Steering question

[Buck]

I have a 64 Hawk and the steering is real loose. All the play seems to be in the center link that the tie rods end up. Rareparts has a rebuild kit but she is not sure we are talking about the same thing. Is that arm repairable? She said what she has looks like a small king pin. Is that the same?. Thanks for your help

[N8N]

yup, but before you spend the $$$ for a new pin and bearing set check the torque on the pinch bolt that holds the bellcrank to the pin.

If it is the pin/bearings, don't forget to grease it at every service - the grease fitting is hidden in a hole in the back of the front crossmember.

good luck,

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight

http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

[whacker]

Why don't you get in touch with Ray F? Here is a link to his page on restoration of the center pin:

http://www.ncsdc.com/TechnicalPages/Bellcrank/CenterPinRebuild.htm

This covers the earlier version, I'm sure he could help you with the later version as well.

[blackhawk]

quote:Originally posted by Buck

I have a 64 Hawk and the steering is real loose. All the play seems to be in the center link that the tie rods end up. Rareparts has a rebuild kit but she is not sure we are talking about the same thing. Is that arm repairable? She said what she has looks like a small king pin. Is that the same?. Thanks for your help

Buck - If you determine the problem is the center bellcrank pin, I suggest setting your original housing and pin ('63 and '64 models used bushings, not bearings) aside and using the setup from an earlier year Studebaker which contains needle bearings as is shown in the link provided by Whacker. My experience has been that the setup with bushings wear out very quickly even if routinely greased. It takes very little wear on the shaft and bushings to translate to substantial slop in the steering. You cannot press bearings into the bellcrank housing made for bushings as the hole is not large enough (maybe it can be machined to take bearings; I did not attempt that). The pin itself may even be a different diameter; I cannot remember. Anyway, I quit having problems after I replaced the bushing setup on my '63 and '64 Studebakers with the bearing type. They last a long time without slop if routinely greased. I got mine from early Larks in junk yards and replaced the bearings before installing them. Dale

[CHAMP]

Does my 48 Champion have one of these? The reason I asked is because recently I've developed some play in my steering and have not been able to find the source. I can also hear a slight clicking when I move the steering wheel back and forth with front-end jacked up. If it has one of these should I try greasing it first[?]

GARY H 2DR.SEDAN 48 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION NORTHEAST MD.

[Buck]

I sure do like this forum! I'm going out right now to try all the things you folks have suggested. I don't drive the much at all so if I could just get it a little better then I would be happy. Thanks again for all your help Tom

[showbizkid]

Buck, SI also has rebuilt bearing-type bellcranks all ready to bolt in.


[img=left]http://members.cox.net/clarknovak/lark.gif[/img=left]

Clark in San Diego
'63 Lark Standard

http://studeblogger.blogspot.com

[blackhawk]

quote:Originally posted by CHAMP

Does my 48 Champion have one of these? The reason I asked is because recently I've developed some play in my steering and have not been able to find the source. I can also hear a slight clicking when I move the steering wheel back and forth with front-end jacked up. If it has one of these should I try greasing it first[?]

GARY H 2DR.SEDAN 48 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION NORTHEAST MD.

Gary,

I was hoping someone with experience with the late '40s Studebakers would answer your question. I haven't been around these models much and don't have reference material for them. My guess is that the steering is different. Doesn't the '48 have leaf springs up front? The frame and center-point steering is essentially the same from '53 - '66 but I can't remember when this setup came out. My guess is '51 with introduction of the V8 and your '48 does not have this bellcrank in the center of the front crossmember. As for the clicking noise, my guess (I don't even have manuals or parts books that far back) is that it is in the steering gearbox. I think your '48 has a gearbox similar to the Ross-type I am familiar with from the 1950s which has a tapered pin sliding in the grove of the worm gear. A flat spot eventually develops on this pin as parts wear and you get the clicking/clunking noise as the slack is taken up when you turn the steering wheel or cross railroad tracks. With the Ross-type gearbox, you can reduce the problem a little by adjusting the depth of the pin in the groove. But, since there is a flat spot on an otherwise curved surface, the steering will start to bind before all the play is removed. I think Dick Datsun's old articles included information on breaking the weld on the pin, turning it so an unworn surface faces the wormgear and rewelding it in that position. This supposedly gave the gearbox a new lease on life. Anyway, these are some possibilities. I could be way, way off base. But, maybe this will spur someone else to jump in and either confirm what I have said or provide the right information. Dale

[Roscomacaw]

Buck, whatever you do, I would use RAREPARTS as a last alternative for a parts source. We have SO MANY find Stude-specific parts vendors who DO KNOW what you're talking about + have better prices than RP!

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[sbca96]

I have a rebuilt bushing one on my 60 Hawk, but I have a rebuild kit
around here somewhere for my 63 Avanti. Would it be better to swap
the Hawk one to the Avanti, or to rebuild the Avanti one with the kit?
Why did Studebaker change to the bearings, if the bushings are better?

Tom

[Alan]

Tom, Stude used bearings up to the Avanti when they changed to the bushings.

[CHAMP]

Thanks Dale, I'll probably try to find a used steering box[?]

GARY H 2DR.SEDAN 48 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION NORTHEAST MD.

[Roscomacaw]

Yeah Gary, there's no "center-point" steering pivot in your car. And as Dale points out, you can punch out the two little hardened "tits" that follow the worm gear, rotate them 90degrees and reinstall them. This effectively presents a new face to wear on. I've done this myself and I just peened them on the backside like they had been to start with. Took ALOT of play out of the box!

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[CHAMP]

I guess you have to remove the steering box from the car to do this?

GARY H 2DR.SEDAN 48 STUDEBAKER CHAMPION NORTHEAST MD.

[blackhawk]

quote:Originally posted by sbca96

I have a rebuilt bushing one on my 60 Hawk, but I have a rebuild kit
around here somewhere for my 63 Avanti. Would it be better to swap
the Hawk one to the Avanti, or to rebuild the Avanti one with the kit?
Why did Studebaker change to the bearings, if the bushings are better?

Tom

Sorry if I confused you Tom. It is the ones with bushings that wear out fast, not the pre-63 ones that used bearings. Your '60 Hawk should have originally had bearings, not bushings. Maybe Studebaker thought they could save a few pennies on each car made by switching to bushings but I think they bought themselves more troubles than it was worth. Dale