Dad's Truck Build

[Gary Lewis]

I did climb the microfiche tower and learned that I do have the right pitman arm.  The 1982 version of the MPC says that I should have E0TZ 3590-B, which the cross ref book says will be marked E0TA 3590-BD.  However, it also says that I have the wrong steering box.

Anyway, I've established that this is the right pitman arm and that confirms that this was the box out of Dad's truck.  So, I've media blasted it and lots of other parts, which I hope to show you soon.  

[Gary Lewis]

And now for today's update.  First, the pitman arm removal.  It took the big impact and a large air hose to get that rascal off.  And I was sure the puller was going to break, but it didn't.




Then I blasted and powder coated the pitman arm and a few of the associated parts:




Then I worked on the RedHead steering box to get it to fit.  As it turns out, both Dad's original steering box and the RedHead box have the same casting code.  But, they are different!  And the difference that caused me a problem was the bottom-rear bolt "ear".  That ear was 1/8" longer than the one on Dad's original box, and the one I used to develop the reinforcement.  So I had to grind that ear down to match the original box.

But, I got that done and here's the box sort of installed:




But I then pulled it off and touched up the black of the box as well as the holes in the frame where I've been test-fitting the box.  But, hopefully tomorrow afternoon, after church, I can bolt the box on for good with those powder coated bolts.  And add the pitman arm.

Oh, and Steven Fox/FoxFord33 is coming over to clean his Windsor timing cover and press in a new front seal.  So I'm heating up the parts washer and will also clean that steering shaft from Huck.  Might as well clean the one that's attached to the other steering box so we can have a close-up comparison.

[85lebaront2]

Gary, from what I remember, there is not a lot of difference at least between 1986 and 1990 in the steering column or shaft. The differences were the mount to the dash and the ignition switch.

[Gary Lewis]

Bill - I'm talking about the shaft that goes from the steering column to the steering box.  The MPC calls it the lower steering column shaft.

[Steve83]

The columns & ig.sw. are the same for pre-'92 trucks.  Only the bracket between the column & dash, and the wheel changed in '87, but all the parts still swap.







Nothing swaps across the '92 line.

[Gary Lewis]

Good to know.  Thanks, Steve.

[85lebaront2]

That was my point Gary, that my original tilt wheel column and the one from the parts truck were virtually identical except for the mounting brackets, switch and wheel. What I am using in Darth is the 1992 up column which also has the universal joint on the column to intermediate shaft (which is where to collapsible portion is) and the caged poly joint at the steering box.

Item for you, when you looked at the later parts list, it showed the E2 PN for the Pittman arm, you had to go back to the older parts list to find the E0 PN which tells me Ford updated it just like the steering box. I suspect that just like the slide vs pin locks, assembly plants were told to use up existing stock until they were gone rather than stop production and pull all the older parts off the line. This would be the norm unless a safety recall was involved.

[Gary Lewis]

Ahhh!  I missed the point about the steering column.  

And, I agree - Ford threw nothing away.  So there was a change, but they used up what was left.  In Dad's truck they used a steering box for an '80 even though this was an '81 truck.  But it got the correct pitman arm.

Doing a "numbers matching" restoration would be a nightmare on these things since what came on them is not what it looks like they were supposed to have.  

[Nothing Special]

Gary Lewis wrote

And now for today's update.  First, the pitman arm removal.  It took the big impact and a large air hose to get that rascal off.  And I was sure the puller was going to break, but it didn't....

A trick I've used is to tighten the bolt on the puller as much as I could reasonably, then take a big hammer and hit it.  Sometimes hitting the end of the bolt of the puller works best, sometimes hitting the side of the pitman arm does.  But then I can usually get another few degrees tightening the bolt, and can eventually walk it off without feeling like I'm going to break the puller.

[Steve83]

85lebaront2 wrote

...pull all the older parts off the line.

That's a popular myth, as is Ford inventing the assembly line.  Neither is correct.  Ford's innovation was having parts delivered from suppliers as they were needed on the assembly line, making warehousing unnecessary, and eliminating "old" stock (since there is no "stock").  Vehicles are built with the parts that are delivered that day (or shift), and fresh parts only arrive as more vehicles are being assembled.  So there's never a pile of "wrong" parts when there's a redesign - the early-design parts are gone, already on the vehicles that are done.  The new-design parts go on the next batch of vehicles, as a running change, with a notation about the serial number &/or date where that change occurred.

Gary Lewis wrote

...what came on them is not what it looks like they were supposed to have.

I think that's more a result of the running change notes being inaccurate, or lost, or damaged, or illegible from back before computers were used.  IOW: the truck was built "correctly" - it's the PARTS BOOK that's wrong.

