My tractor has the steering box from a 59 1 1/2 ton Chevy truck and yesterday it gave out. I wonder were i can get new bearings for it?
try jim carter truck parts. i purchase parts form them for my obsolete black fleet of trucks, lol. http://www.oldchevytrucks.com/ thansk KoO Published Author
Can you read any numbers on the bearings that you need?
try "bearings inc" its in Louisville KY.. ill try to find the number & post it for you in the morning..
I will call them tomorrow. He is about 1 1/2 hours drive from me. I got it apart and it looks like the bearing cages came apart. This maybe a GM only bearing because the races are i think made into the steering shaft worm.I just hauled in a chevy early 50s curbside truck. It looks like the steering box has the same internals but it has sat out side for years and is locked up.
I have never found any "GM only" bearings. I have bought many bearings that the auto parts people swore were OEM only from industrial suppliers. I don't think GM built any of their own bearings. If you can't find any numbers, get busy with your dial calipers. My favorite is www.baumhydraulics.com Their telephone people and printed catalog are excellent, much better than their website.
I've ran across one bearing in the past that I wouldn't say that it was a "GM ONLY" bearing, but the front input bearing on a Muncie SM 465 is the only place that we found that uses it. Needless to say, it was a New Departure Hyatt bearing and they were extremely proud of it. You might try looking through TRW archives and see if you can find the gearbox kits through them. Its amazing that a lot of steering and clutch technology "re-evolves" throughout the years. I once assembled a race car clutch assembly that consisted of the pressure plate from an early 50's Jeep pickup, clutch disc from a Case tractor, and the flywheel from a Corvette. Whole assembly weighed 24 pounds. Another source that you might try: https://www.collectorsautosupply.com/query.asp?make=CHEV+AND+GMC+TRUCK&year=0§ion=SUSPENSION
I havent had alot of time to mess with it but it looks like the if i get a bearing i will be geting the ball bearings and the cage. Like i said before the inside of the bearing is part of the worm on the steering shaft. If it was a bearing like a wheel bearing i could see geting one about any were. There are no numbers becuse there is no place to stamp one. I dont know were you would measure it because it dosent fit on a shaft. I didnt call today because i didnt have the number with me. Some places list a kit for 55/59 GM steering boxes but i bet they are for pickups. I thought about grinding down the worm so i could use a reguler bearing but it would be a major ordeal.
Here's a really good site for copys of old Chevy shop manuals. Free for the looking. I didn't see one for the 59 Chevy truck, but there is one for the 1955-59 GMC models 100-500 It shows an exploded view of the steering gear. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/ If I had to guess, the part that looks like it's made onto the steering shaft is really a pressed on inner race and the outer race is located in the removable end cap of the housing. If that turns out to be the case, good chance the part numbers are on those races.
The inner race is a part of the worm and isnt remove able. The outer race is anther story that i havent looked at real close. I called around today and made several contacs but no one had any parts for a truck steering box. I just took the one from the curdside apart and it was all their until i lifted the bearings and cage out. The cage fell apart. Right now i need this tractor bad.I have thought about machining out some new cages.
I went back out to the shop and looked at the bottom outer race that is in the threaded adjustment cap. I am all most certin that that the race is made into the cap And i can say with 100% that the iner races are not removeable. I havent cleaned up the race that is in the upper part of the box . I know were there is a truck 57 but for some reason the body was removed and the steering shaft was torched of and its rained in it for one summer it maybe ok yet. I built a tractor out of this truck frame because sofar parts have been cheap and easy to get. I may end up useing a diffrent box altogether.
I went and looked at a 54 today. It was way back off the road and i had to saw some trees down to get a look at its steering box. It was totaly diffrent. I thought i had a plan. I took apart anther box that i thought was the same. It had one very rust bearing and i found a bearig that had a bent up cage witch i stratened out but the rusty one turned out ot be out of a pickup and was way to small. i called a place that rebuilts steering boxes he said good luck finding any thing. Tmorrow i am going to look at a 57 that is seating in a junk yard.
I got the box off the 57 today they had removed the cab with a trackhoe and the column is bent but it looks like one way or the other it will be back together tomorrow. I would like to find some bearings but if i keep it form geting water in it maybe it will last a long time. Thanks for every ones help. Doug