1953 Pontiac Chieftain project

[NightTrain]

1 hour ago, MyhreMade said:

I’ve been taking the powerglide Pontiac on short drives not that the snow is gone. I need to look at the steering. Seems like there is a lot of play in the wheel. You can see in the video the orientation of the wheel yet the car is going straight. Doesn’t seem right.

 

 

The old timers told me to put grease in the steering box, but that seemed crazy to me.  Mine just needed the linkage tightened up.update on mine…redoing top and headliner.

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by NightTrain (see edit history)

[EmTee]

10 hours ago, MyhreMade said:

You can see in the video the orientation of the wheel yet the car is going straight.

Check the center link and the current adjustment of the tie rod ends.  With the steering box (pitman arm) centered the tie rods should be adjusted such that the wheels are pointing straight ahead.  If that is correct, then perhaps the wheel was installed 'clocked' in the wrong position.  Turn the steering wheel and count the turns lock-to-lock.  Divide that by 2 and see if the wheel is oriented correctly in that position.  Then check where the wheels are pointing.  If the wheel needs to be re-centered that usually requires adjusting the tie rod ends to lengthen the 'short' side while shortening the 'long' side an equal number of turns.

[Summershandy]

My steering wheel is definitely straighter than yours but I too have more play than I wish for. I've been meaning to get my butt under there and try adjusting the steering box. 

Research the type of grease for the box. I think I found some 00 locally and remember reading something about John Deere corn head grease.

As EmTee said, tie rod adjustments can make a big difference. 

[Bloo]

On 6/20/2023 at 5:02 AM, EmTee said:

If the wheel needs to be re-centered that usually requires adjusting the tie rod ends to lengthen the 'short' side while shortening the 'long' side an equal number of turns.

This!^^

 

And to expand a little, the tie rods must be exactly the same length. If not, the car will steer itself as it goes over bumps. when these are exactly the same, and the toe in is set correctly, the steering box (or rack) will automatically be in the tight spot in the center, where it belongs. This applies to any car where you can reposition the steering wheel on a spline.

 

On the other hand, many cars that have steering boxes approach this from the opposite direction. The steering wheel only goes on one way, either having a master spline or a key. If this is you (probably), the master spline or key assures the steering box is centered. When the steering wheel is centered, and the toe is set, the tie rods will be automatically the same exact length. Well.. unless you are a whole turn of the steering wheel off center, or the car is bent, but then you have bigger trouble.

 

[MyhreMade]

On 6/19/2023 at 9:49 PM, NightTrain said:

The old timers told me to put grease in the steering box, but that seemed crazy to me.  Mine just needed the linkage tightened up.update on mine…redoing top and headliner.

 

 

That’s looking great. Are you taking it to back to the 50’s this weekend? Did you have the headliner made or did you get it somewhere?

[MyhreMade]

7 minutes ago, Bloo said:

This!^^

 

And to expand a little, the tie rods must be exactly the same length. If not, the car will steer itself as it goes over bumps. when these are exactly the same, and the toe in is set correctly, the steering box (or rack) will automatically be in the tight spot in the center, where it belongs. This applies to any car where you can reposition the steering wheel on a spline.

 

On the other hand, many cars that have steering boxes approach this from the opposite direction. The steering wheel only goes on one way, either having a master spline or a key. If this is you (probably), the master spline or key assures the steering box is centered. When the steering wheel is centered, and the toe is set, the tie rods will be automatically the same exact length. Well.. unless you are a whole turn of the steering wheel off center, or the car is bent, but then you have bigger trouble.

 

Thanks for all the help everyone. I’ll take a look at the manual and get under the car and see what’s going on. Now I know where to start.