Saginaw Steering Box Restoration/Rebuild

[@ladamyre1]

I'm a retired ASE Master Technician and I have rebuilt many a Saginaw steering gearbox. It can be found in GM and Chrysler cars and trucks of the heyday of Detroit car manufacturing. It is the best design of that era, but was made obsolete by the rack and pinion. The Ford gearbox is a copy of the Saginaw: It is absolutely identical in design. At 26:48 you show on screen, "properly adjust this nut per maintenance manual". It is a critical adjustment and I'll tell you why. First the adjustment. You need an inch pound torque wrench for this adjustment. Measuring the effort it takes to turn the stub shaft, turn the adjustment screw clockwise while moving the rack back and forth over center until you can feel it begin to bind as it goes over center. This is because as the adjustment screw goes further in, the tapered Pittman gears push the piston assembly into the other side of the cylinder. The specification is for there to be an additional 12 inch pounds (if I recall correctly) to move the stub shaft over that center. Lock it down. This adjustment comes into play when the front end alignment is made. So why the "bind" in the center of the gearbox's travel? It is so the front end alignment can be set with 1/4 to 1/2 degree LESS caster on the LEFT side of the car to compensate for road crown. A modern alignment mechanic that works with modern cars that have rack and pinion steering gears might say, _"But that will make the car pull to the left into oncoming traffic!"_ That would be true with a rack and pinion car. But an experienced mechanic who had a properly adjusted Saginaw steering gearbox would know how to set the toe-in to avoid that pull. He would set the toe-in so that as the car was traveling in a straight line, the steering wheel would be 1/2 degree to the right so that any pull coming from the caster angle would be running up against the bind in the gearbox. That little bit of resistance inside a Saginaw gearbox was DESIGNED to make it possible to have a car that pulls a little bit to the left to compensate for the commonly heavily crowned roads of the 1950's and yet one that won't go over center, as long as the mechanic fully understands the equipment, knows what he's doing and properly adjusts the alignment. I absolutely LOVE the way an old Buick Electra 225 handles on crowned roads when the front end is properly adjusted, and that's because of its Saginaw steering gearbox.

[@magnatron7734]

Great reply, the B bodies of that era all rode like Cadillacs. Loved them.

[@ladamyre1]

Here's another little tid-bit for you guys who might be interested. At 14:54 you see him pop the stub shaft out of the spool valve. If you look closely you'll see it has a pin holding the torsion bar inside. It is the thickness of this torsion bar that determines how much effort, and therefore how much "road-feel" the gearbox will have: The thinner the bar, the easier it is to steer and the less you'll feel from the road. You can't see the bar, it's inside the stub shaft. Some performance cars and trucks it's about 1/4" thick, on a '68 Cadillac Brougham, 1/8" and you can park the car steering with your little finger.

[@nicolasmartin1438]

Hoy cobien

[@Pruczepol]

probably one of the most insightful youtube comments i've seen in a while, even though its a year old haha

[@wam44]

I am thoroughly impressed by your knowledge sir. I have a 64 Imperial LeBaron. (made by Chrysler) Does it have the this same Saginaw box? I just had the box on my car replaced. I didn't ask the shop the specs. I was going to have the original one rebuilt but they recommeded a new one rather than have to deal with the possibility of problems with a rebuild. Thoughts?

[@donaldross1077]

Started GM dealership 1979. Needless to say we were the rebuilders of everything. I had the tools needed to do this job. A spanner wrench and a center shaft stub. You are supposed to remove large plug first, and then 1 inch nut or plug. The shaft would allow removal of spool valve while keeping all the balls in place.. Yes there is 22 balls. 11 shiny and 11 dull. Using the shaft allows you to stack the piston with balls then install in housing. Your way worked, but one ball out of place and you get to start all over again... Nice video...We rebuilt the 800 and 600 series gear boxes. The 600 series was the smaller ones with round top cover, you know the one that always leaked. Don retired.

[@waleedmp3941]

I actually like That You Don't Use Music In Your Video's

[@mgmesh8533]

Natural sounds is better than music 👍🏼

[@VishalGupta-re3th]

​@@mgmesh8533 do. Çfdddfffffff me. ..... . BH vv vvvvcvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv😅

[@pjl1919]

It’s relaxing

[@ArcanaCheckPls]

Seeing your videos gave the encouragement I needed to try fixing stuff on my car myself. Its saved me a ton of money and is so incredibly gratifying. It always leaves me feeling proud of myself and what I can accomplish. I'm looking forward to future videos!

