Saginaw steering gear to close to spring tower

[swissranger]

I am converting my 67 SWB from manual to PS steering. Now I've mentioned that the Saginaw steering gear gets in touch with the spring tower. I have to shim at least 1/8 inch that I get a little clearance between.
Does have later models, which are factory equipped with this Saginaw steering gear, notched or recessed spring towers? Did anybody have similar experience?

Thanks
Roman

[floyd67]

mine has about 1/8 in clearance and i converted it to power

[FORDification]

There are no differences in the later spring towers, and there shouldn't be any interference between the steering box and tower...unless either the tower or the frame itself has been tweaked a little bit.

Here's the best picture I can come up right now, but you can see there should be more than enough clearance between the two.



I also converted my '67 SWB F100 to power steering using the Saginaw box, and there's plenty of room. Can you post a pic or two from different angles to show us what you're working with?

[swissranger]

Here are two pictures from the discussed situation. I found no evidence that the frame rail, the frame insert for the steering gear or the spring tower are twisted or deformed. If I fasten the two lower bolts with light torque, the gear housing has contact to the spring tower and there are still about 0.08 inch between the frame and the thread eye of the steering gear.
No idea why my truck is different….but I can imagine that you guys are asking yourself the same question sometimes.

Thanks for your help
Roman

[swissranger]

Here's the other picture

[390Nut]

Your frame has been cut down, quite a bit.

Look how skinny it is in the last pic you posted, compared to the one in Keith's pic.

[fordman]

where did you get that steering box from. it looks slightly different than the one in kieths pic. do you see the bottom of the cylinder how it seems to be over mor than the one in kieths pic?

[390Nut]

where did you get that steering box from. it looks slightly different than the one in kieths pic. do you see the bottom of the cylinder how it seems to be over mor than the one in kieths pic?

Nah, it's the same style box. It just looks different because of the different camera angles.

There's been some serious cutting on that frame, though. They didn't come with those jagged looking cuts in that area from the factory. look at the bolt holes (for the clutch pivot mount). There's less than a half inch to the inside cut edge of the frame in swissranger's pic, but much more (like 3/4's of an inch) to the side of the frame in Keith's pic.

[390Nut]

The rest of that crossmember area looks non-factory as well. I don't think I've ever seen a truck with that big of a gap in that area directly under the steering box, and those don't look like factory welds to me.

Just my but it looks like that truck has had some surgery to repair a rotted/damaged frame where the steering box mounts up.

[fordman]

i see the cuts to the frame but i dont think the cuts went into the steering box mounting area. atleast it doesnt look like it. if you look at the bottom of the box it does look like it sits over a slight. i know its got to be the same box but maybe he got something wierd or something we dont know about from over there.

[green68250]

My '67 shorty frame I just got has those exact same jaged edges as the one in that pic above. I thought it looked non-factory aswell but maybe thats how is supposed to be?

Corbin[/code]

[rjewkes]

Sounds like what the gm guys do to get headers in ther c10's. They cut just enough to get room for the headers. To get big old 4x4 headers in to a spot where shorties or 2x4 headers should go. or have the wrong engine bolted/welded in and it sits so close that they decide the frame must go.

You may need a new frame. or some repair.