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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     thirtysixford 07-06-2012 @ 11:17 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 211 Joined: Oct 2009 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 reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4243 Joined: Oct 2009 Pitman arm will work and the horn/headlight switch will also hook right up. flatheadfan 07-07-2012 @ 12:20 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 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 reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 211 Joined: Oct 2009 The '37 box came with this bracket. flatheadfan 07-07-2012 @ 6:41 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 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 reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4243 Joined: Oct 2009 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 reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 613 Joined: Oct 2009 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 reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 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 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 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

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