| thirtysixford | -- 07-06-2012 @ 11:17 AM |
|
I have a 1937 steering box that I'm rebuilding to install in my '36 Coupe. I have the '37 frame bracket that I know I need to install to mount the new box. Will the '36 pitman arm work or do I need a '37? Also What about the horn/headlight switch ? Mike
|
|
| trjford8 | -- 07-06-2012 @ 8:56 PM |
|
Pitman arm will work and the horn/headlight switch will also hook right up.
|
|
| flatheadfan | -- 07-07-2012 @ 12:20 AM |
|
mike- I have done this swap many times and I think you will like the improvement. Everything is fairly straight forward doing this swap but where you will run into a problem is with the lighting bulb hook-up at the bottom of the steering. Your '36 lighting bulb will not attach. You will need to change the bulb housing, the bail and the housing attachment to a '37-'39. The parts are fairly easy to come by EXCEPT bulb holder (78-3569). For some odd reason nobody reproduces these things. If it was me, I would hold off making this swap until you have the bulb holder parts. Hope this helps. Tom
|
|
| thirtysixford | -- 07-07-2012 @ 5:57 AM |
|
The '37 box came with this bracket.
|
|
| flatheadfan | -- 07-07-2012 @ 6:41 AM |
|
That's the Bracket! Do you have the '37-'39 bail spring retainer (78-3647)? If not, they are readily available from a variety of different suppliers. The only other caution is to take care and not bend the light rod. These things must be super straight to work correctly. Good luck Tom
|
|
| trjford8 | -- 07-07-2012 @ 7:15 AM |
|
Flatheadfan, thanks for the info. I did one of these changes years ago, but had the complete unit out of a 37 with switch and all. Didn't realize there was a difference in the light switch housings and attaching parts.
|
|
| wmsteed | -- 07-07-2012 @ 7:20 AM |
|
I seem to recall that the '36 ignition lock will not properly engage with the locking collar on the steering shaft. I think you will have to re-position the collar or remove it all together.. I removed the locking collar from my steering shaft when I installed the '40 steering gear box in my '36 Ford.. This is not that big of a deal, the ignition lock still locks, it just does not lock the steering wheel. During the early years of Hot Rodding/Customs it was a common practice to remove the steering wheel locking collar to eliminate the possibility of 'some clown' locking the steering wheel while the car was in motion.. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe
|
|
| flatheadfan | -- 07-07-2012 @ 12:35 PM |
|
Bill (and Mike)- You are right about the locking collar. If you want to use the '35-'36 steering tube you must drop the collar 1/2" on the '37-'40 shaft to align with the locking bolt in the '35-'36 column drop. The distance from a '35-'36 steering housing to the collar is 31". With the '37-'40 the distance is 31.5". Mike- When the gear is finally bolted in you will note that the new gear assembly is on a somewhat steeper angle than the '36 was. This leaves a "gap" between the steering wheel flare and the steering column tube. To reduce this gap you need only loosen the column drop and move the tube upward until the gap is about 1/16". When you do this you might end-up with a 3/16"-1/4" paint scar on the column where the old steering drop use to be. A quick (and neat) fix is just to paint a piece of pinstripe tape the color of your column and cover the scar. If you are really a perfectionist, your only option is to repaint the entire upper column, which is a super pain. Hope all this makes some sense! Tom
|
|
| Henryat1140 | -- 07-07-2012 @ 3:07 PM |
|
Hello Tom, You might remember me from a couple of years ago - I bought a fuel tank from you. We are installing a 37 box in a 36. My question concerns the locking collar. Do I understand the collar must be moved DOWNWARD on the shaft 3/4"? IOW closer to the steering box. second part, can I just loosen the two screws on the locking collar and move it, or is there a hole in the shaft that must be re drilled? Can I rely on the 3/4" movement and just move the collar that much and it will align, or is there some fudging involved and I should trial fit it a couple of times? Thanks for you help, I have and refer to your original directions on this. Henry
|
|
| flatheadfan | -- 07-07-2012 @ 5:39 PM |
|
Hi Henry- The '37-'40 collar goes DOWN 1/2" (closer to the gear box). The two collar screws are very short and nest in small holes in the shaft. You will need to drill both holes. I can't recall for sure but I believe the shaft holes were threaded. Again, I can't recall for sure. As for "fudging" the alignment, no need, just keep the same vertical alignment as they were on the original shaft. The only problem that could occur is getting the screws out. They have been sitting there for 70+ years and are quite "comfortable." To complicate things somewhat they are slotted which means you will need a screw driver with the appropriate blade or you might find yourself drilling them out! Concerns aside, this is really a simple job. Hope this helps. Tom