[@jtveg]

3:29 I've only ever seen diagrams of the insides of a recirculating ball steering box and never imagined that the recirculating ball mechanism would be a U shaped tube split into 2 halves of bent metal. Great work. 🔨🔧🔩 Thanks so much for sharing. 😎👌🏼

[@phantomwalker8251]

fords are a split tube,. that can open up,like mine did.. non power.. probably why..

[@bradyrodgers1731]

I love watching a craftsman at his best. Outstanding work!

[@michaelzimmermann353]

Would love to see all the Jeep vids in a playlist. Super amazing to see someone taking the time to restore the parts than just get new. Gives me inspiration for my project XJ. Think I'm gonna try and refresh the axles myself, using your video as kinda of a guide of sorts. Keep up the great work.

[@levivaughan3434]

While that's a decent idea, get the factory service manual for your rig and follow that, it'll show tolerances, torque specs, and more, stuff that is vital to get right

[@Italiangoodguy]

What Is a jeep video?? Greetings from Italy

[@levivaughan3434]

@@Italiangoodguy the vehicle this component is from is a jeep, and this person has made several other videos about his jeep. Hello from not italy.

[@Italiangoodguy]

@@levivaughan3434 thanks for explaining from not Italy

[@mohamedkmc1153]

ķ¹²²àà à

[@literalbot9593]

As an aspiring mechanic I find this super interesting, satisfying, fun and educational. Absolutely great video! Leaving a like!

[@virtualink5]

Just a dude restoring an old steering box, and here I am ABSOLUTELY RIVETED. Good job, the jeep's coming along great.

[@yeraldinebedoya3524]

p09 u pollo p lo 0p si pelo 8lp ok lpiñ ok ñ por 0ñ ñoñoñño la lp ñp lugar 88ú pollo ph lo pl lloviznando junio9 kilo ñ

[@oby-1607]

A man who doesn't waste time with words but results.

[@madthewirdo4236]

By far the most quality and conscientious steering box rebuild ever. Wont find that good of a job in a rebuilt steering box from your local auto parts store.

[@jacobfield6581]

Watching you work is so effing relaxing I wish I had the challenge and patience for the amazing work you do God bless

[@Dagrizzb]

The cherry on top was putting the original label back on. That really made me smile.

[@laebdangrs4274]

Greetings my dear friend.... In fact, I would like to thank you for this beautiful video because you never entered music...Never.. How beautiful it is to make the sounds of nature speak ❤️ and not the ugly music and song for example... We want to see and hear the sounds of the tools that are used and made 💐 What a beautiful feeling 😍😍😍...

[@hesokayegar8259]

I downloaded this video and literally watched it step by step to rebuild my steering box, greet job

[@scottcates]

Super nice work there. Holy Smokes, that is a lot of seals! A very intriguing design.

[@tenexotic]

This is the only video I actually genuinely enjoyed of many I TRIED watching thank you. Also this is why I haven't done mine yet because this is what I'd end up doing.

[@jaycarlson927]

Thank you for showing the whole process of getting the arms off of the box too. Most complete video out there

[@smarthome2660]

Irony - I am watching you from Saginaw, MI & I live 1 mile from the plant that steering box was made.

[@DeanG55]

My Daddy once said that everything that hits the floor has to be picked up eventually!! LOL!! Love your video!! Please keep them coming....

[@smarthome2660]

Your comment made me remember once while repairing a watch I dropped a c-clip the size of a pin head on the same color carpet. I didn't think I would ever find it but I did & right away.

[@daveys]

I love watching the sandblasting parts of these videos, so therapeutic and a great finish!

[@wileycoyotesr8623]

I love powder coating. It has to be one of the better tools available to restoration. And there are so many colors to choose from.

[@МаратДим-э5ы]

У нас в России много XJ, я сам полностью отреставрировал джип 94 года! Наслаждаюсь им! Видео 👍

[@user-dn2tg2fj3i]

impresionante trabajo, realmente impresionante! en verdad, nunca me canso de mirarlo! maestro, recibe un gran saludo desde República Dominicana!

