Topic: Steering Box Rebuild - how to deal with roller/pin bearings

[68NordicCat]

Working on refinishing the steering box from my SJ built 68 Cougar (Dec 67) - great info here on that topic. I was making good headway when the movement started to bind up and become less "fluid". I removed the plate and found old grease, maybe original factory fill since one of the rubber seals still bears the FoMoCo mark. It looked and felt like clay, was pretty dry (relative to new grease) and was coming out in clumps. So one thing led to another and I had the whole thing apart trying to get this gunk out. I soon realized I was dealing with pin bearings on the main shaft. After a moment of panic, fishing out 1 or 2 with a magnet, and finding 1 on the floor (novice move) I got them all back in place and replaced the shaft. Not to be deterred, from there I went on to disassemble, clean and rebuild the worm gear (those bearings were also a learning experience, but a slow methodical approach paid off).

There is still a lot of residual crud inside the housing so I want to really completely clean and rebuild the box, but am stuck on how to manage the pin bearings when I remove the shaft. They seem to just sit in place, without any retainer, at 2 locations within the housing - one is accessible by hand, the other is pretty deep in the housing and I'm not sure I could get them back in. Does anyone have a method for removing and replacing these bearings? Beyond the bearings, is there any thing else I should be aware of/careful of as I proceed? Finally, are all the parts just heavily greased prior to reassembly or is the cavity also filled with grease? Other threads point to just grease as the lubricant but couldn't find an answer to the fill question.

Thanks.

[CharlesTurner]

Believe NPD sells a rebuild kit that has new bearings.  They have to be pressed in, which isn't a big deal.  They also have the correct grease to use.

[Aussiemach]

I've just finished a rebuild in mine, pulled everything apart, cleaned, painted, new bearings & seals (I used nos main sector shaft bearings the rest from the npd kit).
NOS bearing for the top of the sector shaft has a flange to stop the bearing going in too far, repos don't have a flange so careful with pressing it in.
Don't loose any recirculating balls when you clean that block, they are easy to put back
Both bearings for the input shaft (worm shaft) on mine were a bit loose in the housing. I held both in place with loctite 680, the top housing could be peened with a pointed punch to help hold the bearing.
The whole box should be full of grease, a challenge when you don't want to make a mess !
The input shaft needs to have a preload on the bearings, adjustable by the large sheet metal type nut on the input housing.
A second preload is applied to the input shaft by adjusting the bolt in the steel plate, this is the last thing you do with the box. It preloads the teeth on the recirculating ball housing to the teeth on the sector shaft.
Both preloads are only a few inch pounds, too loose or tight it will wear and or bind.
I'll try to fine the guide I used and post it here

[WT8095]

Working on refinishing the steering box from my SJ built 68 Cougar (Dec 67) - great info here on that topic. I was making good headway when the movement started to bind up and become less "fluid". I removed the plate and found old grease, maybe original factory fill since one of the rubber seals still bears the FoMoCo mark. It looked and felt like clay, was pretty dry (relative to new grease) and was coming out in clumps. So one thing led to another and I had the whole thing apart trying to get this gunk out. I soon realized I was dealing with pin bearings on the main shaft. After a moment of panic, fishing out 1 or 2 with a magnet, and finding 1 on the floor (novice move) I got them all back in place and replaced the shaft. Not to be deterred, from there I went on to disassemble, clean and rebuild the worm gear (those bearings were also a learning experience, but a slow methodical approach paid off).

There is still a lot of residual crud inside the housing so I want to really completely clean and rebuild the box, but am stuck on how to manage the pin bearings when I remove the shaft. They seem to just sit in place, without any retainer, at 2 locations within the housing - one is accessible by hand, the other is pretty deep in the housing and I'm not sure I could get them back in. Does anyone have a method for removing and replacing these bearings? Beyond the bearings, is there any thing else I should be aware of/careful of as I proceed? Finally, are all the parts just heavily greased prior to reassembly or is the cavity also filled with grease? Other threads point to just grease as the lubricant but couldn't find an answer to the fill question.

Thanks.

The needles sit in a shell. There should be a number on the shell. Can you see a number? Photo is from an NOS C4DZ-3576-B top bearing.

[68NordicCat]

Inner shell has a number DD34352 it looks like - same as the pic you posted. Don't see a number on the outer shell. The needles seem to be held in place by the grease since there is no retaining flange and several just fell out initially. I've cleaned all the other parts and all are in exceptional shape, including factory paint markings, so I don't really want to spend the $100 on the rebuild kit if I don't have to. Thinking of just taking out the needles, cleaning them up, regreasing them and putting them back in place.

[WT8095]

Inner shell has a number DD34352 it looks like - same as the pic you posted. Don't see a number on the outer shell. The needles seem to be held in place by the grease since there is no retaining flange and several just fell out initially. I've cleaned all the other parts and all are in exceptional shape, including factory paint markings, so I don't really want to spend the $100 on the rebuild kit if I don't have to. Thinking of just taking out the needles, cleaning them up, regreasing them and putting them back in place.

Thanks, I couldn't tell from the photo if those were "3"s or "8"s      The "DD" is used by Timken and maybe others for this type of bearing, I will do some searching to see if I can find an equivalent. It would be nice to find a replacement that has a flange, unlike the unflanged repros mentioned by Aussiemach. BTW the Timken catalog does list "loose needle bearings" - in other words, they sell needles without the shell. Not sure yet if those are available retail or only wholesale.

[Aussiemach]

You are right with the grease holding the needle roller bearings in place. Here is the assembly guide;

http://www.stangerssite.com/adjustment.html

[68NordicCat]

Just stumbled across Strangerssite prior to reading this last post. Good info. Thanks. So I will reinstall all original parts and see how it goes.

BTW here is the pic of the OE needle bearing shell with the number.

[WT8095]

Just stumbled across Strangerssite prior to reading this last post. Good info. Thanks. So I will reinstall all original parts and see how it goes.

BTW here is the pic of the OE needle bearing shell with the number.

Nice photo! Sure looks like DD34352. Torrington as a company changed hands a few times, and their needle bearing equipment is now owned by Koyo. Some of Koyo's literature has drawings of flanged bearings of this type, but not this particular part number. I'm going to contact them to see if they still actually make them. I'm guessing that even if they do, the demand is not very great so the price may not be affordable.