|
|
| wmsteed | -- 07-10-2012 @ 9:45 AM |
|
A little clarification on the pitman arm question. It has been a long time since I converted my '36 to the '40 steering gear setup.. As I recall, the '37-40 pitman arm hung down quite low, which looked pretty dumb. Since I had discarded the '36 setup, it took me awhile to find a '36 pitman... The '36 pitman arm fit much better, it did not hang down.. I used a '40 tube w/column shift on my conversion.. I had converted the car to a column shift a couple of years prior to doing the steering gears. The gear shift conversion was a home made affair that let me retain the stock '36 Banjo, in retrospect, it looked pretty dumb. The '40 column with a '41 wheel looked much better. I had to move the lock assembly a little to match up with the dash, it was not a big deal. The whole affair looks like it came in the car from the factory.. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe
|
|
| thirtysixford | -- 07-10-2012 @ 6:46 PM |
|
I found a nice chart on page 94 in the "green bible" that shows all the dimensions etc for the steering shaft/worm gear. The chart shows the '36 assy 68-3524 and the '37 78-3524 to be identical except for the the number stamped in I think this is the ratio 17 for '36, 18 for '37 The hole in the shaft (top hole?) is at 37.18" from the bottom of the worm gear. This seems to match what I have. Also the set screws in the collar look like they were staked in with a chisel.
|
|
| flatheadfan | -- 07-11-2012 @ 1:10 AM |
|
This message was edited by flatheadfan on 7-11-12 @ 3:07 AM
|
|
| flatheadfan | -- 07-11-2012 @ 1:58 AM |
|
thirtysix ford- I understand your dimensions and have no argument, with them. However, all things being equal the problem is not the shaft length or collar, it is the sharper angle in which the '37+ steering gear shaft enters the cab compared with the '35-'36 gear. The later gear assembly hangs lower in the engine compartment than the original this necessitates the moving of the column drop to match the bolt holes on the bottom of the '35-'36 dash lip. When you move the column drop you need to relocate the locking collar on the shaft to get things to work. For many, the need for a locking collar is of minor importance. If you fall into this category don't bother about the collar just remove it. It won't effect the steering. Hopefully this clears things up. Tom This message was edited by flatheadfan on 7-11-12 @ 3:01 AM
|
|
| wmsteed | -- 07-11-2012 @ 10:27 AM |
|
Back 'in the day' very few people found a need for the steering wheel/ignition, locking feature of the Fords. A vast majority of the cars were never locked, doors and ignition... In fact, many of the cars were operated without the keys, that way you never had to look for same....Bill Bill 36 5 win delx cpe
|
|
| deluxe40 | -- 07-11-2012 @ 2:10 PM |
|
One rainy day in 1960 I came running out of class with my jacket over my head and jumped into my light blue '55 Brand X 2dr. It didn't use a key so I started it up and backed out of the parking space. I was puzzled because it sounded like a six and my car was an eight (or seven, if I hadn't cleaned the oil off of plug #8 recently). Were it not for the missing decal on the heater I would have driven home in someone else's car. My car was two cars further down in the same row.
|
|
| Stroker | -- 07-11-2012 @ 3:23 PM |
|
Bill: In my youth in SoCal, I dated a lovely lady from Narod, which is now called Montclair. When I picked her up for the first time in 1956 with my 38 Ford, her mother was visibly upset over my choice of cars. It seems that my date's father was essentially killed by her mother's act of turning off the ignition on their 38 when her dad was driving "recklessly". I was always a little uncomfortable regarding steering locks after that, but of course we live with them in all contemporary cars.
|
|
| wmsteed | -- 07-12-2012 @ 8:23 AM |
|
Many years ago there was a story that circulated around about a girl that was upset with the guy driving an early Ford V8... The girl reached over and turned the ignition switch off, locked the switch and threw the keys out the window....Not a pretty picture. A real life event happened to my brother in about 1960. He pulled up in front of the Greyhound bus depot here in Ventura, turned the car off and ran into the depot. When he came out his car was gone.. He had the keys in pocket, but the ignition was not locked. His insurance refused to pay the claim because he had failed to secure the car. The car was recovered in San Jose, sitting on the side of the road where it had ran out of gas.. My brother had to go to San Jose at his own expense to get the car. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe
|
|
| EFV-8 Club Forum : | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum |
| Topic: | https://www.earlyfordv8.org/forum/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=18&Topic=4902 |