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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / '37 Box in a '36

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Posted By Discussion Topic: '37 Box in a '36 -- page: 1 2     wmsteed 07-12-2012 @ 8:23 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 613 Joined: Oct 2009 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 Stroker 07-11-2012 @ 3:23 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 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. deluxe40 07-11-2012 @ 2:10 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 413 Joined: Oct 2009 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. wmsteed 07-11-2012 @ 10:27 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 613 Joined: Oct 2009 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 flatheadfan 07-11-2012 @ 1:58 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 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 flatheadfan 07-11-2012 @ 1:10 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 This message was edited by flatheadfan on 7-11-12 @ 3:07 AM thirtysixford 07-10-2012 @ 6:46 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 211 Joined: Oct 2009 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. wmsteed 07-10-2012 @ 9:45 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 613 Joined: Oct 2009 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 flatheadfan 07-07-2012 @ 5:39 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 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 Henryat1140 07-07-2012 @ 3:07 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 110 Joined: Nov 2009 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

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