Ross or Saginaw manual strg. EXPERIENCES

[Flashback]

I am in the middle of a front end rebuild. I have
a Saginaw box from a 55 coupe. Is it worth the effort
to replace the Ross in my 53? Any pros and cons on this
from experience? Thanks

Tex in Alabama

Makin' a little progress

[N8N]

If you're talking about manual boxes, the Saginaw is definitely the way to go, no question.

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight

http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[StudeRich]

The early worm & sector Saginaw is just a little quicker and harder to turn with a V-8, they were only used on 6's. That's about it, not a lot if difference.

StudeRich

[Flashback]

Nate,If it's the way to go, what are the advantages? StudeRich says
it's harder to steer, but quicker. Is it a better box? Help me
out here, anyone made this change and can tell me about the difference? Thanks,

Tex in Alabama

Makin' a little progress

[StudeRich]

The best Studebaker Steering gear would be the late Saginaw recirculating ball type used on '61 to '66 Larks and Lark types.

It has been done to weld the Hawk hollow tube steering shaft to the solid steel rod of the Lark gearbox to get the longer length needed in a Hawk, fit the steering outer jacket & wheel and then make an adapter mounting bracket to adjust the tilt to a lower angle for the Hawk dash.

I doubt that many could tell the difference in the slight quickness of the lightweight old '53-'55 Saginaw Champion 6 Cyl. gear from a V-8 Ross.

If you decrease the turning effort by INCREASING the ratio, you make the gear SLOWER, that is what the V-8 Ross does.
On Avanti and Wagonaire the factory wanted different ratios because the Avanti was to slow and the Wagonaire was too hard to turn.

So that required the opposite change. Performance version special order non-power Avantis went lower, making them hard to turn. The quick steer Avanti II short spindle arms do the same thing, so can only be used with power, but for some reason power was not available on [u]Studebaker</u> Avantis with faster the steering ratio.

Wagonaires went higher making them easier to turn, but the trade-off was slower. Probably not a big deal on a family wagon, I have driven one without power many thousands of miles and it drove great, handled curves OK but it was not a road racer!

StudeRich

[N8N]

The Ross box was pretty crude and has a lot more internal friction than the Saginaw. The Saginaw has a big roller that runs on bearings that engages the worm gear; the Ross uses two pins. That's why you have to use the special semi-fluid grease in a Ross box rather than regular gear oil.

I'm not sure if you could really tell the difference between a fresh, tight Ross with the proper lube and a good-condition Saginaw box. But "fresh, tight" Ross boxes are few and far between 50+ years on...

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight

http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[bams50]

Another interesting thread filled with good info! Rich, I did not know about the ratio change for Wagonaires. I read an article about how they tried to make them easier to steer by throwing a lot of negative caster in, I believe 2 1/2 degrees[:0], but never knew about the slower box. Thanks again for sharing this great stuff![^]

Robert (Bob) Andrews- on the IoMT (Island of Misfit Toys)
Parish, central NY 13131

GOD BLESS AMERICA
Ephesians 6:10-17

[StudeRich]

Actually Bob that rumor may not be true, because all Studes are set at a max 2 1/2 degrees negative, maybe there was a Service Bulletin to use the max on the Wagonaires, I do not know.







StudeRich