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1954 Dodge Royal Coupe with 9,872 miles


Jeffltd

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Well, the idler arm is usually opposite of the steering gear box and ties the right and left side together.

Without actually seeing it I would look toward the passenger side for an arm that hinges to the frame (bracket).

With that bracket taken loose the whole assembly should drop enough to let the pan clear. I would suspect that the front wheels will turn either toward or away from each other to let all the steering parts drop enough to let the pan down.

There will be the oil pump pick up that will try and fight you but if you are following the book there should be a way.

I sometimes have had to raise an engine or take more steering apart to get a pan off.

Its not a very fun job, especially if you don't have a lift.

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Jack,

I’m still little confused. My car has power steering and as I lay under the car looking up at the engine, on my right, near the passenger car tire, the power steering rack ends at a mount on the bottom of the frame. A castle nut with a cotter pin holds it there. On my left, near the drivers side tire, the power steering rack attaches to the arm coming off the steering box, beneath the steering column. 

Which end do I disconnect? And its the passenger side, how do I keep the shaft from spinning as I try to remove the castle nut?

Thanks!

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I wish I had one of these to look at to make suggestions.

An idler arm would be like in the same situation as the steering box except on the other side.

It would move with a tie rod from the end of the pitman arm (that's the arm that goes from the gear box) to the idler arm on the other side. They may not be to far apart.

I will look for an illustration so as to be sure what I am talking about.

I take it there is no illustration in the Motors manual.

There are better experts than me on these fora, I am surprised no one else has chimed in.

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I just reread your post.

You refer to a steering rack, I think you probably mean something else as these cars didn't use a rack.

You are trying to drop the oil pan so by now you have it loose but it wont come down.

Therefor you need to take something else loose that will lower the steering parts so that the oil pan can come down.

The castellated nut I will assume may be a ball joint type of tie rod end. You wont have to hold the shaft of those, they are a tapered shaft in a tapered hole that will be plenty tight in there.

In fact you will most likely need what is called a pickle fork to get this apart. It is like it sounds, a fork like device that has two tapered teeth. You get a big hammer and drive the tapered ends between the two parts after the nut has been loosened.

I am guessing that Auto Zone or the likes will rent or loan you a pickle fork.

The only chassis that I have around here at the moment that I thought may resemble what you are working on is a 47 Chrysler and a quick look doesn't match what you are describing. I have looked in a couple of manuals and googled a bit and cannot find an illustration of that suspension and I don't want to confuse you any further with my guesses.

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I really like your car(s) you have good taste. Forget the feeling that you paid too much for the Dodge, you didn't! Restraint is your best course of action. In other words try to keep it original and do as little as possible to make it presentable and derivable. I doubt that you are going to see many of these around. Join a local Chrysler club they will love it, and you will love that they love it. 

 

I've always been passionate about Jaguars. We own four, but nothing like yours. The last XK120 I passed on was about thirty years ago, when my wife (now X-wife) wanted to drive it daily, and I said no. I backed off from the purchase, from an old friend, when I saw that our happy home might be at risk. The biggest mistake in my fifty years as a collector. 

 

Good luck, looking forward to the pictures and hearing about your progress.

Bill

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