[@Audible_Girth]

I just watched a master class in dudeism. Loved and subscribed my guy

[@stewartmcmanus3991]

Good Lord, what a complicated setup. I've never seen anything like it. No wonder you needed a workshop manual !!! Well done.

[@Basslicks82]

Wait till you see the insides of a transmission.

[@910slastchancegarage6]

Quality craftsmanship right here folks!

[@oldcarnocar]

Damn i love the simplicity of a steering box!! Damn fine job!

[@cayleependerass]

Maybe I'm biased, but it seems more complicated than rack and pinion. A whole lotta extra parts that can be tossed with one of those things.

[@ГретыйТумблерг]

ОГРОМНЫЙ ЛАЙК за порошковое покрытие корпуса!!! A HUGE LIKE for the powder coating of the case!!!

[@morgansword]

Nice job, I never had the patience to do it or would of as I tangled with everything else so hats off to you

[@jeromebreeding3302]

Looks pretty complicated. I'd leave it to somebody in the know.

[@garywalters4286]

I worked at SSG for 30 years,made many dies for the pitment shaft.

[@فوادگلستانی]

قنننح

[@jakewagner7416]

The only reason I'm here is because I currently work as an engineer at Nexteer Automotive in Saginaw, which was formerly Delphi, which was formerly SSG. (and I think a subsidiary of GM along the way somewhere in there). It's cool seeing something like this pop up in my feed.

[@haywin4601]

My Dad put in 38 yrs. at SSG plant #3 (G. Case)...

[@estefannodelparral5326]

With the proper tool, these repairs are child's play and a delight.

[@joemuncie9187]

Nice set of tools also. I have several of the old Craftsman quick release ratchets and I love them. Mine are stamped Patent 1971. They are getting rare. I managed to find 1/2, 3/8 and 1/4 inch drives in good shape.

[@joemuncie9187]

I bought the first one, 1/2" drive, brand new in1973. 50 years, wow.

[@terryrogers1025]

Nice torque wrench “ impact impact ---click”, you gotta love it!!!!!!!😉😆

[@EvgenyAA]

Огромная, качественная работа! Спасибо за контент!

[@tke1006]

I love you jeep videos I have a 98 XJ that needs a lot of the the stuff you've showed thank you!!!

[@rjman123au1]

Very good upload as usual. Thank You.

[@robertdavis6708]

This is the best reconditioned st.box video I've seen. Dam nice work Sir.

[@MegaTapdog]

nice job bucko, i’ve done 3 of these on my jeeps and they can be a little challenging, you have to be pretty organized. You did a great job. i’ve only had to replace the bearings once, they are robust and don’t see the kind of pressure and abuse other bearings get.

[@jimknowlton342]

The cast housing usually eggs out before the bearings give up

[@maggs131]

A little heat even from a cheap propane torch would have helped get that pitman arm off without cutting it

[@roge954]

It was going to get replaced anyways. So why go through the trouble

[@kalebolson9710]

Legally can’t use heat on any steering parts. It can fuck uo angles and such

[@Basslicks82]

​@@kalebolson9710yeah, no, that's not even a little bit true, nor correct. You're not heating the metal to a pliable working temperature, much less a melting or bending point. You're just getting it hot enough to slightly expand and get it to temporarily loosen its grip on what it's attached to. Once it cools, it is still within spec. You can witness this happening on an alignment rack. Grab a torch, heat up all the control arms and watch the toe spread apart a few degrees... Then watch the toe "snap back" to memory as it cools like nothing happened. You'd spend a fortune replacing steering parts every time you needed to make an adjustment if you were always afraid to heat it up.

[@chuckoster8221]

I agree.I used to be a motor mechanic.I was very surprised.And then what do you see,a blow torch.Had the heat all along.

[@abdellahbouincha3519]

That's totally right, I don't understand why didn't he think about that easy one!

[@herbjones5987]

Beautiful job! I learned something in process. Thanks

[@richardhavercroft7065]

We made that gear housing at Saginaw Malleable iron foundry.

[@haywin4601]

My Grandfather worked at Malleable iron & my Dad worked 38 yrs. at Saginaw Steering Gear (on Holland) plant #3... I knew I'd see someone from Saginaw, Mi. on here...

[@nanogaming7949]

From Saginaw MI as well, saw Saginaw in the title so I clicked to see if anyone else was from here.

