1931 Chevy 4door into pickup.

[endicott_jb]

I know I can too Bama. I'm just trying to decide when to do it. Aside from that, I figured out my pitman arm issue. I had been researching and researching what year the box I have is actually out of and none of the studebaker stuff I had found goes back past 1936 and this box is supposedly a 28. Anyway, I got a ford steering box that was hashed in some horse trading about a month ago and it had a pitman arm on it. So my solution, cut the splined end off of the Ford box, the threads off of the Ross box, drill the Ross shaft out to accept the Ford shaft(after turning it down on the lathe so I have a bit more meat to the Ross shaft), press it all together and weld her up. Is it ideal, no but it'll work pretty damn well. And if I ever have to replace the arm for any reason it'll be easier to find one. Here are a few pictures to show what exactly I'm talking about.

 

[endicott_jb]

Was able to get on the lathe at lunch tonight and knocked that part out so while I still had time I hopped on the drill press and drilled the Ross piece out to the correct diameter. After that, drilled some holes in the side of the Ross shaft that will be plugged. Overall, a good half hour spent.

After turning it on the lathe. A few scratch marks but it'll still work fine.


I was even able to bevel the end so it'd slip in just a hair easier.


And the Ross shaft bored out to the correct diameter.


Fits like a glove. Just gotta weld it up now. I'm gonna plug weld it with the MIG and then SMAW with 3/32" 7018 electrode.




I'll use some brazing rod to space the two pieces apart so I can make sure that I have good penetration. Weld it and clean it up tomorrow and I'll make sure she fits.

 

[Old Iron]

Pretty darn slick [cl[P[P[P

 

[MercuryMac]

Well done JB, well done.
Here's another trick that I have researched that may be useful to you if you need a longer pitman arm or have to bend the arm a lot. A Minneapolis-Moline 'U' pitman arm slips right on a Ford shaft and is longer than a Ford one. Not a lot of guys will tell you this.

 

[MercuryMac]

I ran out to the shed and took some pictures of my pitman arm story, so you don't think I'm lying this time.
There's a little metal open-bottomed box just up the steering column from the power steering box. That is to hide a transmission that I had to put into the steering column. This power steering idea had worked out so well that I was puffed right up,------until I went for my first test drive. The Ford box rotated the wrong way. [S [You don't want to drive very far with wrong-way steering, believe me.] So, I drempt up sawing off the steering column and fitting in a water pump to reverse the rotation. That was ten years ago.

 

[Skip]

I ran out to the shed and took some pictures of my pitman arm story, so you don't think I'm lying this time.
There's a little metal open-bottomed box just up the steering column from the power steering box. That is to hide a transmission that I had to put into the steering column. This power steering idea had worked out so well that I was puffed right up,------until I went for my first test drive. The Ford box rotated the wrong way. [S [You don't want to drive very far with wrong-way steering, believe me.] So, I drempt up sawing off the steering column and fitting in a water pump to reverse the rotation. That was ten years ago.

I'm not following you on the water pump thing. How does that work? What kind of water pump?

It might not work in this application, but wouldn't flipping the pitman arm so it points up do the same job to correct for the reverse rotation? I am asking, because I have a column out of an Econoline van that I plan to use in one of my future projects. I think it sits in front of the axle in the van.

 

[MercuryMac]

Skip, this kind of water pump has two gears in it, meshing together in the middle. One gear turns one way and the other gear turns opposite, so their shafts also turn opposite directions. I just mounted the steering column to one shaft of the pump and the other end of the other shaft is mounted to the steering box. That reversed the rotation.
I tried putting the pitman arm on sticking up and that would have worked,---maybe--sorta, but the draglink which is already slanted down would have been really slanted and the bump steer would have been overwhelming.

 

[MercuryMac]

Skip, I tried to download a gear pump animated video for you but I can't.

I don't want to have my name on this rotational reverser for all hotrod builders, but I used it and it worked for me, on a tractor.

 

[endicott_jb]

Well, shaft came out great. Works perfectly. Had to make an adjuster for the box as it wanted to move on me and kept binding up. Anyway, here's some pictures.







And the adjuster.




This is where the pitman arm sits when fully locked to the right.


And plenty of clearance still.


Locked all the way left.

 

[soltz]

people will be looking at your work for hours to figure just what you have created.[
i really like your way of thinking and your work is outstanding. [cl


Skip, it's a positive displacement rotary gear pump, come in a lot of different sizes.

 

[MercuryMac]

Thanks Soltz, That's what I was looking for when I found an animated gear pump instead. It turns out to be a pretty simple transmission to reverse the rotation. Another kind of gear pump is inside those quickeners that race car drivers use to speed up the steering. Some guys around here install them backwards in the steering column and slow the steering down to make it easier. In this case, there is a sun gear turning off to one side in a ring gear. Quite a lot of oil pumps are this way.
Sorry JB, I'm drifting sideways on your thread.

 

[endicott_jb]

Not a problem Mac. If anything, that's what this site is for, sharing information. Whether it be on topic or off.

 

[Skip]

...
Skip, it's a positive displacement rotary gear pump, come in a lot of different sizes.

I understand how the gears work. Does the pump have a shaft sticking out of both ends? (attached to different gears, of course) I am liking this idea. Fill the gear box with heavy gear oil, and plug the in/out ports? Time to get on google. Thanks!!!

Now back to telling JB how much we love his project. [cl[cl[cl

 

[MercuryMac]

The one I used did not have any shaft sticking out of the second gear/shaft assembly, so I had to make it longer after I cut out the end of the bearing housing. Lengthening the shaft and keeping it strong and straight are the problems that I worry about.
I mounted a grease nipple in mine for an occasional squirt.

 

[endicott_jb]

Haven't done anything since Sunday morning. Somehow, even wearing safety glasses, I got something in my eye. Went to the E.R. Where they somehow couldn't see it and sent me home with a patch after flushing it with saline. Went back two hours later because it was killing me and they did the same thing and sent me home with some pain pills this time. Went to bed, woke up, and wiped off the bloody puss and went to the actual eye doctor. Had to wait a while to see the eye doctor but he actually saw the spec(complete with rust) and was able to remove it in about five minutes. I'm just glad it's out now because I can get to work again. So, even wearing safety glasses, you can get junk in your eyes. I just wish I knew what happened to get it in my eye so I can prevent it from happening again.

 

[Old Iron]

It gets blown up under the safety glasses and embeds in the eyeball.
Happens to me more than I like.

 

[TruckRat]

Yeah I've been to the eye doc more than my share for the same.

 

[bkvail]

yes, my husband has had the same thing happen - neither time he had health insurance. First time was many years ago and cost $300 for the ER - then another time, maybe 10 years ago it cost $1300. They DRILLED the rust out of his eye both times. I would hate to think what it would cost nowadays if a decade ago it was $1300..... I wear contacts plus safety glasses - so hopefully I am double covered?

 

[Skip]

Sign me up. I've done it too. Only it was before OSHA, so we didn't know that it was dangerous to port and polish heads without eye protection.

 

[DozerII]

I don't think it's possible to get away from it happening even with safety glasses, when you spend so much time on a grinder the odds are there. I can't count the number of times I've had to go to the doc to get a chunk removed.