Sloppy Steering

[Chris Hawkins <imperial1966@xxxxxxxxx>]

You may have a bum steering box.  Or its connection
with the center link may have been damaged during
assembly.  But don't completely discount problems with
the rest of the steering and front suspension.  

I rebuilt the front end on my 66 LeBaron at 30K miles.
 The transformation was amazing.  With rubber parts,
sometimes it's the age rather than the miles.  

Chris H.  (Who agrees with the other one.)


60 NY T&C
66 Crown Convertible
66 LeBaron
(All with less than 73k miles and all with rebuilt
front ends.)


--- Mark McDonald <tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I appreciate your help, but in my opinion 73,000
> miles on a 35 year old car is
> relatively low mileage.  That's less than 2100 miles
> a year.
> 
> The steering box that is on there currently probably
> has less than 5,000 miles
> on it, since it was replaced about 4 or 5 years ago.
>  (The fluid was also
> replaced, too, of course.)  The problems began at
> that point.  And, like you, I
> tried to live with it.  But I wish I had never let
> the guy talk me into getting
> it replaced in the first place.  It has never had
> the great steering feel it
> had with the original unit.
> 
> Given the overall condition of the car, I just think
> it's premature to start
> thinking in terms of rebuilding the front end.  I'm
> guessing the problem is
> relatively simple-- either with the replacement unit
> I got, or the coupler, as
> you and others suggest.
> 
> Thanks again, Mark
> 
> Christopher Hoffman wrote:
> 
> > Mark,
> >
> > 73,000 miles is not a low-mileage car when it
> comes to these things. Keep in
> > mind that seals and rubber things like bushings
> wear with both time and
> > mileage, and it is not unlikely to need to replace
> those things on a
> > 30-year-old car that's been driven 73,000 miles.
> Also keep in mind that
> > these items undergo both the stresses of the
> suspension interacting with the
> > road and the heat of the underhood area.
> >
> > The steering coupler (the large can-like thing
> halfway up the steering
> > column) is right above an exhaust manifold. And
> the steering gearbox is
> > almost constantly experiencing both mechanical
> motion and hydraulic pressure
> > while you drive. Things wear with use, and
> steering pretty much undergoes
> > constant use when you drive. Not to mention the
> fact that most people never
> > change their power steering fluid, ever, until the
> pump or gearbox is
> > replaced or rebuilt.
> >
> > Check your entire system out thoroughly... the
> good news is that all of it
> > can be replaced or rebuilt. The important thing is
> to find a rebuilder who
> > understands these cars and knows that steering did
> not have a firm feel on a
> > 1973 luxury car. I had the gearbox rebuilt on my
> '67 and it always felt too
> > firm and had poor self-centering behavior. After
> two years of hoping it'd
> > "break in" or I'd get used to it, I ended up
> paying for it all to be done
> > again, only this time by someone who knew old
> cars.
> >
> > FYI, I needed to rebuild the 'box in NYB, too, and
> with only 16,000 miles on
> > it! (All that time not being driven took its own
> toll.)
> >
> > Chris in LA
> > 67 Crown
> > 78 NYB Salon
> >
> > Mark McDonald (tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) wrote:
> >
> > > One thing I left out is, my car is a relatively
> low mileage vehicle--
> > > about 73k.  So I'm doubtful it would need a
> front end rebuild . . .
> >