Steering gear assembly lube??

[Jeff T.]

I am on the verge of assembling my modified Lark steering gear. The shop manual says to use a light coat of steering gear lube (part # SP-50248) when reassembling the worm shaft. Since I am unable to get any SP-50248 and my local parts store, what can I used to coat the parts when I reassemble everything : motor oil, tranny lube, axle grease or build it and soak it in heavy weight oil??

By the way, a steering shaft out of a circa 68 Chevy truck will fit in a Lark Saginaw steering box.

Jeff T.

"I'm getting nowhere as fast as I can"
The Replacements.

[StudeRich]

You assemble it with the same lube you are going to use to fill it with.
I think Saginaw's take the 90wt or 140 wt. Gear oil.

May I ask what advantage using a GM truck shaft would be over a Stude. one? I guess that would allow a GM steering wheel, I wouldn't think any Stude. wheels would fit.

StudeRich
Studebakers Northwest
Ferndale, WA

[kg.works]

[studegary]

I've always used Kendall 999, but I stopped selling it for $4 per tube when I found out it wasn't available anymore (but I still have some for my own use).

Gary L.
Wappinger, NY

SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer

[Jeff T.]

What I am doing in my basement la-bor-a-tory (cue the maniacial laughter, organ music with thunder and lightening for effect) is swapping parts to see what I can fabricate. I am using a short steering shaft (8" vs. Studebaker 3') out of a Chevy truck to build a steering box so I may POTENTIALLY add a tilt column as a measure of personalization. it might work, it might not but everything fits in the housing and I can get a bushing and a grease seal where the shorter steering shaft leaves the housing.

After building the short shaft steering housing I may decide not to make the tilt conversion. It's no worst than using a T-5 over a T-86 or using the turner brake system over stock drums.

I grew up with an erector set and perhaps wrongly think that given enough time I can build nearly anything. Heck, If I was better at casting and foundry work I would make a V12 block (and other V12 parts) so I could use existing Champion parts simply on the silly notion that If a Champion flathead sound cool with 6 cylinders imagine what a Champ V12 would sound like

Like the lead singer, Paul Westerberg, of my favorite band of misfits, The Replacements, once said about the band " We may fly or we may flop but at least we tried" Not a bad way to go about life

Jeff T.
Mad parts swapper

"I'm getting nowhere as fast as I can"
The Replacements.

[Dwain G.]

[quoteBy the way, a steering shaft out of a circa 68 Chevy truck will fit in a Lark Saginaw steering box.

Jeff T.
[/quote]
_______________________________________________
Do you mean the Chev truck worm gear fits in the Stude housing and meshes with the Stude cross-shaft?


Dwain G.

[Jeff T.]

Yes,

The worm gear out of a chevy truck Saginaw steering gear box fits in the housing of The Studebaker lark saginaw steering gear. I used the worm out of a Chevy truck because... it was in a local salvage yard,cost me 25.00 and I couldn't afford to buy a rebuilt GM saginaw just for the worm gear. perhaps I should have used a worm from an Impala or a vette but...

I used the Studebaker Lark housing, the Chevy worm gear, the Studebaker worm case (the big squareish block of steel that goes around the worm and meshes with the pitman shaft), the GM ball bearings, the studebaker bearings for the worm and I found a bronze sholder bushing that fit where the worm shaft comes out of the housing. I need to get a pittman cover gasket and fill it with grease. Need to work with the adjustments to eliminate any possibility of binding. This is the first steering gearbox I have ever taken apart so I trying to follow the shop manual beyond the letter.

I do not know what kind of steering ratio that I have because I ended up with a gearbox that has 6.5 turns from lock to lock and the Lark V8 saginaw is only around 5 turns.

Well, I did this to prove that I could, I did, it works and now I need to adjust and tweek it before I try to use it.

Now to build a custom steering column

Jeff T.

"I'm getting nowhere as fast as I can"
The Replacements.

[Jerry Forrester]

quote:Originally posted by Jeff T.

Yes,
I ended up with a gearbox that has 6.5 turns from lock to lock and the Lark V8 saginaw is only around 5 turns.
Jeff T.

American ingenuity. I like it. You wont need power assist, that's fer sure.

Jerry Forrester
Douglasville, Georgia
Be sure to check out my eBay store

http://stores.ebay.com/CHROME-CHROME-CHROME_

for your shiny Stude stuff

More pix of Leo here...http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/d...rrystudebaker/