2wd manual steering box

[layedout72]

I think tomorrow I am going to take this thing off and clean it up. Is there anything I need to look out for, things not to lose that are possibly loose from age? Can I damage it easily? What should I use to spray it down other than a pressure washer? Something like a carb cleaner? Or brake cleaner? I have a wire wheel that should do most of it, hopefully all of it. Also, when I go to paint it, do I need to tape anything up?

[FORDification]

Short of running over it with a bulldozer, I doubt there's anything you can do to it that'll harm it in any way. Just tape off the seal areas and go to town. If you have access to a power washer, do that first. Then you can use the wire wheel, then degrease, prime and paint.

[layedout72]

So tape the seals off before anything, or before paint? Guess it wouldn't hurt to tape it off for everything.

[FORDification]

The water pressure from a power washer WILL get past the seals, so I'd definitely tape them off before using it, and then try your best to avoid those areas and just clean them manually.

[layedout72]

What size is the nut that fits the steering box, to the linkage? Its bigger than a 21mm (13/16) and smaller than a 1 inch. Should I be looking for a 7/8 at the parts store? It looks to be a heim joint I believe.....

[390Nut]

It's a 7/8th's or 15/16's (can't remember, even though I just did this a little while ago ) Just hold a 13/16th's wrench up and guestimate how much bigger it is. A pencil lead thickness is 1/16th, double that is an 1/8th bigger, and so on.

Oh, and it's not a heim jount, it's a ball joint. If you use a pickle fork to take it apart, you'll likely need to replace the seal cup on the ball joint, as they tend to get torn/crushed when forcing those apart.

[layedout72]

I guess I should have read your post before I decided to take it off the frame. IS there an easy way to get it off the ball joint? Without ruining anything? I about ready to just scrap the truck the way things are going with it and everything I do to it.

[FORDification]

Sure....just use the tool specifically designed for removing those:

[390Nut]

I about ready to just scrap the truck the way things are going with it and everything I do to it.

no allowed!

[layedout72]

does it just snap back into place on re-install?

[ToughOldFord]

When you tighten the nut it draws itself back into place.

[gonzalo medina]

How hard is it to change the input shaft seal on the saginaw box???
Mine isn't leaking but since it's a frame off rest I don't want to go back in there.