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1932 Buick 50 Series steering gear help


o2zoom

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Send me a pm with your address and I will send you a worm gear and shaft, a sector shaft and the best set of bearings and outer races that I have.  We'll negotiate a reasonable price plus shipping.

 

I collected all these parts  for my 32-58, not knowing what I might need.  Now I am happy to help others get their cars on the road.  I'm not in this as a business, I just want to recover my costs.

 

Bob Engle

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You got it right.   That car must have driven through deep water and flooded the gearbox to get that much rust on the parts.  Most gear wear is from people switching to grease rather than gearlube.  I have seen a lot of boxes with zirk fittings on them instead of the square plug.  Use Cornhead grease when you get your gearbox back together.  It is thixatropic (spelling??).  grease like when static, but when it is stirred it flows like gear oil.

did you get the tube locating brass pieces out of the gearshaft?

Bob Engle

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It did have a zirk fitting in the gear box.   From what I can tell the zirk was also bad.   Worm gear is it awful shape.   I did get the locating brass pieces out.  There was only one located in the center of the tube and then there was some sort of composite bushing located at the top of the shaft tube.   I looked very carefully and did not find any other locating brass.   From looking at the tube I could see where the one brass locator rides and could see where the upper bushing rode.   I didn't see any more wear spots on the throttle tube. 

 

Another item under review.

 

 When I had the car running some times I could hear the pinion on the starter dinging once in awhile on the flywheel.   Pulled the starter to inspect it and found that the return spring located on the starter engaging cross shaft is broken.  So the starter drive was not being fully retracted.   Another parts quest to find a spring that will work.    

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53 minutes ago, o2zoom said:

It did have a zirk fitting in the gear box

We old guys will tell you that those zerk fittings have been the cause of many, if not most, of trashed steering boxes of 1920s and 1930s cars, and of flathead Cadillac water pumps through 1948.  You see, the "grease compressors" (usually one-hand, pistol grip) furnished with new cars were designed to dispense 600-W gear oil, NOT GREASE.  Further, the meaning of "grease" has changed:  600-W gear oil was called "liquid grease" or just "grease" when these cars were new.  To use the factory-provided tool, put the unit's female fitting against the zerk, push against the spring, and a fraction of an ounce of GEAR OIL is dispensed.  But in the last 60 years, "mechanics" and other well-meaning souls see the zerk and use a lever-operated CHASSIS GREASE gun to dispense CHASSIS GREASE at up to 3,000 psi, thereby blowing the seals so the box will no longer hold gear oil.  Further, CHASSIS GREASE channels away from the worm so the worm wears dramatically.  Substitute a plug for the steering box zerk, and save the zerk for installation only for judging.

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When I first got my 32 Buick in 1998, I went through all the lubes and inspections.  When I started the engine for the first time, The starter return spring broke and the starter stayed engaged spinning the starter armature.  It through the windings out of the armature and into the field windings.  I went on a search and found another starter.  I was unable to find a suitable spring and I ended up winding and bending my own spring.  In 1932 the starter bendix was on straight splines and while there is an overrunning clutch in the bendix, it will not take a lot of overrunning.  before it will seize up.

 

On my 1917 Buick, I had to make a torsion spring for the brake return also.  You can get spring  manufactureres to reproduce the springs, but the price is astronomical for the setup costs.

 

Bob engle 

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So I am restoring a 1931 Buick 60 series car and have been keenly following the steering gear portion of this and especially the recommendation to use "corn head grease" as a suitable lubricant for these old gears.  Bob Engle- is there a way to safely and thoroughly clean out whatever is in my gear which is mounted in the car with all the dressing without tearing it out and taking it apart before filling with the corn head grease?  I was able to find and order John Deere corn head grease on Amazon so I have that coming.  If I can do some PM to my gear which seems to be healthy and save it from disaster that would be a good thing I think...

 

Thanks

 

Dave

Edited by Str8-8-Dave (see edit history)
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There are 2 bolts that hold the bottom end plate on the main gearbox housing.  The tapped holes for these bolts are through holes.  The holes are partially obscured by the bottom timkin outer race, but part is open and if you flush with a a solvent or light weight oil it could flow out the bottom opening.  I don't know that it will do a lot of good.  there is not a lot of movement in the gear box that would agitate the old grease.  

 

To be technically correct, my spec and adjustments manual shows a square head plug, not a zirk fitting.  The plug has a flat on the side of the threads to act as a breather for the gearbox.   I believe the zirk fittings were added by owners and mechanics for ease of lubrication.

