lube.

[commander Dave]

Time to give my 27 Commander a good lube job. There are zerk fittings on the steering box and a few years ago I used grease for the suspension to lube and now think that wasn't the right stuff to use. Didn't know any better. What do you guys use for a steering box that old?

[Linus Tremaine]

600W oil

 

My steering box has alemite type fittings. I have a special "grease" gun with an alemite fitting and i fill that with oil and put it in the box through the grease fitting. 

[JFranklin]

If it has grease in it you can add light oil to thin it.

[commander Dave]

Thanks guys. Adding oil to gear box to thin it was what I was hoping for

[Grimy]

Over the years previous owners have seen the zerk (or Alemite) fitting on the steering box have "assumed" (we all know what that means) that chassis grease was the proper lubricant--and it ISN'T!  In fact, a lever-operated grease gun will usually blow the seals (just felt, in most cases). 600W is the correct lube.  These cars were equipped with one-hand, pistol-grip dispensers (Pierce called them "compressor, grease" at a time when "grease" meant 600W, sometimes called "liquid grease") operated by pushing against an internal spring in the dispenser to deliver a small dollop (vs a large dollop 🙂) of 600W.  That was how chassis fittings were lubricated as well.

 

On such cars, I use a lever-operated grease gun and chassis grease on chassis fittings and 600W (or Penrite 1200 for leakers) in the steering box.  Your owners manual may tell you 200 or 400 miles between "greasing" chassis fittings *using that factory-supplied dollop-dispensing tool*, but I find that a proper interval is 1,000 miles when a lever-operated grease gun dispensing chassis grease is used.  I've replaced steering box fittings with plugs on my steering boxes for usage other than being judged.

[commander Dave]

Grimy; Yes, I have the old style grease gun and will remove a fitting and add differential grease suitable for use that has (yellow). metals

[Stude Light]

Since they don't have seals, per se, and always leak, I use the Penrite 1200W. I found that using a syringe you find at the farm stores works best to transfer it from the bottle to the gear box fill hole

[commander Dave]

Thank's Stude light; I noticed that on the bottle picture it had Extreme Pressure on it. After remembering many conversations on the forum concerning lubes I decided to stay from Extreme pressure stuff. Now, please don't stone me!  I had used Royal Purple suited for gl4 or 5. Being that I had some it's what I used. I do not know if the steering box has any yellow metal in it but decided to treat it like it did. The front wheels were off the floor and I dropped a little in the hole and turned the wheel back and forth and repeated   a bunch of times, but I was doing other stuff too. Maybe just in my mind but it seemed like they turned a little easier.  Next is lubing the chassis.

Thank you all for sharing your Knowledge. PS    Took the 27 for a ride to Taco Bell a while ago and the kids working there came out. One asked me if it  was a Jaguar,,then asked if 27 was about the first year for cars. But at least they showed interest. Went on to the parts store and a dad was showing his young son the car when I came out. Let the boy sit in it, and he liked that. You see, I'm not showing off my car; I'm just sharing it.