VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 1940 chevrolet steering box

Preparing to rebuild steering gear on my '40 md .What part causes the excess play ,I've got it adjusted all the way but still is sloppy. I realize its needs seals and bearings.Is there any way to get a better steering ratio by changing gears.You dont know until you ask.

The parts that are usually worn out are the sector shaft and its bushings. The parts were sold as a "kit" and fit 1939-1948 cars (with coil springs). They pop-up on ebay at times but are getting more difficult to find as they are usually worn-out .
The ball bearings for the worm shaft usually are OK but if needed they are available from the Filling Station. The worm shaft is the most difficult to find so hope that is OK. If the bearings or worm shaft is bad the steering feels "lumpy" whrn turning the wheel.
Be sure to follow shop manual for adjusting sequence.
Also check for wornout rubber bushings where the two halves of the pitman arm are bolted together.

Howard,

Forget what Gene has told you. He's right of course, as always, but what he didn't tell you is that the steering sector of those 40-48 were engineered by a bunch of glue sniffing, college students who were given the run of the place for a day or two.

The design was outstanding. The trouble was that the parts didn't hold up for any reasonable length of time. They loosened up rather quickly. That's the reason you couldn't take new one out for a test drive around the block. By the time you got back the whole mechinism would have loosened up so much that the pucker factor would kick in as you negoitiated it back through the narrow doors of the show room. Yep.

I have been around 41 Chevrolets long enough to realize that I have never driven one without at least 15 degrees of loose play. And those still had the new car smell. More like 30 degrees if it had more than a thousand miles on her.

Don't be discouraged, though. You just have to get used to it. Have it aligned so that it will generally cut the heart of the lane but will drift in either direction if not attended to right often. (You have to pay attention or else you will scare the h--- out of those riding with you or as well as the other drivers you meet.) To continue on: Then lower the air pressure in the right front a few lbs so that you get a little continual positive drift to the right. That way you merely keep slight positive pressure to the left to keep it going straight down the road. Piece of cake. Works for me.

Glad to be of help. Take my suggestion. It will save you money and frustration. Again, they can't be fixed. At least for any extended period of time. Check with anyone out there. They'll tell you the same thing. Will too.

Good luck,
Charlie

BTW: There should be a bulletin out there that says that when the steering reaches 15 degrees play then it is consider to be "broken In."

BTW2: Forget the adjustments. Anything you do will only make it worse.

Whew! Mighty strong words. I would agree that these old bombs, especially the 41,s drive like an old tractor with a narrow front end. Now a '40 on the other hand can be driven all day at 60 and be handled with one hand on the wheel.
Don't get discouraged and work on your steering box. You'll be happy in the end that you did. Don

While its true that the steering gears left something to be desired the main wear problem was lack of lubrication or the incorrect lubrication. My 1939 still has the original steering gear and its never been apart AND HAS NO PLAY. Back in the dealership I observed the steering gear required a minor adjustment at 20 to 25,000 miles.
When the gear lube ran low it was either not checked or filled with chassis rease. The chassis grease did not flow into the bearings and bushings thus they just plain wore out.

Thank-you to everyone for this information .The box is leaking but dosent have any lumps in it as turning May be the best is to just reseal and add correct fluid .
Thanks to All

Has anyone found a "modern" seal to replace the old cork seal on the sector shaft?

The 1939-1948 cars (with knee-action) had a metal/leather seal.

Sorry, I forgot to say for 1937 master. I didn't realize the newer ones had a better seal. I assume the later seal will not fit?

The cork was 1 25/64" O.D and 1 3/32" I.D. and 1/4" thick (or wide).Perhaps NAPA or a bearing supplier could come up with a real seal.

Thankyou for the dimensions Gene. I was thinking of trying to take the measurements and trying to find something to fit. I have the sector kit but the old cork is broken and it seems like a newer style seal would be desirable.

Happy New Year!

I bought a new Pitman Arm Shaft seal from Chevs of the 40s for my 38 straight axle. Here is the item, at the bottom of the page, in their catalog shaft seal . According to the listing it should fit your 37. The seal is actually an SKF 11055. You can lookit up on the SKF website.

Thanks for the link and the info, that is what I was looking for.

Hello,
have now experience about steering yet, but the 1940 I bought had in my eyes too much play in steering (for strict german laws) and the seller/dealer offered me to overhaul the steering gear for around USD 600.- and let him do it. The cars arrival here is expected for tomorrow I will let you know how the steering is.
I bought the car at www.wilsonclassiccars.com in Burlington-Wisconsin, feel free to ask him who did overhaul the steering box.

All the best
Stefangermany

It is common for the steering gears in these cars to be worn out. First I wouls try adjusting the gear as described in the shop manual.
The most common parts to require replacing is the pitman shaft and itt's bushings. They fit 1939-1948 cars and show-up on ebay.
The other problem is with the 4 hard rubber bushings that are between the two halves of the pitman arm. They are usually bad and new ones are available from the Filling Station.
The condition of the tie rod ends should also be inspected. If there is any up and down movement they should be replaced. Also check the upper pivot pins....the connection between the top shock absorber arm and the king pin support and check the fluid level in the shocks while your in the area.