steering and suspension possible to fix this cr steering box?

[hiebertm]

My 72 came w/ a close/quick ratio steering box.   

 

Does anyone know whether worn steering gears can be refurbished if I'm willing to fork out enough $$ to a machine shop?  If someone had done this successfully and had good results, I'd love to hear some details.   

 

This damaged box has been sitting on a shelf for 6 years, but I think I've developed the arm strength to wield it if I can get it repaired

 

Mark

[AceAndrew]

The worm gear is a hardened piece of steel. 

 

IF (and that's a big if) it's possible, you could have someone weld it up and machine it down.  a LOT easier said than done.  The cost would likely be more than a suitable replacement.

[jerry]

that gear has spalled, which is a fatigue crack mechanism.  welding as mentioned is one possibility.  i'd grind out all traces of the spalled area first.  use a high Cobalt filler metal (stellite) or high Nickel for a little more weld crack resistance.  you'd probably want to preheat prior to weld, say 400F and let it furnace cool after weld. 

 

alternatively, if you could machine a clean section out, you may want to try merely silver soldering or braze a piece of tool steel, such as a lathe cutting tool blank into the carefully prepped area and then hand grind to shape.  when you're close to finish size, polish using 400grit emory cloth.   yea, lot of work, but perhaps a solution.  it's primarily in sliding contact so if you can acheive a smooth transition it should stay put. 

[TobyB]

Given the pressures involved (it takes a LOT to deform steel that hard that way) I don't think you're going to have much luck with that poor thing.

 

As Andrew says, it's a pretty complicated shape, from a time when making cool mechanical shapes was approaching its heyday.

 

There have been a number of threads promising the wonders of everything from 3d printing to cad manufacturing, but no parts have ever come of them.

 

Honestly, you would probably be money and time ahead to design a steering rack replacement that has the ratio you want...

 

Sorry.

 

t

 

[persian-turbo]

If you selling it, I would take it. 

It needs special welding and cnc job. 

[hiebertm]

thanks all for the feedback.  

 

I was hoping someone might have found a solution or started to fabricate new steering box worm gears, since silly people would be willing to spend a chunk of money to rejuvenate them.   If I happen to find a solution, I'll report back here.

 

 

[persian-turbo]

You can not "fabricate new steering box worm gears" and IF you do it will worn again, 
however, IF you/ somebody can remanufacturing it will be nice, but it will cost a lot due to 
low production number issue, lets say like 1000~1500 $ + its very old base tech and most 
people prefer upgrade to  rack and pinion....

I can fix it cause I have free welder, my uncle
I saw hime repairing very rare camshaft with this technique, welding, reshaping and hardening.
if its works for camshaft it should works for this one two, the problem with type of repairing is the 
material of welding which is harder than other part and later it will wear other parts


edit : I added pic of BALL type steering box, aka Recirculating ball and this what you need, 
the sample pic belong to Paykan a British car.

its has 5/17 ratio in strait line and 5/20 in hight turn( it become lighter when you tuning it) 

http://www.farmankhodro.com/product/fa-13/جعبه-فرمان-پیکان

http://www.farmankhodro.com/public/user_data/نقشه ها/جعبه فرمان/Naghshe Paykan new.pdf


 

Edited August 30, 2016 by persian-turbo
adding more info

[zob2002]

Hi,

I checked my box of steering box parts.

I've got a NOS worm left but prefer to keep that for my own 2 steering boxes for my track car.

As it is a NOS still in the ZF bag, I can ask a good machine shop to duplicate it for me, but I don't want to go that route until I have at least 10 subscribers that will guarantee to buy one from me.

I don't know the cost yet either.

Worms where reproduced about 15 years ago by Heino Stolle in Germany and those costed about 1500 EUR a piece (before you ask, they are long gone).

 

If the wormwheel would have been damaged, that would have been easier. As you see in the pic, I have about 3 hardened wormwheels still in stock... (the fat ones compared to the standard one)

I had those reproduced a few years ago and they are quite easy to exchange.

 

You can also offer to buy 10 straight away :-)

Tom from Belgium