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I am currently rebuilding the steering box and was following an arcticle in one of the NCRS The Corvette Restorer. It tells you to preload the worm shaft with 4 to 5 inch/lbs. I haven`t been able to find anyone with a torque wrench that reads that low. Does anyone have any other suggestions on this? Thanks Sheldon
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Re: 65 STEERING BOX REBUILD
Hello Sheldon:
There is really no substitute for the inch puond measurement and to say tighten as tight as this or that and expecting another person to be able to "interpret" that correctly assumes too much in this measurement. See if a local parts house has one for rent as you will have little use for it elsewhere unless you do a lot of small work.
Jerry -
Re: 65 STEERING BOX REBUILD
It is absolutely critical to get the worm bearing preload and total preload to the proper specification. I rebuilt my box in the seventies and used a 25 in-lb torque wrench which was in stock at the Air Force auto hobby shop where it did the work. You will find a suitable torque wrench in the Snap-on catalog. I'm sure Mac also has something suitable and possibly Sears, too. They are expensive, but necessary to do the job right. As I recall a standard 12-point socket (possibly 11/16) slipped over the splines of the wormshaft.
DukeComment
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Re: 65 STEERING BOX REBUILD
There are some things I just couldn't do, and adjusting the steering box was one of them. After I rebuilt mine, the car acted like it had the rope steering of a soap box derby car. I sent it to Tom Reina at Corvette Steering Service in South Carolina. (864-287-9990, www.corvettesteering.com) and it came back perfect.Comment
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Re: inch puond torque wrench. (sorry for so long)
An inch pound torque wrench is a handy little item for rocker arm cover, oil pan bolts and other small fasteners. The sources Duke recommends are the best around, but suffer from major expense.
The low route (admittedly at the expense of some accuracy and durability) is from Harbor Freight. I think there 1/4 inch drive inch pound torque wrench is in the $25-50 range. Significantly less than Snap-on or Mac. Try www.harborfreight.com.
If you have ever had the opportunity to use Snap-on tools you will be spoiled for life. When I toured Flint engine in 1985 they were still tightening up the rod and crankshaft bolts by hand. A team of people (all male by the way) did the most intricate ballet around the upside down cylinder case tightening alternate bolts with someone rotating the crank through four spots. It was one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. They had been building ALL small blocks that way for 30 years.
I asked what torque wrench brand they used SNAP-ON!!! The accuracy was tested once at the start of work in the morning and once at the lunch break. I suggest no other tool in the world would take that use day in and out - and when they wore out - a free replacement. Made a believer out of me. I just can not afford a full set - so I enroll in the local junior college. They have 5 full sets of Snap-on tools, not to mention 6 lifts and a frame rack. There is the additional benefit of learning a thing or two along the way. This is a lot for an inch pound torque wrench, but consider it all.
Terry
TerryComment
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Re: inch puond torque wrench. (sorry for so long)
Terry----
For these VERY low range, inch pound torque situations you really need a special very low range inch pound torque wrench. Most of the common inch/pound wrenches are in the 0-600 inch/pound range, or thereabouts. Since torque wrenches usually aren't that accurate at the extremes of their range, these tools don't do much good when trying to measure very low inch pound torque.
Kent-Moore does sell a torque wrench with a 0-25 inch/pound range which is perfect for the steering gear adjustment. It is tool J-7754-C and it sells for about 100 bucks. K-D Tools sells one with a 0-60 inch/pound range under their number KD-2955 for about $40. Both of these are beam type wrenches. KD also has a micrometer-type wrench of 5-50 inch/pound range available under KD-3261 for about $150.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: inch puond torque wrench. (sorry for so long)
Good point Joe - I did fail to consider the range of use, especially for the original post of steering gear adjustment. The better quality tool would be an advantage there. Also handy for replacement of pinion seal and resetting of pinion nut.
I know - not the best course of action, but I have done it on high mileage cars and works fine for me.
BTW last time I looked I think Snap-on 1/4 inch - inch pound micrometer torque wrench was in the $150 to 200 range, but it has been a few years. Also I believe it was a special order item. I know every time we break the one at school we have a devil of a time replacing it.
Terry
TerryComment
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Forgot about da greez
We all forgot to mention that you should fill the box with a special grease. My old fifth edition Chevrolet Power Manual lists the 14.5 oz. tube of steering gear grease for the Corvette as 1052084, but this may have been superceeded. I think Joe listed the current correct part number in a thread about three weeks ago,
DukeComment
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