>>> REDHEAD STEERING GEAR IS IN <<<

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Yesterday broke a heat record that had been standing since 1936.

The radio announcer warned of the dangers of being outside and recommended anyone without A/C to spend the day in the library or the mall (the nearest mall is a good fifty-miles away).

Myself, I opted for the cool shady spot underneath my truck out in the gravel driveway.

Once I had a decent pitman-arm puller in hand, plus a proper 1-5/16 socket to remove/install the pitman-arm nut --- 170-230 ft-lbs according to my genuine Ford service manual --- , the task went fairly well.

On my 1985 F-350, the three mounting bolts are 7/16-14, 5-3/8 long, threaded for two inches, with an un-threaded 1/8-long pilot, 5/8 head, 54-66 ft-lbs.

Only a 1/2-inch shoulder and the threaded area are 7/16, with the rest of the shank being app. 13/32; I imagine so that any built-up crud might still pass through the bushings in the frame-rails.


The Borgeson shaft being siezed and not telescoping gave me more fits than any other part of this project.

I finally had to completely remove the Borgeson, drive the inner shaft out with a long punch, clean the inside of the outer shaft shotgun barrel style, and hand-file the inner shaft until it was once again a sliding fit.

Plenty of anti-sieze was used on the Borgeson and every bolt and spline of the steering-box.

The pressure line requires 1/2-inch line-wrench; the return line requires a 5/8 flare-line crow's-foot.

I pulled the Pitman-arm while the box was still mounted and just let it hang by the drag-link/tie-rod.

Seeing as my truck has a 2-inch body-lift, with the left tire out of the way, I was able to pull loose a rubber skirt held in place by plastic barbed rivets, and easily access the hydraulic lines and shaft coupling from the wheel-well by reaching through the area between the frame and wheel-well.


One bit of advice that I failed to heed at first and required me removing the new gear-box and starting over; RUN A TAP THROUGH THE BOLT-HOLES.

Although better than factory-new, these RedHead gear-boxes are built from old used units of un-known heritage.

After I got the HEAVY box lined up and held in place by the two bottom bolts, the top bolt would not screw in no matter what I tried.

I took it back down, layed it on the bench, and ran a thread-tap through that top bolt-hole.

The threads well terribly stripped and crossed (some idiot with an air-gun, no doubt); REDHEAD should have caught this.

I managed to salvage about 1/3 of the threads; and, if it hadn't of meant my entire endeavors of the day being a complete waste, plus having to box up and expensively return that heavy unit, I would have taken it straight back for a replacement.

As it is, if it ever causes a problem, I will attempt to re-drill/re-thread to 1/2-13

Considering the condition of that top hole, I only torqued it to the minimum 54-ft-lbs; the other two got the maximum 66-ft-lbs.


It is now mounted, bled, and ready to roll, but I haven't yet driven it; I was just too nasty and grimy to be in the cab, making a greasy mess of my nice captain's chairs.

 

[Blind Driver2]

I would have bought a Redhead by now if only they had a fast ratio box

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

get cleaned up and go out for a drive.
it takes some getting used to it if your box was sloppy.especially around corners.you'll find yourself over correcting still for a while with no need lol.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I should have done this 25-years ago.

MONEY WELL SPENT​

Since installing the REDHEAD, I have now been on just about every type of road imaginable; no longer does it feel like the wheels just go whichever way they want; and, this isn't some situation that happened over time; the truck didn't drive nor handle any better the day I first got it.

I really couldn't afford to do this when I did, but I am not regretting going ahead and spending the money.


I still have that little nagging pull to the right that the truck has had since the first time I ever drove it.

I have gotten so used to compensating for it that I hardly notice it, UNTIL I point it straight ahead on a really good straight smooth high-way and let go of the steering-wheel; it don't just immediately cut hard to the right and head across the ditch, but it does slowly head in that direction.

When time allows, I am going to drop the right radius-arm and put one big washer on the forward side of the bracket/bushing and see if that wee bit of extra pressure on the axle will hopefully correct the pull.


I made my living with this truck for many many years and several hundred-thousand miles; and, it is far more road-worthy, dependable, and conveniently user-friendly today than it ever has been.

