Steering Nightmare Help....

Hey guys-

So I thought I was doing pretty good with steering/suspension restoration. Well turns out I missed a few parts. Learning this as I go. My idler arm bushing is bad, and so is the tie rod (thingy lol) on the opposite end of the idler arm from the main bushing. My pitman arm where it joins the center link is also bad. (This part looks like a tie rod also with a brass sleeve and some other small parts (not looking forward to that) And whatever is on the other end of the pitman arm is bad (bushing maybe) It's the end closer to the steering column (higher up) I hadn't really noticed it, there's always been a little play in the steering, but the last few days it's been wandering a lot. So I have the comet parked, and I'm trying to find these parts. And well they're difficult to find, and I'm not sure what pieces of which parts can be replaced, or if I just need the whole assembly. Would really appreciate some help locating/figuring this out. Thanks

 

I bought all of MY steering components from Rock Auto. They have a good selection of MOOG and some other brand-name parts.

Check out Rock Auto in the vendors section of the site, for a 5% coupon code:
http://www.mmb.maverick.to/threads/rock-auto-parts.53592/page-2#post-1029026

 

First off: Do you have power or manual steering?

 

Power, but I have the steering box looped right now, so....

 

Thanks. The idler arm is quite a bit cheaper there. Didn't see anything for the pittman arm tho. Its like it doesn't exist...

 

What is meant by "steering box looped"? Not familiar w/ that procedure

 

I have the output going into the input so the box doesn't run dry. But essentially I have a power steering setup with no power steering...

 

Ok -- got it. I don't gess ur doing much driving w/ that setup! If the parts ur referring are worn, might as well replace all those bushing, tie rods and all other rubber bushing in the susp/steering system. I think the part ur referring on the column is the "rag joint". Most likely, if some of the parts are bad/worn, they are all bad -- unless some have been replaced somewhere along the way.

 

EXTREMELY dangerous!!!!! EXTREMELY!!

Did I get the point across? DO NOT drive the car like this. Get it fixed.

 

Ditto! What Craig said.

The ball will almost pop out of the control valve with hand pressure without being preloaded with fluid pressure from the pump

 

And it WILL do it when you don't expect it!
(ask me how I know)

 

the pitman arm is just a cast piece of metal. it has no joints. its basically pressed on the steering box shaft and the other end is on the power steering control valve. as said before the steering control valve needs to have the power steering pump pressurizing it. that is where your slop is. when its not pressurized it will be sloppy and can fall out at a most inopportune time. if you dont want power steering, they make kits where you remove the control valve and install a drag link adaptor like this


for the idler arm check out this tread http://mmb.maverick.to/threads/moog-problem-solver-steering-part-numbers.102116/

 

Guys with this statement the OP is apparently referring to flexible coupler(rag joint)...

 

Ill take some pictures in a few.. And im not disagreeing, but i was told by a guy that works on fords that it was ok to loop the box like that. Is it just that one part required to change to manual steering?

 

Yes only part..

If the ball and/or socket are worn badly enough they no doubt could come apart, though in 48 years of owning, working on, knowing other owners of similar Ford vehicles, I've never seen it happen... Basically if parts are worn badly enough that it falls apart without pump pressure, was gonna happen anyway... Nowhere in the owners manual do they caution not to drive with P/S inoperative...