Nomad50

Where would I find shims like those?

Yes I replaced the upper needle bearing and seal.

Here is what the gears look like. The adjustment screw is already turned down to the point that the lock nut barely threads. You're saying I should add shims to the bottom plate of the steering box? Willl this take some of the free play out of the steering wheel?

I have about 5 inches of free play in the steering wheel on my 1947 Desoto. I took two shims out and the adjustment screw is tightened almost to the limit on the steering box. The rest of the steering components have been replaced. Can I take more shims out or is it that the gears are worn too badly. Can I get replacment gears any where. Thanks for any input.

I do not have any pictures before aassembly. You could probably mount it in front of the firewall and modify the shift rod to make it work. I removed the heater and have a floor shift so it wasn't a problem.

It does need a direct connection to the battery, but the heavy fuse connection is supplied with the kit.

The unit needs 12 volts. There should be enough room in front of firewall if you have the original engine. I put a 318 in so it wouldn't fit.

epowersteering.com also on facebook I used the straight kit $655 cost. Helpful phone support. I have more pictures but they are too large to upload here. Instructions were easy to follow.

We put a 318 in a 47 Desoto with a 904 Tourquflite with not too much trouble. Used the stock radiator and rear end, just had the driveshaft modified. The only trouble we had was the left side exhaust manifold clearance. We solved it by finding an upswept exhaust manifold from another 318, but I don't remember which one and cutting a small section out of the steering column housing. Had a welder come out and make motor mounts with no problems.

The picture of the steering column is not the the right one, It was from the kit sellers website. I used the original steering column and gear with no modifications. You just cut a section out and weld adaptors to the stock shaft ends. Nothing is in front of the firewall. The wiring is simple. All I did was remove the column and make a mock up of where I wanted it and took it to a machine shop and they modified it. Plenty of room to drive as you can rotate it up and out of the way. It works better than I expected. The rest of the pictures are too large to upload here.

I finished installing the Electric Power steering conversion on the '47 Desoto. It wasn't too complicated and it works great. I posted a few pictures for anyone that is interested. It has a dial that you can adjust how much assist you want. The total cost was about $900 that included $225 charged by a machine shop that did the fabrication to the original steering column. The kit I bought came with everything I needed and good instructions. It's based on a Chevy Equinox steering unit. I can now parallel park with one finger. No modification was done to the stock suspension. It looks kind of clunky, but it doesn't get in the way of any thing under the dash. A lot easier and cheaper than other options. More details if anybody wants them.

Thanks.

So Allbiz, what year Cherokee did you use and was it a 2 or 4wheel unit? And what did you do to solve the the driveshaft problem. I presume I will have to use my Desoto spring perches. Thanks for the advice.

What rear axle would be the easiest swap into a 1947 Desoto? The posts that I have found are confusing. It seems the best ones are '90 thru 2000 Jeep Cherokee, '95 thru 2003 Ford Explorer and '90's Ford ranger. Are the bolt patterns the same, and will the driveshaft bolt up? I saw some specs that say all '37 thru '48 MoPar widths are 60" inches. If anyone has done this some pictures would be nice. Thanks for any help.

I am looking for a steering wheel cover for a 1947 Desoto. My wheel is cracked pretty bad but still solid. I ordered one but it's too wide to fit on tightly. Does anyone know of a source for one that would fit? Thanks.

I ended up making my own gasket out of a a 11/4" cork. Drilled out the center then shaped it with a bench grinder. The spring pressure holds it in. No leaks so far. I will keep that part number just in case. Thanks.

Is it possible to overfill the steering box?

I rebuilt the steering box on a 1947 Desoto. When I filled the box with 90weight oil it started leaking where the shaft goes into the box. There is a cork seal that has rotted away. Where can I find a replacement? My plan b is to drain the oil and replace it with grease. Has anyone done this? I know it takes a special kind of grease. It looks like this was a common practice years ago. Thanks for any help.

It looks like Desoto and Chrysler used needle bearings and Dodge and Plymouth used bushings. I still ned to know if replacement bushings will work. I would guess that the housings are the same. Thanks for the help.

They are the two shaft bearings and mine are definitely are caged needle bearings.

I tried to call Les. Got recorded message that mailbox was full and not accepting messages.

I took the cover off my steering gear on a 1947 Desoto and found some loose needle bearing rollers. I took the shaft out and saw that the upper bearing raceway was broken. I called two places that sell rebuild kits that have solid bushings. They both said they never had needle bearings. I have a spare steering assembly that also has needle bearings so they must have built them that way. Has anyone replaced the needle bearings with solid bushing? If so, how did you do it? I don't want to buy a kit with solid bushings that won't work. Thanks for any help.

It was a 5/8" -18 thread on the Desoto. Thanks for the help.

Does any body know what the thread size is on a '47 Desoto steering wheel shaft? I have an 11/16"-18 die but that is too coarse. I have to repair the threads on the shaft end due to someone getting a little to mean with a puller in the past. I have a new old stock nut. Looks like it could be a 20 or 24 but I want to make sure. Thanks.

I need to remove the steering column from a 1947 Desoto. The manual says it needs to come out from underneath the car. Will a floor jack get the front end high enough to remove it? I don't want it to get stuck in my garage.