Steering: Replacing Cross Shaft Bushing Saginaw 1953

[1953champcoupe]

I just installed a new cross shaft bushing (from Studebaker Intl) in the Saginaw Housing. The cross shaft WILL NOT go in, just like the bushing is several thousands to small. My only solution (other than a reamer of the correct size which I don't have) is to use a brake hone and hone it to size. It appears that SI doesn't have the correct bushing and the one they sell is "close".
Any ideas that are better?

[junior]

hmmm...are there any burrs or ridges on the cross shaft? did the bushing fit on the cross shaft before installing it in the housing? did you damage/reduce the diameter of the bushing during installation? if you heat the housing (low heat, lets say from a heat gun, will the cross shaft fit? the brake hone sounds like a good idea at first, but I wonder if it will load up with the bushing material and not make a good cut, and using it in a hand held drill will result in the outer edges of the bushing being larger in diameter than the center part of the bushing. perhaps some measuring with the proper tools is in order first before removing any material from the bushing. just a few thoughts, cheers. junior

[garyash]

What you have is what is supposed to happen when you press a bronze bushing in place. The bushing is oversize for the hole, so both the o.d. and i.d. get compressed. It will need to be reamed to size. A "piloted" ream is best, as it has a long nose of slightly smaller o.d. that reaches into the 2nd bushing to keep the reamer straight. Try talking to a truck spring shop where they would ream king pin bushings for large truck axles.

If your budget is really tight, you could use an "adjustable blade reamer" by hand. See them at https://www.victornet.com. You can buy one of the necessary size range for about $20. Go slowly and try to keep the ream pointed in the right direction. The result isn't as nice as using a piloted reamer in the correct machine, but you will be able to get the shaft back in the case.

[1953champcoupe]

I decided to check sizes and checked diameter, as many of you guys that are experienced in looking at 60 year old steering boxes would have surmised, there was wear in the shaft About .005 wear. I have a small Craftsman/Atlas lathe so I chucked it in the lathe and use a file to cut down the part that wasn't worn to more or less match what was worn otherwise it would be sloppy if I honed it to the larger diameter. Between making cuts with the hone and filing on the cross shaft I finally got a decent fit.

I did not have the foresight to buy a second bushing for the cover housing and after I miked it I will have to "turn down" the part of the shaft that wasn't subject to wear.

Is there a bright side to any of this. The adjustment screw that threads into the housing cover was a little sloppy and I was going to need to buy a shim to fix it. My heavy handed use of a copper hammer trying to assemble the cross shaft (before I had filed it enough) tweaked the slot enough that I couldn't get the screw/shim to slide in. I was able to tweak it back and now I don't need a shim. Farmer engineering at it's best.

[RadioRoy]

"Farmer engineering?" Never heard that term before, but I like it.

[Alan]

Also known as a Hammer mechanic.

[1953champcoupe]

I wanted to used the automatic column that came with the 58 Hawk that I purchased for the frame. All the comments on this forum suggested that the Saginaw sector (that came on the 53) was better than the later Ross steering. Guess what, the steering shafts are about six inches different in length, I suppose finding a 53 Automatic column to match would be sensible but I hate to spend even more money on this money pit. I tore the Ross box apart last night, will give it a good cleaning today to clean out all of the "gun grease" that I found. It appears that if I am lucky I could just replace the bushings, seal and gasket and maybe be good to go. No wear in the cross shaft, maybe gun grease is the trick.
Regarding "Farmer engineering", I grew up on a farm and my parents had survived the depression as farmers, dad knew how to fix "stuff" and even though I knew he fixed lots of things around the farm he was probably even sharper than I had guessed. I wish he had lived longer and I would have listened more.

[RadioRoy]

The 53-56 steering shafts should interchange. In 57 - 60 they went to the dished steering wheel, shorter shaft and a smaller diameter shaft.

[jimmijim8]

sedan shaft vs. coupe probably different length. jimmijim

[1953champcoupe]

sedan shaft vs. coupe probably different length. jimmijim

The Saginaw box is out of the 53 Coupe The Ross box is out of a 58 Silver Hawk The cross shaft in the Ross Box exhibits no wear, unlike the Saginaw box with about .005 ground out I think I will just rebush the Ross Box, new seal and gasket unless some new gremlin shows up.