Drop in Motor first, or Steering box first?

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LIME TWIST DART

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I have done a lot of disassembly on this car, and made some modifications, but now its time to get the major components installed. This will be my first time re assembling an A body. I know its basic advice, but is it easier to install the manual steering box then the 360? Or should I set the motor in first? Gotta do this by myself, so Im just looking for whats most manageable/accessible.
Thanks
 
Unless your looking for a long miserable install put the box in first!! They are miserable to install afterward.
 
You might save a little trouble if you make sure the steering box is in good condition before it goes into the car.
 
Robbie2734 said:
Unless your looking for a long miserable install put the box in first!! They are miserable to install afterward.
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terzmo said:
steering box first
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Had a feeling it would be hard to get at. Thanks for the input.


magnumdart said:
You might save a little trouble if you make sure the steering box is in good condition before it goes into the car.
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I would certainly be disappointed, its a new flaming River 16:1. I do appreciate the suggestion though.
 
Yes, it's a lot easier to install with the engine removed...

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Box first....

(A rule that applies to more than just cars....)
 
Why not drop k frame, install everything motor, steering gear, suspention exhaust and then install into car.
 
What the posse said.

I know it's another expense........it's always another
expense, but now is the time to seriously consider
moving up to power steering. Just sayin'
 
LIME TWIST DART said:
Just bolts and washers? Anybody use loctite?
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If you torque to the proper spec, the loctite is not necessary.

But it doesn't hurt to use it for extra measure....

Chase the threads with a tap and die first, of course....
 
krazykuda said:
If you torque to the proper spec, the loctite is not necessary.

But it doesn't hurt to use it for extra measure....

Chase the threads with a tap and die first, of course....
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So just use the blue, not the red. Thats what I have anyway.
Chase the threads to.........clean them up?
 
Run a tap and die on the threads.
 
Twodko said:
What the posse said.

I know it's another expense........it's always another
expense, but now is the time to seriously consider
moving up to power steering. Just sayin'
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Why is that a move up? Just curious. I'm going the opposite way myself.
 
LIME TWIST DART said:
So just use the blue, not the red. Thats what I have anyway.
Chase the threads to.........clean them up?
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Like I said.

Chase threads with a tap and die to get rid of any dirt, burrs, previous deformation of threads for both the male and female threads. (You should be able to screw them together with your fingers until they bottom out). Dirt and burrs will "absorb" some of the torque that you need to get proper clamp load.

Then torque to spec.


It should be ok with clean threads and torque, but if you want to put some Loctite on there, either Loctite will due, red is better...


Loctite is more of an anti-backoff. It's the torque of the nut and bolt that holds the parts/joint together (clamp load). Loctite is not a substitute for torque, it is used to keep the nut and bolt from turning after you secure them. Like gluing them together.

You must torque to proper spec to get the joint to hold together properly. If you don't torque properly and then use Loctite, it can come apart as you will not have enough clamp load to keep the parts together. Loctite cannot make up for improper torque.


Always chase the male and female threads with a tap and die for used threads.

Always torque to spec whenever possible. Use Loctite if you desire...
 
Bad Sport said:
Yup, light car with skinnies up front, I doubt I will notice much.
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I replaced my worn out 47 year old steering box with a rebuilt one using the Firm Feel 20:1 gears so I'm curious what it's gonna be like when I finally get it back on the road? I don't have VW tires on front, but stock size Michelins. The only time I had to struggle to steer was backing into a parking spot, and that wasn't that big of a deal.

I never had much use for power steering on this type of car. On my daily driver, I wouldn't live with out it though.
 
I have the col/box/center link OUT so I can have all the room I can muster to jockey the eng/trans in place. Sorry! I dont like to bump the eng into anything & I can still get to the box etc after the eng is in tho yes it's a bit harder. The load leveler is the tool to use & I remove the crank handle & weld on a nut as the crank handle can hit if the eng is tilted enough. And I bolt the rear pair of chains to not the rearmost intake bolts but the next pair forward to keep the chains from hitting the firewall on some installations.
 
1970Duster said:
Why not drop k frame, install everything motor, steering gear, suspention exhaust and then install into car.
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On my 66 Dart, I did just that. Most people dont have a way to lift the assembly into the engine bay from underneith. I had to really do some fabricating on a lift to get it to work. Just my 2 cents worth.:cheers:
 
Is it easier to install the steering box then the column?
 
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