jgreg53

I've got the steering box in the vice. The bearings and races have play in them. These are relatively new from my last rebuild. When  I put it all together there's up and down movement . The large race is below flush a good quarter inch. I can make it flush with a flat washer. With it put together that way there is resistance with the wheels centered.  When all the way left or right the clearance opens up as it should. There's no play in the steering with the box in the vice.  Ideas?  When I was taking the box out, I found that whoever put it back together the last time, the shade tree mechanic  forgot or lost the large lock washer on the sector. Don't  know if it means anything but it happened.

I've got her in the garage and jacked up. Going to be a busy week. I'll get in it later.

I know the only things that  you can change are toe in or out and camber. Caster is built in.

Doug and Deb I just recently adjusted the brakes. There right . It was hard to turn right before that.  When turning right at a stand still I'm pulling myself off the seat and the thing squeaks through the steering rod like something is in a bind.

Is there any one alignment adjustments that if out would make my 48 hard steering to the right?

Is there any one alignment adjustments that if out would make my 48 hard steering to the right?

That does look like my worm gear. I'm wondering if I just changed the worm.

Could someone tell me if there is a different box that will work on my 48 plymouth? I have seen mention of Vega boxes.

Doesn't sound very lazy, lazy. Doing the work yourself?

Do you remember the old fan belt yardstick? It was a measuring stick with a slide on one end.   That was the way you bought a fN belt.  It's easier these days with an actual part number.  There's one thing they really don't want to do is take it to the back and try to match it up .

If your talking about core plugs or freeze plugs, I replaced one with a rubber expansion plug. It worked .

I've adjusted this thing from loose to tight and every where in between. The play is in the box itself. After putting it all together there are gaps between the bearings. I have tried different shims trying to take up the slack then it makes it hard to steer especially turning right. I believe it's called preloading g the bearings.

My brakes are good. Created my own adjuster tool. I clamped my vice grips on the castle nut.  I fabricated a piece to attach to the adjusting rod of the vice grip bent it around to touch the brake shoe lining. Worked quite well. I had changed all the hardware several years ago. My steering gearbox has been a problem for a long time. But until I sell a kidney to afford a new sector gear and worm gear. I'm gonna pull it all off again and see what I can do. I've rebuilt the box twice.

It's going to be a cold winter here in Kansas.  I just today put her in the garage. My heater works but not that good.

I need some ideas. What's going to be our wintertime projects? I think I'm gonna revisit my steering issues again.

There are times when neither of the three stores don't have the part nor can they get it. Take something like door hinge pin bushings. They have a blister pack of a variety of sizes but none of them fit a 48 plymouth.  I had ordered the new pins from AB, but couldn't find bushings.then someone told me that pins from a mid 80's Chevy truck would fit. And they did

Thank God  for the internet when it comes to finding parts for classics. Without it we would be dependent on junk yards and good luck with that.

 Very well put harmony. These kids are not car people. They have the catalogs there. I like it when an old guy goes to the catalogs there and will take the time to bring one of them out and start flipping through the pages. A seasoned car guy knows where to find just what you looking for. I was in one place looking for that long fuse for the headlight switch. The young lady assisting me was very polite and did what they always do and tried to find it in the computer. Nothing. I know  it was in one of those paper catalogs.  And when I told her 48 plymouth, we'll she was done searching. I went to napa and an older guy there found it in the computer. I bought 5. Had to order them though. But I must say these stores do keep a generous supply of floor mats and air fresherners.

No matter where you shop, they have got to have an old guy. These kids they hire these days don't know much about cars. When you tell one of them the year of your car they get the deer in the headlight look. When I told one of them I had a 48 plymouth,  he asked me who makes that? If it's not in their computer they can't help  you. I've known some old guys who knew exactly what I was talking about for whatever doohickey I was looking for. Old guys rule! 

Sniper, where can I find such a breaker.and can you tell me what it's called?

How would you go about replacing the headlight switch fuse with a circuit breaker?

I'm having a heck of a time trying to find that 6 x 36mm fuse. 

So I took the faceplate off the nos fuel gauge. I sprayed the whole thing really well with contact cleaner. I attached the 3 wires without the face plate and the needle moved. The only thing I can think is the faceplate was bent back just far enough to keep the mechanism from working. Put it all back together and it works.

I'm familiar with how it's supposed to work.  If it's working right,  you can actually see the bi metal blades bending and sometimes smell the coils heating up.

Yep