Steering shaft

[Nomad50]

Is the steering shaft removable from the steering box on a 1947 Desoto. Also does the horn wire go through the hollow steering shaft. Thanks.

[Doug&Deb]

If it’s like the D24 I had the shaft is integral to the box and the wire does go through it.

[Nomad50]

If the shaft is attatched to the steering box, can I pull the whole shaft and box up through the bottom? It is a convertible so there would be enough room. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Thanks

[martybose]

It should be fine, although you will have to get the nose of the car pretty far up in the air to get the steering box/shaft out.  I did this on my 47 Plymouth.

 

Marty

[desoto1939]

If you replace the horn wire you will need to attache a pull wire to the end of the horn wire where it sticks out trough the end of the steering column and box.  In side the steering box the is a flat plate with a hole and a tube welded on the plate at the hole the wire runs up throught the plate and tube  becasue you have to feed the new wire down from the top of the colum at the horn button is is all most impossible to get the wire back into the tube.

 

But by have a pull wire all you need to do is tape your new horn wire to your pull wire and slowly pull the new wire down the shaft and out throug the tube and out the bottom of the steering box.

 

This way it only might take approx 15 minutes to get the new wire down the shaft.  I know this from experience doing it on my 39 Desoto.

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com.

[Dan Hiebert]

Yes, the steering shaft is removable from the steering box.  You can remove it while the box is mounted to the car, but it has to be pulled out from below.  You can leave the steering column in the car.  If you want to remove the assembly all at once, it can still be removed from below, without removing the column.  It will come out through the floor, but you will have to remove the column.  Already answered, but yes, the horn wire runs through the steering shaft and out that hole in the end of the box.  Marginally easier to thread it from the bottom, vs. the top.    

[Nomad50]

Do you have any tips on how to remove the steering shaft from the steering box? Will I be able to put it back together? Others have said that it can't be seperated. The car is a convertible so could I lift it up through the floor board. I am putting an electric steering conversion on it and I need to cut a section out of the steering column. It would be easier if I didn't have to deal with the steering box.  Thanks.

[bamfordsgarage]

Your best bet is to pull the steering box and shaft out together. From below.  I’ve just done this on my D24 which I believe is the same box as yours. Not difficult. 
 

Hardest part was pulling the pitman arm off the output shaft. Auto parts store puller and an impact wrench on the puller. 
 

With the box and shaft on the bench you can do a thorough inspection and all your adjustments. At the same time, you can cut the shaft and do whatever to bench fit the Power Steering on the bench. I imagine this will save you time and aggravation under the hood. 

 

Edit: In fairness, I know nothing about electric power steering installation so that comment could be way off base. 

 

Steering shaft and box removal is discussed and illustrated in the workshop manual. Do you have one?

[Nomad50]

The electric motor sticks out 9 inches from the column, that is why I wanted to pull it up through top side. I might have to remove the floor pan if I remove the column from the bottom. I will remove the seat and it is a convertible so there should be room. I will have to get the workshop manual to help with the procedure.

[kencombs]

Can you cut the shaft and install the electric PS without removing the steering gear at all?  Column tube can be removed to expose the shaft.  At least that is what my memory says. And shaft is easily cut with hacksaw or cutoff disk in a grinder.

[Nomad50]

Yes, it can be done that way but it would be much easier if the whole column was laid out on a table. The electric kit I have weighs abot 16 pounds and is awkward plus there is some welding involved.

[Dan Hiebert]

However you get it out of the car, it is indeed easier to work on the whole assembly on your bench.  The steering shaft is not inseparable from the steering box (housing), regardless of what you were told.  And it is not hard to either remove or install it, just takes some doing.  Pull the pitman arm off, because the sector shaft to which the pitman arm is attached has to be removed through the top of the housing, and the sector shaft has to be removed before the steering shaft will come out.  Remove the sector shaft adjusting screw lock nut, and lock washer, those will be in the middle of the top cover.  Remove the top cover.  You can now remove the sector shaft out through the top of the housing.  Remove the bottom cover.  It has a tube attached to it that runs up into the steering shaft.  That is to keep the lubricant in the housing.  There will be a spring, an oil seal, a thrust bearing cup (I was taught it is a "bearing race"), and the bearing that will come out with it.  The steering worm gear and shaft (one unit) will then come out the bottom of the housing.

 

This is interesting, kindly keep us informed on how you get this electric PS installed.  Unknown what you have to do to the steering shaft, but if you have to weld something on to it that increases it's effective diameter, it should not be removed from the steering housing, as you'll never get it back in if you do.  There is not much wiggle room, measure where needed.    

Edited April 1, 2021 by Dan Hiebert

[Nomad50]

Thanks for the information. The steering kit has to be spliced into the steering column. All the adaptors come with it. I'll let you know how it's going. Here is a picture of the kit costs about $800.

[Andydodge]

40 years ago I replaced the steering box on a restored 1934 DR Dodge 7 passenger sedan with a Oz GM Holden steering box.......back in the mid 1970's here in Australia no one knew where to find NOS steering box parts let alone know if they were indeed available even..............as this car still had the original running gear it had the floor shifter so there were no column linkages etc to make the job more complicated..........so essentially what was done was to remove the complete steering box & column, then mount the Holden steering box in where the original lived( the pitman shaft spline was identical in both steering boxes making the job much easier).............the column was measured and the inner shaft was cut and a steering column rag joint or vibration dampener from the Holden attached to the Holden steering box...........the shaft was modified to fit the top of the vibration dampener and a sealed bearing was installed inside the lower end of the column tube and the shaft ran thru it...................a sleeve was made to locate the sealed bearing from moving up or down on shaft and in the column tube and a lower locating plate made to firmly attach the outer column to the firewall.............basically this was a straightforward installation but as it was probably closer to 45 yrs ago my memory may have missed a few things, but I know that this car was continued to be shown at various Chrysler Restorers Club events at least till a few years ago and AFAIK still has the Holden steering box installed..........whilst its obviously different to whats been the subject of this thread the ideas the same although it does seem that the original steering box will still be used, the electric unit actually appears to just supply the "power" to turn the steering box more easily..............regards from Oz.............andyd     

[kencombs]

The pic looks like a standard GM PS unit, using in lots of cars.  I've even seen some installed in antique tractors.  They work great, and are usually seen installed just past the dash.  I'd much rather weld that one coupler under the dash that remove it all, that's just me.  The other coupler can be done on the bench.  Seems like the mounting bracket will be the hardest part as it has to be strong enough to withstand the steering reaction forces.

[Nomad50]

Yes it's a rebuilt Chevy Equinox unit. Just thinking I'd like to mock everything up on the bench first before I make that first cut. I guess they mount them close to the dash for strength.

[Dan Hiebert]

Knew I was forgetting something that'll drive you nuts until you figure it out - to get the top cover off the housing, you take the sector shaft lock nut cover, lock nut, and washer off.  Remove the four bolts holding the cover on, and then you have to screw the sector shaft adjusting screw down through the cover, until the cover comes off.  That hole the screw is in is threaded.  The cover won't just lift off after those four bolts are removed.  Took me a while to figure that out the first time I had the steering box apart. 

[ccudahy]

keithb7's videos might help show you how the steering box comes apart and goes together.

 

 

 

[Nomad50]

Thanks for the information. I think I will leave the steering box intact, it looks to be fairly easy to handle. I was hoping the shaft would just pull up from the box. The videos will help a lot with the project.