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Adjustment Of The Pitman Arm And Steering-Wheel Alignment
Materials Used :
- Standard automotive tools (socket-wrenches, screwdrivers, nut-drivers, etc.)
- Jack and jack-stands
- Grease gun
- Heavy gear-lube
- Tap-hammer
- Bench vise
- Replacement steering center pivot-pin
- Replacement bearings
- Replacement cotter pins
- Anti-seize compound
- Eye protection
- Protective gloves
Note :
Always wear eye protection when working with power tools or pneumatic tools.
Procedure :
- The steering system is one of the most important restorations on the vehicle since it represents the driver's contact and communication with the road. In the initial test drive, the '38 Packard exhibited considerable play in the steering -- so much so that it made the car difficult to drive. The first step in servicing the steering system on this car is to check and adjust the steering-gearbox play.
- First, with the ignition turned off, simply turn the steering wheel and observe the amount of movement that occurs before you see a response from the front tire. In our case, we could move the wheel about three inches in each direction. Ideally, there should be no more than about 1/4-inch of play.
- To properly adjust the steering gearbox, the pitman arm must be disconnected from the rest of the steering linkage.
- Using needle-nosed pliers, carefully remove the cotter pin from the pitman arm.
- Using a flathead screwdriver, unscrew and remove the threaded cap from the pitman arm to reveal the ball-and-socket joint.
- Pry the linkage loose using a pry bar and check the amount of play in the pitman arm. (Ours was significant which was indicative that the steering adjustment was off-center.)
- Use a 5/8" wrench to remove the cap from the steering gearbox so that you can look down into the gearbox and check the amount of lubrication. Since ours was lacking sufficient lubrication, we filled the steering box with heavy gear lube.
- Replace the cap.
- The objective for adjusting the steering box is to center the steering wheel while adjusting the steering lever and shaft. Mark the steering wheel on one spoke, then turn the steering wheel all the way from lock to lock, counting the complete rotations as you go. You can then divide that number by one half to arrive at the exact center position for the steering wheel. In our case, the rotations totaled 4-2/3 turns, so we then rotated back in the opposite direction 2-1/3 turns (half the total) to arrive at the center position. In our case, this setting resulted in the steering wheel being in the proper orientation with the emblem on the horn button being at the proper upright position.
- With the steering wheel at the center position, adjust the pitman arm using a 3/4-inch wrench and large slotted screwdriver. Unlock the lock-nut on top of the gearbox. While holding the main screw stationery with the screwdriver, rock the pitman arm back and forth to check for play. Then begin tightening down the main screw to tighten down the gearing and remove the unnecessary slack.
- If the adjustment is done properly and secured, the pitman arm can be moved in a smooth motion and will result in the steering wheel turning - also with smooth action under gentle pressure.
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