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Worn Steering box replacement


hotrodbob

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There is nothing that is a direct bolt in replacement.

 

That said, unless the worm and roller in the Gemmer Steering box is really shot, and that happens but not that often, these boxes are fairly straight forward to rebuild. The hourglass shape of the worm was designed that way to allow the box to be adjusted for any wear in the worm and roller.

 

Often I have seen perfectly good steering boxes tossed out because people do not know how to adjust them. Even some shops.

 

If the worm and roller is bad, they often come up on eBay or the various vendors have them NOS.  Since the work is pressed and swedged onto the steering column shaft, sometimes you can find a gear but not the correct shaft. People find a replacement worm gear and then have the new worm welded onto the old shaft.

 

There is very little reason to change the box unless you are building a hot rod and need the space.

 

James

 

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Thanks James, I have adjusted the box a number of times over the past 30+ years. It was beyond adjustment at this point with to much play to be safe. I will see what the shop says later this week. The car is a hot rod, but clearance was not the issue.

 

Thanks again for your input.

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No one has installed a Volare rack and pinion setup since Volares never had a rack and pinion setup.  Volares could use the box the OP was asking about though. 

 

Now some may have adapted the Cavalier center steer R&P and one of our overseas members used an Austin? R&P.  But if someone has done a writeup on it I haven't seen it.

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The once was a kit to install the J-Car (Cavalier, Cimarron, Omega, Etc) rack, but it is no longer available and finding those racks is out of the question as well as it is too light weight for our cars. If my steering box is not repairable, we may have to fab up and modify a Mustang 2 rack. They are readily available and the cars were front heavy with the 302 V8. Power steering or manual. 

 

I'm trying to avoid a major fabrication bill. That said, if I have to, I might as well make it a kit for others to buy. 

 

Thanks again, I do appreciate the input.  

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The MII rack, it's front steer not rear.  Major work needed to reconfigure the steering if you go that route.

 

You realize they made the J body until 2005, so if you can't find one you're probably looking too far back.  As for the lightweight claim, I hear that bantered about but no one has anything to support that claim that I have seen.  Even the Mustang with a v8 isn't that much more in weight than the 4cyl Cavalier, about 450lbs.

 

Here's an older link on HAMB from guys who've done it.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/cavalier-r-p-steering-question.144647/

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Sorry, didn't have my thinking cap on, or the right one anyway, pictured Cavalier in my head but was thinking it was Volare.  Feel kinda silly now, oh well, won't be the last time.

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5 hours ago, Sniper said:

The MII rack, it's front steer not rear.  Major work needed to reconfigure the steering if you go that route.

 

You realize they made the J body until 2005, so if you can't find one you're probably looking too far back.  As for the lightweight claim, I hear that bantered about but no one has anything to support that claim that I have seen.  Even the Mustang with a v8 isn't that much more in weight than the 4cyl Cavalier, about 450lbs.

 

Here's an older link on HAMB from guys who've done it.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/cavalier-r-p-steering-question.144647/

Thank you for posting the link. That is helpful. 

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Just in case this helps, I just adjusting the one in my '41. I had a lot of play, making wind gusts really hairy.  

Maybe your steering box is like mine.

After adjusting the roller tooth and worm, I still had a lot of play in the steering wheel.

Per the shop manual, then I set about checking the end shake on worm adjusting shims (item 15) under the Housing Cover  (17 in the figure). I had 3 shims , a couple .020 and one .030. They are just different thicknesses of gasket material.

I removed one of the .020 shims (just cut it with snips, because there isn't enough clearance to completely remove the cover and tube assembly) and reinstalled the cover and tightened it down over the remaining two shims. 

Eureka!! the steering wheel play is gone.

If your steering box is similar to the one shown, it is an easy fix. Just don't remove too many shims at once. Good luck!

Regards

772086442_Steeringbox41.jpg.99762cea803eb67d8abd6e8178685ffb.jpg

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On 10/23/2020 at 5:14 PM, Richard Cope said:

Hi Hotrodbob,

Would  you provide the name of the shop rebuilding your steering box and once you get it installed how does it handle?  Would be a good resource if needed in the future,

 

Regards,

 

Will do. Currently, FULL SCALE Hot Rods in Ventura CA is handling this. The rebuilder is in L.A.. I will have to find out who that is. https://www.fullscalehotrods.com/

Edited by hotrodbob
added info/website
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On 10/23/2020 at 12:12 PM, '41 Fat Bottom Girl said:

Just in case this helps, I just adjusting the one in my '41. I had a lot of play, making wind gusts really hairy.  

Maybe your steering box is like mine.

After adjusting the roller tooth and worm, I still had a lot of play in the steering wheel.

Per the shop manual, then I set about checking the end shake on worm adjusting shims (item 15) under the Housing Cover  (17 in the figure). I had 3 shims , a couple .020 and one .030. They are just different thicknesses of gasket material.

I removed one of the .020 shims (just cut it with snips, because there isn't enough clearance to completely remove the cover and tube assembly) and reinstalled the cover and tightened it down over the remaining two shims. 

Eureka!! the steering wheel play is gone.

If your steering box is similar to the one shown, it is an easy fix. Just don't remove too many shims at once. Good luck!

Regards

772086442_Steeringbox41.jpg.99762cea803eb67d8abd6e8178685ffb.jpg

I had done this years ago and it did help, but 30 more years of driving and there was no more adjustments to do. Thanks for taking the time to tell me about this. It is appreciated. 

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Bob........whilst I no longer have an original steering box in my car I'm interested in knowing exactly what is being done to the steering box..........bearings,shims and adjustments are a standard replacement thing however were the worm & rollers replaced, repaired or were they o/k?............andyd  

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3 minutes ago, Andydodge said:

Bob........whilst I no longer have an original steering box in my car I'm interested in knowing exactly what is being done to the steering box..........bearings,shims and adjustments are a standard replacement thing however were the worm & rollers replaced, repaired or were they o/k?............andyd  

The worm & roller as well as bearings/shims are being replaced. I had adjusted and shimmed the box as far as it would go. As far as I know, only the steering case is being reused. All internal parts are being replaced. I will get the name of the rebuilder whe the box is returned next week. Currently the car is at Full Scale Hot Rods in Ventura where the remove and replacement is being done.

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4 hours ago, Richard Cope said:

Bob,

NOS worms are getting difficult to locate, were they able to find or modify one? Or possibly have a good machinist on staff.

As far as I know they found or had an one. The rebuilder is here in Ventura, CA. I will get more info next week. The shop where my car is, uses them often. Full Scale Hot Rods, https://www.fullscalehotrods.com/

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