Hi i have a 1948 stylemaster with a lot of slack in the gearbox and tried to tighten the nut with no luck i have checked to make sure its the gear and the wheel moves before the pitman arm moves so I know its mostly the box what options do i have with this as far as swapping it out? i search and come across a vega box but cant find anyone that has actually done it also, i know the steering shaft is one piece that connects to the steering wheel, i have seen those rebuild kits as well but I heard they don't last
When you turn the wheel it should remain at a steady height in relation to the jacket. the next adjustment adjusts the worm to sector meshing which is the most likely cause of your problem. The sector end play can cause some slack. Tony
Just a reminder to keep your manual close at hand and to study it carefully. We have past posts back to 2008 on all things related to steering issues. So be a good detective and look at a lot of them. Take notes on all pertinent info. Remember SEARCHING using the plus symbol before the term or terms you want to search (+steering +box). Remember to use the DISPLAY name like Chev Nut or Mike Buller. Remember to evaluate your steering with the wheels off the ground with help from someone turning the wheel while you look at the the moving parts of the steering system. Remember how each component in the suspension is important to good steering performance. Well balanced tires without flat spots are just as important as the condition of your shock absorbers, as important as the pitman arm bushings. All of the suspension system needs evaluation. Finally, a professional front end alignment is a must, and the knowledge that there is going to be some play before there is some movement in your car's direction. Remember you are dealing with very old technology not modern power steering.
Good luck, Mike
P.S. Send me a PM (personal message) if you would like to talk to me and I will give you my phone #
thanks sorry the big nut at the end of the gear on the input shaft (looking at the dirt) seems to have backed out i turned it in as well and got it back to where it was but that did not help either
I think yours is a good idea and see on ebay where the Vega boxes are available at a reasonable price. I would go to the Jalopy Journal or H.A.M B. web site for advice since this is a standard update for some Hot Rod conversions. Our site sticks mostly to working with original designed parts. Someday, we all might be doing what you are thinking of. If you do this consider donating your old steering box to a Chevy restorer if after taking it apart the parts don't look damaged or worn.
Please also post how well the conversion worked for you including some pictures.
Let's make sure we are giving sufficient guidance to the original poster.
First of all, there are a lot of moving parts in the complete steering system. Slack in the steering can come from any (or in most cases) multiple connections in the system. The steering box itself is only one portion.
There are joints at the ends of the drag link as well as the tie bod ends. Plus worn king pins will cause issues. Loose wheel bearing can add some play. Even a worn upper bushing on the steering column can contribute to slack.
So the first step is to confirm where all the slack is occurring. On these old cars you typically find it in multiple locations.
The recommendation to get the shop manual is a very good one. There are normally 3 adjustments within the steering gearbox itself. They need to be done in the correct sequence or you will not get the desired results. When I adjust a steering gearbox the first thing I do is back all 3 adjustments off so I know that the downstream adjustments are not creating a false reading for the adjustment I am making.
I also disconnect the pitman arm from the rest of the steering linkage. That way I know that the resistance I am measuring at the steering wheel is due to drag in the gear box.
Unfortunately the steering gear box adjustments will not have much impact if there is excessive wear within the gear box. You can have wear in the bushings for the shaft that connects to the pitman arm, the gear teeth and mating parts can wear, and even the bearings that support the steering shaft gear can wear.
Let us know what you determine. One of my concerns is that you will still have problems even if you do the the conversion to a Vega box if there are other problem areas. Plus my guess is that it might be tricky finding a Vega gear box that is good condition.
Swapping out the original steering box for a Vega is a BAD idea, the Vega is a much smaller car and you don't see too many in wrecking yards. Find out what is causing the slop, (could be any number of things) if it is the stock steering box I can guarantee you rebuilding the original steering box is a better idea then adapting a weak Vega box, ..The 48 Chev is 70 years old , stuff wears out, there are LOTS of these cars around for parts ,,,, get a GOOD knowledgeable mechanic to check the car out and repair as necessary . Don't get some dick that only can read a scanner, and replace parts
Here is an online 1942-47 Shop manual. 1942-1947 Chevrolet Shop Manual I am unaware of changes to the suspension system between the 1947 and 1948 cars.
Other manuals are also available at the Chevy Old Car Manuals Project. ebay has printed copies of the manuals, as they also have brand new Vega steering boxes for sale.
thanks for that manual link I jacked the car up and checked the suspension. The kingpins have a very small amount of play in them so ill be replacing them. the tierod ends are solid and the bushing that hangs off the pitman arm looks like it was replaced recently. When grabbing a wheel and moving it left and right I see the pitman arm moving on the gearbox excessively before the steering wheel moves. Ill try adjusting it per the manual when I have a sec to see if I can take the slack out of it some, I know it's not going to be super tight but anything is better than the way it sits now.
Sounds like you have a good start on figuring things out. I'll share a couple of other thoughts for you to consider.
I check a steering system in both the "unloaded" (wheels off the ground) and "loaded" (wheels on the ground) modes. Sometimes the worn parts will be more visible when you try to steer with the wheels on the ground. I do that check with a 2nd person. I normally can find someone who is capable of turning the wheel back and forth while I observe and feel the various connections.
I agree that your preliminary diagnosis is pointing to the steering gear as the main culprit. One of the "gotcha's" that many of us have learned is that the adjustments cannot compensate for heavily worn gear sectors. Typically the gears wear where they rn together in the driving straight ahead position. If you make the adjustments to remove all the slack in that position it could become very difficult to turn beyond that range.
Try grabbing each wheel at the top and bottom and rocking them to see how much play in the suspension with the wheels off the ground. I think that gives a good indication of the condition of the king pins and tightness of the bearings. I rebuilt my entire suspension but saw almost NO improvement until I replaced my leaking front shocks and bought new tires. A good front end alignment shop can also tell you what is right and wrong. 1941 Front End Alignment Make sure you read the manual and understand how to do an alignment. Take the manual with you and make sure they know how to make the correct adjustments or you will be paying big bucks for the damages. I would be worried that the upper link pins could be damaged if they don't know what they are doing. Also watch out for smart asses, or know it alls. You can be sure that they don't have your best interests at heart.
You should also know a lot about Chevs of the 40s and their paper parts catalog that gives excellent pictures and assembly info.