 

Bob Engle

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Figured out what the mystery item was.  It was part of the tensioning for the throttle shaft at the end of the steering  column.  There is a spring and two end pieces that ride in the bore of the cast piece.  When I removed it one of the end pieces fell out.  Lucky to have found it on the floor.  I didn't realize what it was until I was cleaning up the parts I had removed earlier.  Thanks for you suggestion on what it was.  

Mystery part.JPG

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Those are the screws that a commented on.  Unfortunately  I was incorrect.  The screw holes are partially covered by the bearing race, but the other portion of the hole does not go through to the inside of the casting.  It goes partway along the bearing race, but not far enough to use as a drain.  The only screw that could be used is the sector shaft adjustment screw.  Unfortunately that is not near the bottom of the gear housing.  Sorry for the error.

 

Bob Engle

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  • 2 weeks later...

Steering update.    With the gracious help of mentor Bob I’m ready to start the rebuilding of my gear box.    All the components have been cleaned so will make the gasket for the box to flange and one for the sector shaft.   Waiting on John Deer corn-head grease.  Once that arrives I’ll assemble and dial in the proper settings.    

Steering Gear Parts.JPG

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If that shaft moves laterally and you can feel it, the result will be slack at the steering wheel. I could feel and see no movement after bushing, although I didn't think to measure it. The steering box does get warm near the exhaust, but not that much. Anyway, does the opening in box expand more or less than the shaft, which are probably similar metals? I hope you teach me something here.

 

Whoops, you are saying the shaft is bigger than the bushes? Typo perhaps.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Update.  Steering gear was assembled and adjusted on the bench.  Cornhead grease was added and then clearances again checked.   Unit was re-installed in the car and I did a static test.  No more binding and all seems good rotating from lock to lock.   Continuing with other work so will road test when finish. 

IMG_3445.JPG

IMG_3440.JPG

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  • 2 years later...

I am trying to determine if the brake lights are suppose to turn on with the light switch on the steering wheel on a 32 Buick series 50. My headlights work fine I literally have no tail lights. Trying to find a manuel as I current don't have one, I inherited the car from my father just picked her up had a few minor things done as realized yesterday while cruising around town I have no tail lights, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you

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As always Bob is on target with expert help.  I would add that in the general area where the wiring harness is located by the lighting switch at the end of the steering column are leads for the gas gauge sending unit that runs to the gas tank and also wires that run to the lever switch for the brake lights.  As noted no fuses and the old cloth covered wiring can be quite delicate.  On my column the leads going to the lighting combination switch where all exposed wire.  I didn't want to replace the entire harness so I carefully took each lead and removed the covering back to a good area and then used heat activated shrink wrap tubing to re-insulate each lead so they would not short or make contact with the neighboring wires as it's a tight area under the protective cover.  After assembly all worked as it should and the cover hides my after the fact insulation job.  

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  • 4 months later...

Hopefully its ok if I expand this to the Buick 60 series, as I am wondering about my Saginaw steering gearbox performance and a new lube leak.

The steering is great, and I have adjusted everything per Buick specs and other manuals and specs, and the ride is smooth and easy to drive one-handed, so I think the car is running ok.

However, the Saginaw gearbox is leaking JD cornhead green grease.

 

Is there a seal or bushing in the gearbox I need to replace, or do I need to let the gearbox leak and replace the lube as needed?

I have about 12oz of new JD cornhead grease in the steering box.

My gearbox is standard with the square drain plug and square fill plug.

The only location the lube is leaking is around the exit shaft connecting to the electrical light switch.

About two ounces of the green JD lube have leaked over the last 150mi of driving.

This seems abnormal to me, but I don't know what to expect for a prewar car.

 

Thanks for any thoughts and help!

 

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saginaw gearbox.jpg

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I think the amount of leakage you described is excessive.  I now can’t remember exactly how that shaft is sealed.  For want of a better explanation my shot in the dark fix would be carefully remove the combo light switch.  The retaining plate on mine was secured with two bolts to the gear box.  I’d see what’s behind the plate.  Might give you the answer on what’s supposed to be there.  If after looking at the area around the shaft nothing is evident or comes to light I’d suggest this.  Find an o-ring with sufficient width to be compressed when the end plate is attached that has the same inside diameter of the lighting shaft.  The idea is the plate will compress the o-ring and provide a nice tight seal around the lighting shaft.  Maybe a parts book would show what’s really supposed to seal the shaft.  Perhaps someone else really knows what the correct sealing method is.

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