[Gary Lewis]

Steve - We are saying the same thing: The truck is correct, but the books are wrong.

Anyway, I got the steering box and pitman arm on today and things touched up - except for the problems created by RedHead.  Here's what the top of the box looks like.  Why do they bother to paint?  I'll have to find some red paint.




Anyway, here's the whole box mounted and the pitman arm on.  Note that the pitman arm lines up with the "wedge" on the box in this pic.  This is with the input shaft turned fully clockwise when viewed from the back of the box, or driver's position.  And, since the box is a bit stiff, I took a rag joint off a shaft and used it to turn the input shaft on the box.  That let me line the arm up with the wedge and install it.

[Ford F834]

"Gary Lewis” wrote

  Note that the pitman arm lines up with the "wedge" on the box in this pic.  This is with the input shaft turned fully clockwise when viewed from the back of the box, or driver's position.  

Are these instructions provided by red head or did you have to dig it out of a shop manual? Your pic and description will come in handy when I go to do mine... 🙂

[Gary Lewis]

There doesn't seem to be anything I could find in the factory shop manual regarding how the pitman arm mounts, and RedHead provided nothing.  So, those are my instructions.

I didn't try, but it looks like the pitman arm can go on in 4 different places, 90 degrees apart.  But, I had another steering box with the arm still on it on the bench, so I played with it until I discovered that at full lock the "wedge" lined up with the center of the arm.

Good enough for me, so I went to the RedHead box - and discovered that, unlike the one on the bench, a new box is tight enough I couldn't turn it.  Steve/FoxFord83 was over working on his Windsor timing cover (see WHYDTYTT) and we agreed that clamping vise grips on the input shaft would be bad form, so something was needed that would give a bit more torque to our fingers.  I have a few spare lower steering shafts, so took the rag joint off one and it worked a treat.

[Ford F834]

Thank you for the instructions! I zoomed in on the pic and see the four thicker splines now... originally I thought it could be clocked at any angle that the fine splines would allow. At least that narrows down the possibilities.

Maybe I just missed it, but why did you have to loosen the two bolts that hold down the red cap? That wasn’t a very impressive paint job on their signature piece ☹️

[Gary Lewis]

I didn't loosen the bolts on the box.  It came that way.  They painted the bolts and the box black and the top red.  Then messed up the bolts and the top with a socket.  I just hope their ability to do machine work is better than their care in assembly.  

[Ford F834]

Wow. I hope the workmanship inside is better... it is just cosmetic, but for the price you shouldn’t have to repaint it if you want it nice. 😡

[Steve83]

Gary Lewis wrote

...the pitman arm can go on in 4 different places, 90 degrees apart.

On the bench; yes.  But on the truck, it only fits 1 way.  It might go on 3 ways, but in 2 of them, you can't connect the tie rod.  That's why there are no instructions.

[Gary Lewis]

Jonathan - That's one of the reasons I posted that pic.  Next round I'll try Blue Top.  Perhaps they take more care.

Steve - I didn't want to chance getting the thing on and finding out later that I couldn't attach the linkage.  And it was a 5 minute job to figure out, so I thought I'd pass that on to the rest of you.

[Gary Lewis]

Bob - I forgot to reply to your post.  But, I was using that same trick.  To protect the pitman arm I had a brass hammer, but I was whacking the end of the arm near the shaft as well as the end of the bolt on the puller.

I'd run the battery-operated impact until it stopped moving, all the while banging on things, then went to the air impact.  That didn't go much farther - until I changed to the bigger air hose and connected it close to the compressor.  Then it turned a bit and I banged a bit.  And finally it "walked off" as you said.  

[Gary Lewis]

I've spent the last couple of days reminiscing as I pull together the bits and pieces of information regarding Dad's truck.  The document in the first post of this thread is coming together, and I now know where to go for some of the info.

I now know that I took the truck to one paint/body man on 4/21/2013 and got it back, unfinished but paid for, on 10-2-2013.  Then it went to the next paint/body man on 1/15/2014 and came back, in stunning fashion, on 3/17/2016.

Similarly I'm discovering other mis-steps, like the upholstery job that was to cry for.  The transfer case that was rebuilt, with lots of mod's, but which uses linkage that goes through the floor - and I don't want to cut the floor, so will use it in Big Blue.  The transmission that was completely rebuilt but will also go to Big Blue.

However, there are lots and lots of good memories as well.  The dyno session with Tim Meyer for instance.  And the help so many people have given me to sort out problems or provide parts.

All in all, it has been a fun trip.  The document is no where near ready for prime time, but at least I have a start.  So read it if you want, but feedback on the method is more needed than the content.