Digging into ross steering box .Looks like complete re build . Steering tube cam has a notch in it and some rough ramps , bearings were all in the bottom of case ,shaft of the lever shaft was scored and horns worn on one side , steering gear ball footballed , steering column had pin holes and bent . As i said complete overhaul ,box was good though. Robbed steering gear arm from box bubba didnt want . Last 2 pics are Horrible Freight gear puller set that I really found useful , has multiple functions . Bmorgil will be happy im digging into rear end again ,got pinion rotational torque set at 35 inch pounds , wiggling, at 200 ft pounds , and in process of decreasing back lash , hope to rap it up tomorrow.
The worm gear looks like one of the ball bearings found it's way there, and they muscled it through. It is amazing some times the different types of wear and damage that one comes across in a restoration/repair. The life these Jeeps lived is just mind boggling.
Horrible Freight is one of my go-to places for cheap specialty tools that I can't justify spending the big bucks on the good stuff. I have that same puller set, and can't complain too much about it. Just keep the threads greased so they don't gall, and change out the flat washers with some grade 8s and all will be OK.
Will look for some grade eight washers , that kinda stuff hard to find in my town lol. Got 2 more shots for bmorgil's review . Drive side first , cost second. This after moving pinion in .002 . Have .0095 backlash at the moment but one thing when i ran this pattern i forgot to torque ring gear caps down they were just snug , will that make any difference ?
It looks like the caps were tight. Just in case though, spin it one more time after you torque them.
I would run that. The drive side is good to go. The coast side is a little quirky but not too bad. It wants to go closer (little less backlash) and out a little (Pinion out) . You could mess around and not get it much better and loose it on the drive side. If you move it around more than a few thousandths, you are going to loose the drive side. I think that will be relatively quiet on drive and coast, for an antique vehicle!
Well got most parts for steering except main thing ,. no shaft with wsorm gear , called KaiserWillys and had no clue when I would get it , but good thing part made in USA . So plan b . Cut off bad worm gear from the shaft I had took other worm gear and did transplant. Where can I get reamer to ream out bushings in steering box ?
It takes a .875 reamer. Any machine shop or machine supply house will have them. I would suggest taking it to a machine shop. It will save you the cost of the reamer and, the reaming process can take a little practice if you haven't done it before. You don't want to ruin your new bushings. It takes a little practice to get a uniform bushing diameter. You definitely don't want to ream it oversize. A machine shop will do a good job, and it shouldn't cost much.
I think you should wait for the new worm gear and shaft. The weld and straightness are critical. I see the angle iron fixture you are using for straight but, if there is sufficient run out it will effect a few things in a bad way. The weld on the original is a friction weld with the worm gear having a machined fit on the shaft before welding. It is MUCH stronger than simply cutting the shaft and circle welding it. You are never going to get the strength you need. The shaft is compromised where you cut it. The shaft is designed to "flex" somewhat. Impacts to the steering system from the road are absorbed by the torsional (flexing) capability of the shaft. It flexes slightly with impacts. When it gets to the spot where you cut it off it will not have the torsional capability. It will fail there. That is a bad thing! I love your ingenuity Wulfie, but I think the steering shaft modification is unsafe.