Hey comrades, my 1974 steering gear is getting a little bit sloppy. If there were a decent replacement available, I’d happily whack a new one in there, but it’s not a common part to find intact. Has anyone out there tried to rebuild one, or found a specialist to do it? Alternatively, has anyone found a non-original replacement that is compatible? I’m open to any solution.
Does your have a screw on top with a nut? If so you may be able to 'tighten' down on this to 'adjust' slack a bit.
I was under the impression that the threaded feature was not an adjustment. While I suspect that it might have that effect, I’d rather know exactly what mechanism it’s attached to. I suppose if I’m committed to finding a replacement, there’s no harm in experimenting. If I’m going to rebuild it though, I want to be sure that I’m not doing anything that might make that more difficult. Of course, leaving it a little sloppy might be as bad, so… I’d just really like to know what specifically I’m adjusting.
40+ year old steering boxes are all sloppy. Check for play in your pitman arm and idler arm. These two things if worn, will make your steering sloppy.
Arms and ball joints and tie rod ends are all new, as are the control arm bushings and shocks. Everything is tight except the steering gear. The steering gear is the only front end piece that’s not really available as a convenient replacement. Unless I get really lucky with salvage, or want to pay a lot on eBay, I’m stuck with this one for now.
I wana say steering boxes have a worm gear inside not just gears. And i also think tightening something should help better the steering feel. I'll say this though, all my steering components were replaced and i still have some slop at the wheel but its not like 1/4 turn slop.
Check the steering box for lube. 90W is what the factory recommends. There should be a fill plug on top of the selector shaft cover. Make sure your not low or dry. The selector shaft clearance can also be adjusted to remove some play. Should be done in gradual increments by loosening the lock nut the slowly turning the adjustment screw downward. Check side to side play each time you do it. Too much and the steering can lockup. This won’t remove all the slop but might help a little.
Thanks, that’s what I wanted to know about the adjustment! I keep the gear oil topped off fastidiously. I need to keep this gearbox together for a little while…
does anyone know why a 75-78 steering gear wont work on a 74? no one has a replacement 74 online that i can see
They’re quite hard to find. The main difference that I can see is that the bolt pattern is different. Using a later year might work, but it would require drilling the frame for a different mounting system and welding on threaded bungs to hold it securely. I’m having to do this anyhow, because I had to lower the steering gear and idler arm slightly to accommodate the engine swap, but I was hoping that a modified oil pan would let me move them back to the original mounting points. Anyhow, I too would love to know if the rest is otherwise compatible. I don’t mind doing a little more custom frame mods if it lets me use a steering gear that I can actually find a replacement for.
I talked to a guy today that has tons of toyota parts and knows alot about these old trucks...he said to send the steering gearbox to "Straight Line Steering" in San Jose,Ca...for $250 Mike the owner will rebuild it better than original, he does stuff to it that makes it steer like power steering...
