sterring gear box cracked

[rlund50]

1976 360 engine  anybody have problems with the steering gear box cracking?...i have had 2 crack in 3 years...anybody?

[John Eversoll]

Hi there, I myself have never heard of a steering gear box cracking!!!
Maybe Jerry T could help you in this dept!!!!
John E

[tomfridley]

the power steering box mounts to a bracket that in turn bolts to the frame.
I have seen a cracked bracket before.

[rlund50]

thanks ...but it cracked on the top of the gear box each time....

[JerryT]

rlund
If a box becomes worn I have seen the recirculating balls that are inside bind up and and break the box. I have also seen people over adjust them and cause the same problem. Your broken box #2, was it used or rebuilt? Your broken box #1 may have been worn out, #2 may have been adjusted wrong or also worn out. I had my box rebuilt because it had enough play in it to make driving a tail heavy vehicle taxing due to constant steering wheel corrections. My Clipper now drives like new, it's a joy, and I have had a LOT of old Dodges with 1/4 turn or more steering wheel play that I drove daily with no problem, we always called it sailing them. When I drove a new car with rack and pinion steering I would make everybody sea sick from all my unneeded wheel corrections due to my sailing habit
JerryT

[rlund50]

Thanks it was rebuilt put in by a good shop...they say they will replace it if it did indeed cracked due to normal ware.
maybe i just had bad one. old one could have been over thighten by last owner. i don't mind the over steering just can't have it leaking....

[JerryT]

rlund
These boxes almost never break so I will be curious to see what the repair shop finds. Sometimes you can get a bad run of luck, my buddy is on his 4th fuel pump in his 59 olds this summer but that is another story
JerryT

[rlund50]

the first one was under a leaky battery for i don't know how long . we thought that might be the reason for the first one. then i talked to Friend that up on autos and he said the battery leak could never eat though the box ...go figure thanks for your help ...i have a exhaust leak too. not too loud ... going to live with it. read and herd all fixes are only temporary.

[John Eversoll]

Hey Jerry, I was reading the reply frm rlund50
and I just found out that there is a gasket from Mr Gasket
that is extra thick..More than the normal thickness.
I am going to try that one on my rig when I get the motor back
cuz I too have a leaking exhaust. I sure a shell don't want to over tighten the bolts when I get it back in.
Any way I just though that I would pass that one along. :)John

[JerryT]

Hi John
I sprung for a set of copper racing exhaust gaskets. I put on the pass. side, so far so good. I wanted to thermally connect the head to the manifold in hopes of keeping the manifold cooler, i.e let the coolant in the head take away some of the manifolds heat via the radiator, also keeping the two parts closer in temperature should help the cracking issue. Time will tell
JerryT

[John Eversoll]

Ya know, I was at my Auto supply store today and notice the copper gaskets that you just mentioned.
Never thought that I might try those..
Thanks Jerry..