Even at that, it is still a work in progress; I have several pages of ideas for future modifications and improvements in my note-book.

 

[The Warden]

THANK YOU for the feedback!!

 

[subway]

got me thinking about upgrading my sloppy steering box in my truck........

 

[RLDSL]

I still have that little nagging pull to the right that the truck has had since the first time I ever drove it.

I have gotten so used to compensating for it that I hardly notice it, UNTIL I point it straight ahead on a really good straight smooth high-way and let go of the steering-wheel; it don't just immediately cut hard to the right and head across the ditch, but it does slowly head in that direction.

When time allows, I am going to drop the right radius-arm and put one big washer on the forward side of the bracket/bushing and see if that wee bit of extra pressure on the axle will hopefully correct the pull.

I've noticed over the last 30 years that most of the vehicle specs for allignment have tended to favour a fairly flat interstate travel ( basically because so many folks buying new cars used to come back in to the dealer service departments griping that they couldnt let go of teh wheel on the einterstate and have it go straight and the factories were spending fortunes re-alligning cars to appease these fools ), and if you spend any apreciable amount of time on 2 lanes or divided state highways, you will be constantly having to fight a pull to the right of some degree.
so if you want anything to run true on mixed roads anymore, you pretty much have to go outside teh spes and do as you are thinking with the washer or throw an adjustable caster bushing in there

 

[WhiskeyBottle2]

Ok Guys...I admit I can be a little slow in the head sometimes, so please tell me what the "redhead" is and where to get one and how much do they cost...

I have been thinking about buying a steering stabilizer for my 86 f-250 6.9, but I really need a steering gear box and steering pump and it sounds like the "redhead" might be what I need.

Thanks

 

[Blind Driver2]

got me thinking about upgrading my sloppy steering box in my truck........

I have a steering box from UHaul sitting in my shop awaiting the instal

 

[RLDSL]

Ok Guys...I admit I can be a little slow in the head sometimes, so please tell me what the "redhead" is and where to get one and how much do they cost...

I have been thinking about buying a steering stabilizer for my 86 f-250 6.9, but I really need a steering gear box and steering pump and it sounds like the "redhead" might be what I need.

Thanks

Redhead steering gears here Serious high quality rebuilt steering boxes, much tighter than stock and will last longer the way they do it. Combine that with a Borgeson or Flaming river steering shaft and ditch the rag joint and you will have steering so nice and tight you won't know how to act

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

What RSDSL said X 2.

 

[riotwarrior]

Sounds like a decent box...wonder if they port for hydro assist for using a ram?

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

ALMOST CURED THE PULL-TO-THE-RIGHT​

While air-checking the tires, in preparation for a several-hundred-mile trip, the advice of an old life-time front-end man popped into my mind.

This guy, 97-year-old and still going strong, was THE front-end alignment man at the local FORD garage for more than 50-years.

Many times, I have heard him advise to inflate the RIGHT-FRONT tire 4-PSI more than the LEFT; reason being that the right side of the road is somewhat lower than the center and vehicles are not designed to compensate for this, thus they always have a natural tendency to drift to the RIGHT/low side.

Adding that extra 4-PSI will usually be enough to correct for the right side being lower.


Seeing as how I had a bit more than just a natural tendency to drift, I went with 6-PSI extra in the RIGHT.

I put 74-PSI in the LEFT and 80-PSI in the RIGHT.

After my weekend journey, I must say that this simple fix seems to have helped immensely, and may have actually cured the problem.

I am so used to the pull always being there that it may take a while for me to be completely certain that it is gone.


Although I had heard this information time and time again, me being a somewhat obsessive perfectionist, I had always put exactly the same PSI in both sides; after trying more air in the RIGHT side, I believe the old man may be on to something.

 

[icanfixall]

Thats a great idea. The design of the roads is kind of a saftey design. Most every road in the states have a crown to them. The center line is the highest point for two reasons. One is for the water to drain off to the right and the other is just in case you fall asleep you will travel over to the right and not into oncoming traffic. Some roads have more crown than others... Glad you found an easy repair...