VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 "34 Master, Mast jacket bushing

How far in does it go in? Of course forgot to measure the old one before I drove it out. I assume somewhere where that dimple is. The book says using the right driver will position it exactly, unfortunately I don't have the right driver. By the way are thay all very reluctant to go in? Mine came from FS.

Hi Pat,

I just took my bushing out a few weeks ago. I'm going to put the same one you are in, since I bought it from FS as well. When I took mine out I studied it really close and it went all the way down to the stop. So just push it all the way down and you should be ok.

Also I've talked with Steve at the FS about this bushing a couple of weeks ago and he said he has had to take some material off to get them to fit in some Mast jackets.

Also if you did know it, the bushing you’re using is made by Chipper. So maybe Chip can add some input if he sees this post.

Bruce

Well as usual, the catalog descriptions leave you more confused than when you started looking.
The Filling Station catalog listing for their two bearings appear to over lap with no explanation why and with big price differences. I list the two here:
DC-008 - STEERING COLUMN BEARING Upper Mast Jacket Bearing 1939-1963 for $17.50.
FS-214 - STEERING COLUMN BEARING 49-54 Pass, 47-59 Truck with Horn Wire for $49.50.
It appears that you guys are talking about early to mid thirties application but I see no mention of a bearing for an application earlier than 1939 in their catalog.

Interesting that you mention that Chip is the manufacturer of the bearing assembly. Does he make both of them? If so maybe he could shed some light on the reason for the over lap in year application and the reason the rubber is cast over size.
When installing the replacement in my 1950, 3604 truck a couple of years ago, I also found that the bushing would not go in all the way in spite of oiling/siliconing/soaping/rugliding or any lubricant that I tried. The bushing remains at this time about 5/16” above the end of the tube. This doesn’t interfere with the way the steering wheel fits and it’s not visible behind the wheel, it just make the contact spring tighter. When working for Chevrolet a half century ago behind the parts counter, replacement of the mast jacket bearing was a common repair. I sold a lot of these and never heard any complaints from the mechanics of them not fitting in the mast jacket. I also replaced several in my own personal cars and for friends and it never took more than a light tap to drive them in.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

On page 264 of their January 2010 catalog, the first listing in the section "Steering Column Bushings/Bearings" is the following: GR-21 1929-40 All except CC, DC, EC, FC, JA, KA, KB, KH, COE upper mast jacket bushing w/horn wire. $39.95 ea.

There is also an illustration of the GR-21 1929-40 mast jacket bushing on the same page which is useful to see what the difference is between this bushing and the later bushings/bearings listed.

GR-21 is the one I got. I finally got it in with the help of lubricants and a nice fitting driver. It took a hell of a lot more than a tap however.

Hi Pat,

Can you post a picture of what you did? I'm going to be doing this tonight as well.

Bruce

I'll show the tool I used and how I positioned the column. I hope that helps. I found another steering column that had the bushing still in it. That is how I figured the depth out.

Ok Bruce, have a look at the photo section. I used a plain old bushing driver in the 1 1/4 size but I inverted it as the big end is the same size as the bushing and the ID of the mast jacket (1 3/8).I stood the jacket on end and drove the bushing in. I used a hammer quite bit bigger than the one in the photo, some WD-40 and a few choice expletives. I had to cut the little lip that was around the bottom edge of the bushing.

Well I didn't get to work on it tonight and I will be working on the left front fender tomorrow night. Thursday is Swap Meet meeting, so it looks like its the weekend for me now. Thanks for the pic's and I'll let you know how it works.

You know Pat, you might want to write an article on this for the G&D. Gene and I can help you, this would be something good for many years.

Bruce

Thanks for straightening me out Skip. I was looking at their online catalog and just assumed that it was the same as the latest hard copy. Don’t know why in the world the online version isn’t linked to the database that they generate the print version from.
I see in the print catalog that the DC-008 is for up to 1946 and the FS-214 is from 1947 up, that’s different than the online catalog listing.
Even though I’m working with a 1950, 3600 now, I’m stockpiling information for the next project. Hoping to find a pre-war passenger car for the next one. My first car was a ’41 Cadillac, that’s out of reach for my pocket book but I’d like to find a Chevy of similar vintage that need a make over.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Sorry guys been off line for most of the past two weeks. VCCA tours and other things got in the way of my Chat time.

I actually have a specialty molding company here in Texas produce the bushings (GR-21 in FS catalog). They are a replacement for P/N 1837956 '29-'30 all (wire goes directly to horn), P/N 1854761 1931-40 all (except CC, DC, EC, FC, JA, KA, KB, KH, COE) and P/N 1839742 1931-33 all (except CC). [The last two numbers have a connector originally installed on the end which is not included but available.] Essentially they fit passenger (except for the smaller shafted Standards) from '29-'38, trucks '29-'40 and some '39 passenger.

We measured all the steering columns that we had available and found that the internal dimension of the tubes varied by ~ 0.040". We decided to make the bushing OD large enough to give a non-rotating fit to the largest tube we measured. That means that even though there are two channels (one on each side) that are molded in to allow some compression it makes installation in the smaller tubes a bit tough. I have installed them in the smallest tubes I have by using a long socket and two boards. One board on the ground or floor and the other on the opposite end of the tube. I used both soap and ethylene glycol antifreeze as lubricant.

Someone else makes the steering column bearings: DC-008 and FS-214 in the Filling Station Catalog. I know nothing about them.

Hey Denny! I just checked out the Filling Station's online catalog and the early mast jacket bushing (GR-21) is listed.

Next to "Search By Description" type in "steering column bushing" and then click on "GO". The GR-21 will be the first item listed on the page. You can also search by the part number of GR-21 and that will get you there too.

Hope this helps.

Hey Chip,

So why ethylene glycol as a lubricant? Would ethylene glycol not casue problems over time?

What about IPA?

Bruce

I didn't mean to get this thread off topic, but it looks like its gonin' that way. Interesting Chip, and again, I’m kind of out of place here, just gathering info for now. The experience I’ve had recently relates to AD pickups.
I’ve found that the dimensions of the two mast jackets I have here for AD’s, a ’49 and a ”˜50 vary from 1.720” to 1.760”.
The last one I put in the ’50 fit way to tight. It came from Chevy Duty and it was in a Genuine GM parts bag pn.5660233 so it was a factory assembly that dint fit.
You mentioned molding channels in the bushing and that gives me an idea for the next one I put in. We used to groove our tires for the dirt when I was midget racing, I don’t see why you couldn’t do the same thing using a soldering iron with a little make shift cutter one it. Cutting a few grooves vertically up the side of the bushing would allow it to compress a little.

Skip, all I’m gonna say about Chevs of the 40’s search engine is that it’s about as bad as the search engines on the Chat site, that says it all.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Ethylene glycol is much "slippery" than IPA. Soap (or detergent) in water is more "slippery" than plain water. The amounts used will not have any negative effect on the parts. They also don't interfere with the electrical contact like silicone can.

Just got my bushing installed tonight, about 1 7/8 deep. Is that about what you found Pat?

And your right you relly need to hit it. The bushing driver worked great.

Also used liquid soap.

Bruce

1 7/8" is right. I used WD-40. Hope it won't harm anything.

Hey Denny! That could be but you were talking about finding the GR-21 mast jacket bushing in the Filling Station catalog in your previous postings and not the Chevs of The 40's catalog.

Regarding the search engine on CC II, I know what you mean because I never have much luck with it either. Finally gave up trying to use that feature.