Steering Question

S

SR2dude

Member
Hey guys- my Scout's steering sucks. It takes me a lot of effort to turn the wheel which I don't mind because its all a part of the old car thing,which I enjoy. The main problem is that there is about half a turn of play in the wheel and it takes many turns to actually turn the wheels completely. What does this mean? Can I fix it by adjusting something on the steering box? I don't want to buy a new one because I am a college student on a very low budget. Oh its a 1970 sr2 with the 304 4 speed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

D
 
In this order (and after checking/adjusting tire pressure as needed)...check:

1) lubrication of all points which have grease fittings and grease 'em.

2) adjust the backlash of the steering gear, ya need to review a service manual to determine how to do that. Your steering gear is a cast iron gemmer on a Scout 800 with the 304 motor.

3) jack up the front end and determine if the upper and lower closed knuckle pivot points are sloppy or too tight.

4) while the front end is off the ground check all tie rod ends for lubrication/looseness/tightness.

No matter how tight your budget is, if you are going to play with old iron (most especially for doing this kind of stuff), then ya need a service manual as a tool to help ya learn how to do "stuff". That is money well spent before adding a sound system, fake chain license plate frames, and holstein-print seat covers!!
 
Haha alright thanks I will do that this weekend and let you know. And I already have a service manual that came with the Scout!
 
sr2dude said:
haha alright thanks I will do that this weekend and let you know. And I already have a service manual that came with the Scout!
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Great! You already have a very important special tool!!

That said...the service manuals we use today are "compiled" from the oem loose-leaf format which was easily updated onna weekly basis through mail-outs to the dealerships back in the day. In some cases you will not find needed info due to the fact when the manual was reproduced, some pages or sections were either not available in a decent original to make the reproduction, or were simply mia! So when ya find an issue like that, that is an excellent opportunity to post up and we'll help ya find an answer/solution. I don't have a problem with helping folks out with posting a .pdf or jpeg of some manual info when needed, but we must respect copyright issues. And...the suppliers of this reproduced ihc-developed technical information are also our business associates and most importantly...friends!

Also, the service manuals were developed to be used by trained mechanics in dealerships/fleet. The basics of mechanics are not covered and for the most part...an exact step-by-step process is not covered, stuff like that was addressed in technical training classes. But the theory and background of some sub-systems is presented in a hit-or-miss fashion. You will also find much in those manuals that has no application to your vehicle (such as hendricksen suspension systems for dual axle hd trucks). That is because of the way that ihc developed and packaged the information in a master reference "set" for use in the dealership, these manuals were never intended to be used in the consumer/enthusiast market.

A major part of what we do here on the ihon forum is to help you enthusiasts fill in the technical gaps and learn stuff about the old ways at the same time! These rigs are not chryfordrolets or hondotasans!

By the way...welcome to the ihon krew, thanks for hooking up with us!
 
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jtownley said:
sr2dude, where abouts in san diego are you?

I'm in the scripps ranch area and have an 800B here.
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I personally live in downtown on 6th and cedar but my parents live in encinitas where my 2 scouts are and all of my dads other scouts! We should for sure meet up!
 
6th & cedar..... I used to work 6 blocks from there at 625 broadway (the building with all the flags on it)......

I'm pretty tied up the rest of the year with the holidays and vacations, but we should get together and check out each others rides.....
 
Hell yeah man. I have been working on the Scout since about 8 this morning and just got finished so I am getting to the point where I can drive it daily and not worry about much. When its all done I will let you know! I am planning a desert trip to ocotillo the weekend of the 14th of jan I believe so come if you can!
 
Re: Steering and D44 Question

New update:

I found a non-working Scout for $200 that has a d44 in front with power steering and disc brakes. I want to take that off and put it in my Scout so I can have power steering and a d44 in front for further down the road when I do a SOA.

Is it a direct swap with the axle? Also, I should be able to put in the power steering box and pump pretty easily right?

