57 bird wanders on road

H

handyman

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Apr 15, 2018
Thunderbird Year
1957
I understand there is adjustment at the steering box or gear for the play in the steering, my 57 bird wanders some on the road, what adjustment can I do to correct this , and where, how much, new to t birds. thanks
 

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Radial tires and a heavy duty sway bar and a front end rebuild kit will steady her down if it is suspension. If there is a lot of play in the steering wheel before the front wheels turn then there is an adjustment on top of the steering box. There is a cap on the top of the steering box. Remove the cap and you will see a star washer in center of that is a flat head screw. The star washer locks the screw in place. Lift the washer and turn the screw one position only and try it out. Keep going one at a time until you get as much of the play out as you are comfortable with. A couple of words of warning, 1 if your bushings are all worn no amt of adjusting the steering box will help and 2 if you turn the screw to much you will be able to turn the steering wheel left or right but then it will not come back. Good luck
 
seeswell said:
Radial tires and a heavy duty sway bar and a front end rebuild kit will steady her down if it is suspension. If there is a lot of play in the steering wheel before the front wheels turn then there is an adjustment on top of the steering box. There is a cap on the top of the steering box. Remove the cap and you will see a star washer in center of that is a flat head screw. The star washer locks the screw in place. Lift the washer and turn the screw one position only and try it out. Keep going one at a time until you get as much of the play out as you are comfortable with. A couple of words of warning, 1 if your bushings are all worn no amt of adjusting the steering box will help and 2 if you turn the screw to much you will be able to turn the steering wheel left or right but then it will not come back. Good luck
Click to expand...


Well it tried that, there was no star washer, i turned the screw about 1/8 th of a turn, hardly any, and put the nut back on , will try it out tomorrow, there is no positions so I don't know if a 1/4 turn would be to much, it seemed to be tight after the 1/8 th turn?
 
handyman said:
Well it tried that, there was no star washer, i turned the screw about 1/8 th of a turn, hardly any, and put the nut back on , will try it out tomorrow, there is no positions so I don't know if a 1/4 turn would be to much, it seemed to be tight after the 1/8 th turn?
Click to expand...
I had the same problem I switched from bias ply tires to radio and added front and rear heavy duty sway bars
 
Since you mentioned that there was no star washer on your steering box, I thought I would attach an article on how I adjusted the steering box on my 1955 Thunderbird.

If there is a lot of play in the steering wheel before the front wheels turn and the steering components are not worn or damaged, you can adjust the sector shaft end play on the top of the steering box.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
 

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handyman said:
I understand there is adjustment at the steering box or gear for the play in the steering, my 57 bird wanders some on the road, what adjustment can I do to correct this , and where, how much, new to t birds. thanks
Click to expand...
 
Since you are new to T-Birds I would strongly recommend that you get a copy of the Ford shop manual which is available through ********************************** it will show you exactly where that adjustment is on the steering box as well as how to adjust it it's a little more involved than just turning the screw. Secondly I would strongly recommend radial tires at your earliest opportunity and secondly I've recently put on front and rear sway bars on my T Bird which made all the difference in the world good luck
 
Douglemmo said:
Since you are new to T-Birds I would strongly recommend that you get a copy of the Ford shop manual which is available through ********************************** it will show you exactly where that adjustment is on the steering box as well as how to adjust it it's a little more involved than just turning the screw. Secondly I would strongly recommend radial tires at your earliest opportunity and secondly I've recently put on front and rear sway bars on my T Bird which made all the difference in the world good luck
Click to expand...
Radial tires
Douglemmo said:
Since you are new to T-Birds I would strongly recommend that you get a copy of the Ford shop manual which is available through ********************************** it will show you exactly where that adjustment is on the steering box as well as how to adjust it it's a little more involved than just turning the screw. Secondly I would strongly recommend radial tires at your earliest opportunity and secondly I've recently put on front and rear sway bars on my T Bird which made all the difference in the world good luck
Click to expand...
Radial tires and front and rear sway bars will help handling not so much in steering
 
handyman said:
Well it tried that, there was no star washer, i turned the screw about 1/8 th of a turn, hardly any, and put the nut back on , will try it out tomorrow, there is no positions so I don't know if a 1/4 turn would be to much, it seemed to be tight after the 1/8 th turn?
Click to expand...
You don't have to take the nut all the way off just unloosen it enough to turn the screw. sit in it and rock the steering wheel back and forth while someone else tightens the screw. That will show you how much play is in the wheel and how tight it is without play. GOOD LUCK
 
Make sure to check out and make sure everything under front end is tight and not worn out. Tie rods ends, ball joints, front wheel bearings ETC. GOOD LUCK
 
I adjusted the screw under the star washer in the gear box, a small amount, it helped, but I think I will eventually have to replace the gear box,, wow these box's running around a grand, so will be in the future, we can drive the car better now, takes a little gettin used to the steering, thanks for all the help in replys. oh, I did check out the tires, linkage and other items also, and they were ok. Thanks again to all you t-bird lovers. The adjustment was only about 1/8 " of turn.
 
handyman said:
I adjusted the screw under the star washer in the gear box, a small amount, it helped, but I think I will eventually have to replace the gear box,, wow these box's running around a grand, so will be in the future, we can drive the car better now, takes a little gettin used to the steering, thanks for all the help in replys. oh, I did check out the tires, linkage and other items also, and they were ok. Thanks again to all you t-bird lovers. The adjustment was only about 1/8 " of turn.
Click to expand...
Larry’s Thunderbird has them for 350 which is a coar charge until you return the old ones
 
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