seen worse.

I would say continue cleaning everything, replace the seal, get or make a new cover gasket, grease everything, and reassemble.

The drag link ends are probably grooved from the internal ball sockets from lack of grease. Sand smooth, remove the grease fittings, flush it out, grease it up and reassemble. Then grease with a gun later on the car.

Rich

jusplainwacky

Thanks Rich for providing your expertise. I have never had this thing apart, so it's educational to say the least. While working on these cars, especially the Wonderbar radio, I'm constantly reminded of the brilliant minds that designed these cars.

In cleaning up the parts, the one racer down inside the "box" should be replaced and of course the hardest one to get to. Any clever ideas (including pictures) on how to remove it would be welcome.

rich5962

That inner worm bearing race has signs of wear, unless that's just a slight imperfection from non-use where the bearing rollers sat for a long time. If you can catch it with a fingernail, it's bad and it may cause a slight dead spot/lumpiness in the steering.

I'd do this to verify a dead spot, or qualify if it'll be unnoticeable....

Lightly oil your 2 clean roller bearings. Reinstall the shaft/worm gear and encap assembly by itself into the box/column. Attach the steering wheel...... snug, but not too tight that you'll need a puller to remove it after the test.

Following the instructions in the ST-12, Pg 9-2,3 Steps 3&4, tighten the endcap/lock ring until there is no end play. Turn your steering wheel while carefully tightening the endcap to get some preload. Get your scale and run through the test as outlined in the manual to get the apx 1/2 lb end play preload.

Turn the wheel to get a "feel" of the bearings/races.

If you feel a noticeable lumpiness as you turn the wheel, time to change the bearings/races. If it's smooth, you may be good to reuse them.

If it's bad, you will need a blind bearing/race puller as I described in my earlier post.

As it appears your sector roller and worm gear is showing signs of wear, but not damage, it's your call if you'll need the Basic kit or the Deluxe kit. The Basic kit has just the bearings, races, needle bearings, seal and gasket. The Deluxe kit has that plus the new shaft/worm and sector roller. IIRC Basic is about 100 bucks, Deluxe around 500.

If you decide to reuse everything, you can get a seal at Napa. I have the part# somewhere if needed.

Rich

jusplainwacky

Hey Rich... after closer inspection, the racer really isn't that bad. I really can't feel it...it's more like an "etch" and I can probably polish it out with 2000 grit sand paper.

I didn't even think about NAPA....and I'd be surprised if CC would sell just a bearing or seal...so thanks for the reminder. If you have the part number, shoot me an email, if you don't mind...just to make sure I get the right one.

All in all, I'm really surprised that this is in as good as shape as it is. I thought it would be all pitted up and chipped. So, I think I'm good go to and just put it back together.

I know when I redid this car 30 some odd years ago, which included taking the steering column out....I just put it back in without adjusting it...didn't even know there was any procedure for doing so.

jusplainwacky

BTW....I'm not getting any notifications that someone has replied to this POST, even though it's set to get "instant email notifications". I use to, but then they stopped. Strange.

rich5962

I had that problem some time ago here and other forums. They said it was my end, then miraculously a few days later it started working again. Yup, sure it was my problem.

I thought the pieces looked pretty good but you needed 100% inspection to be sure. Steering is quite important.

So, the GM # for the seal is 263463. Napa equivalent replacement(not exact specs as it's also used for GM PS pump shafts) is

NOS 11067.......

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...067_0074390292

Original GM spec is:

1.565" OD
1.060" ID
0.370 Depth

The Napa Part is a little shallower(0.250"), so just drive it flush to the face of the snout and it'll be fine.

Rich

jusplainwacky

Thanks as always!

jusplainwacky

I'm kind of torn between powder coating the column or painting it. My concern is if I need to touch it up some time down the road, it would be harder with the powder. Yet the powder will last longer, look better and is more durable.

BTW...local NAPA store has the seal.

jusplainwacky

Anyone know how the steering column is attached to the steering box? Is it a press fit, screwed on like a pipe, welded??

jusplainwacky

I took out the bearing and horn ring and this is what I pulled out.

rich5962

Press fit, and there's never a reason to take it out so "fagetaboutit".

Nasty, but it'll be fine.

Kidding, and don't forget the special non-reproduced split retainer and big spring and the big nut (behind the steering wheel).

Rich

jusplainwacky

Yea, I was thinking all I needed to do is glue it back in and lube up the bearings and I should be good to go!!

My AIM is kind of a mess. I have the page with the steering column, but only shows the bottom end near the steering box.
You mentioned about the spring at the top but I'm not seeing it. Also really can't see very clearly on CC's website.
I'll check some of the information people have presented just on this post and see if I can get a better understanding of what should be there.

Meltroxel

Hi,

New member here. I bought a 62 last fall and I've been using the forum to research steering issues I'm having. This is a great resource, thanks to everyone for the info.

I have quite a bit of steering play so I'm going through everything to make sure its all in good shape. I am adjusting the steering box per the ST-12. I don't feel any notchiness in the gears, but as I'm making the adjustments to the sector shaft, the resistance at the center changes. I can check it with a digital scale, get it within tolerance, and then after I run it through center several more times the resistance will increase by a lb or 2. Eventually it will go back down. Any ideas what would cause this? I know running the adjuster too tight will ruin the surfaces of the gears, so I hate to leave it like that. I was hoping to avoid pulling the box and rebuilding it but it looks like I may have to.

Thanks for the help in advance.

jusplainwacky

Welcome to the corvette forum! If you have a question about your car, this is the place to get the answers.
I'm not a pro when it comes to these steering mechanism, so I'm really not qualified to answer your question. I just finished rebuilding mine today...and it's all primer. I found it interesting to see how it worked, and it's really not a big deal to rebuild it...providing you have the right tools.
So....here is my unprofessional input. Sounds like something to me is binding, what you need to figure out is what is causing it. What I might suggest is that you try to isolate where the problem is....are you sure it's even in the box?
I would disconnect the pitman arm from the steering and see if you still have your problem, if so, then you know it's in your steering column/box. Who knows when the last time your unit was rebuilt...maybe the bearings are shot, worn shaft, racers, debris inside, etc. You probably won't be able to tell until you take it apart. Personally if I was planning to keep the car, then I would want to go though the steering box regardless....the last thing you need is it binding up on your on the freeway at 60 miles an hour.

Meltroxel

Thanks for the reply. I do have the drag link detached from the pitman arm already. The PO told me that he had 1 bearing replaced about 7 years ago but thats the only thing thats been done, never a complete rebuild. I'm glad to hear that the rebuild process wasn't too complicated. My only hesitation is that I was hoping to have the car out now that the weather is nice. While Im in there I suppose I'll pull the third arm and check that bearing too. Where did you order your rebuild kit from?

jusplainwacky

When I took my unit apart and inspect each piece, I found them to be in pretty good condition. So I just cleaned up all the pieces, made a new gasket and put it all back together using synthetic grease. However as you can see from this POST, my upper bearing and horn ring will need to be replaced. I think most people order their rebuild kits from who ever has the best price. But I order mostly from Corvette Central. Most of the parts for these old corvettes are made my the same company...wouldn't surprise me if this was the same with the steering rebuilt kits.
I would strongly recommend that if you want to get the car back on the road ASAP, that you make sure you have all the tools and talent (which isn't rocket science) to do this job. If some of your racers need to be replaced, then you will need a special tool/puller (shown again in this post) to get them out.

MOXIE62

Is the steering overhaul kit still being made.