The reason I ask if its a direct swap for the axles is because the Scout the d44 is on now is an 800 like mine but it seems to be off centered by about an inch, being more on the driver side. I want to grab this Scout quickly if it wont be to much trouble! Any help!?
 
Re: Steering and D44 Question

sr2dude said:
new update:

I found a non-working Scout for $200 that has a d44 in front with power steering and disc brakes. I want to take that off and put it in my Scout so I can have power steering and a d44 in front for further down the road when I do a SOA.

Is it a direct swap with the axle? Also, I should be able to put in the power steering box and pump pretty easily right?

The reason I ask if its a direct swap for the axles is because the Scout the d44 is on now is an 800 like mine but it seems to be off centered by about an inch, being more on the driver side. I want to grab this Scout quickly if it wont be to much trouble! Any help!?
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Is the donor d44 axle with ps from a Scout II? If so, those use a saginaw steering gear mounted on the outside of the frame rail. If it's not a Scout II donor axle, then we have no way of knowing what the setup is.

A Scout 800 (v8 engine), used a gemmer steering mounted inside the frame rail.

Getting the Scout 800 steering column connected to a steering gear mounted outside the frame rail is a major fabrication issue that involves multiple steering shaft angle changes.

When asking for assistance with stuff like this we always need exact model/year/oem information for any parts or complete rig.
 
I ended up buying it anyways. I figured I could part it out if I dont use it. Here are some pics I snagged this morning. Stupid me completely forgot to take one of the axle. Ill snap one the next time I go to the storage.

20177_452643505246_659970246_10909404_7323804_n.jpg


This is taken from the driver side wheel well.
20177_452643525246_659970246_10909405_2095573_n.jpg


Tilt your head sideways and you can see the linkage connect to the ps. The actual pump is attached just laying on the side cause there is no engine.
20177_452643555246_659970246_10909406_405270_n.jpg
 
You didn't go wrong. At worst that thing has over 4 times the amount you paid worth of parts. At best it's a potential fixer project. What kind of shape is it in overall? Is it complete and just non-running? That is a Scout II power steering gear box fabbed to the frame.
 
Well I'm glad to hear its a Scout steering box! Its hard to explain the shape exactly. Body is ok, doors fit perfectly which is nice. No top, the block is in there but sitting on some wood. No radiator, hoses etc. It was broken into and the dash was ripped out along with the wires and the sub and stereo and speakers that were there. And the front end is put together horribly because its the d44 like stated above. So out of 10, 10 being the best, I would say 5 or 6.
 
Got a chance to stop by the warehouse today and snapped some pics. It was a bit tough to get good ones. I couldnt get the whole axle but I could get the side that concerns me.

It looks a little sketchy to me with that black bar there. It looks like it has the same function as a u-bolt by keeping the leaf springs to the axle. Is this safe?
22267_459819290246_659970246_10960204_2716160_n.jpg


22267_459819310246_659970246_10960205_3031556_n.jpg


Here is the best pic I could get from a distance back.
22267_459819350246_659970246_10960206_1110500_n.jpg
 
sr2dude said:
It looks a little sketchy to me with that black bar there. It looks like it has the same function as a u-bolt by keeping the leaf springs to the axle. Is this safe?
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Scary is the first adjective that came to my mind based on the picture. I wouldn't drive that setup except maybe from the driveway into the garage. Looks like that block/bolt setup would allow the axle to move, putting all the stress on the one u-bolt. I think a strong jolt off-road, or hard panic stop would make that all come apart. Not a big fan of the z shaped drag link either. That's one curb or rock hit away from being a pretzel. The first pictures look like someone tried to do a good job on the steering box and linkage...wonder why they went so sloppy on the axle.
 
Why doesnt anybody like the z bar? I posted this on just IH also and people are saying its bad. I thought you wanted a z bar? Or is that only when you are sprung over or have a higher lift?
 
I'm not sure about z shaped drag links in general, but that one looks like it was bent by the po and is probably very weak at the bends.
 
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