[@JOSEF7011]

10:50 When I watched your video, I had exactly the same idea, to polish that aluminum lid 🙂

[@ElTelBaby]

A absolute pleasure to watch... Such care and attention to detail...

[@BobSmith-mj7ik]

Perfect rebuild. Better than new.

[@polishmachine8303]

Very detailed in restoring the engine, very useful for mechanics, greetings from Indonesia 🙏

[@Zoofactory]

I come here for the peace and quiet…. This guy is a Jedi. Best part of the web. 👍

[@andrasilaszlo9904]

Excellent Craftsman. Great Job!

[@wfecowboy]

I don't have high blood pressure, but if I did, videos like this would cure it.

[@dontaylor9719]

It's been a while since I have seen a pair of spanner wrenches good job man keep up the good work

[@VasyVasutkin1]

Очень хорошо получилось! Ты молодец! Красавчик!❤

[@moseschickenwater5861]

Outstanding video!

[@BarbazuX]

Why is this so soothing?

[@jmagana924]

Nice rugged Ridge heavy duty steering, I have the same one on my 98 xj, awesome video, super jealous on the rebuild steering box, came out better then factory....⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@LoftechUK]

The finished product will be stunning

[@jodymcleod4636]

Good lawrd I wish I saw this last week! looks exactly like mine!

[@danfarris135]

I would recommend demagnetizing the recirculating balls, ball screw, and retaining cage. Other wise they will attract all the debris in the system and cause premature wear.

[@maggs131]

@Outersketcher you can buy a demagnatizer fairly cheap. I know watchmakers use them for their tools because having such tiny parts attracted to them adds an unnecessary level of frustration

[@Failure_Is_An_Option]

LOL... Nope.

[@stilltlrforlife]

Little bit of heat with a mapp gas torch always lets the pitman arm come off... Anyways, you did a hell of a good job on the rebuild.

[@Basslicks82]

Believe it or not, melting a crayon on the splines above the pitman arm helps too. I didn't believe it myself until an old mechanic told me that trick and I tried it and it worked.

[@ClutchKickerNation]

what did u drop the bolts in after heating them/.?? also what did u brush on the end cap?

[@ionhunter]

Sadly, Saginaw Steering Grear was ultimately sold to the Chinese. The building is still located east of I-75 on M46, they made M1919 Machineguns and M1 Carbines during WWII. Grey Iron was located to the west on I-75 and just north of M-46 near the Saginaw River, now long gone.

[@Basslicks82]

That's extremely sad.

[@frankfarklesberry]

It couldn't be that old if it had a barcode label, but I'm amazed the label is so clean and intact!

[@Basslicks82]

Correct. He's working on a Jeep Cherokee (XJ). Not sure the exact year, but based on the interior and more specifically the steering wheel, it looks like a 99-01.

[@nelsonc562]

As much as I enjoy your videos, I think I am more impressed with some of the cleaners and little gadgets you have for tools on some of these videos lol I keep going back to see if I can tell what they are, they’re neat little tools that would definitely come in handy!

[@hikariyouk]

A rare look behind the camera there too :)

[@austinXonXfire]

Your “don’t @ me” subtitle had me dying!

[@stevejette2329]

Nice lighting & camera work !

[@rcmc1256]

That jeep is going to be perfection

[@derek7400-l5v]

Torch isnt always the answer guys, especially when a new pitman arm is cheap, putting a ton of heat stress on the shaft could possibly ruin the whole gear. Nice work!

[@RestorationStation]

Hey, thanks! 😉😘

[@OldSkoolF]

Sweet rebuild and rig there bud...

[@fido2006]

A gland nut wrench can be used instead of the pin wrench. A gland nut caps the end of a hydraulic cylinder. The wrench is like a wishbone with pins at the end of each arm, like a pin wrench. The difference is the arms are generally short and each arm has a square hole for a rachet or torque wrench. The holes in the adjuster plug are 2/16 (or 6/32) so you'll need to look for a wrench with pins that fit or, like I did, buy a wrench with 7/32 pins and use something like a Dremel or drill to enlarge the holes to that size. Much easier with this to set the preload torque per the manual.

[@walter9724]

For stubborn rust on on parts I use a hot air gun used for stripping paint. That work really well and saves you the need to ruin a part👍

[@wolfgang2281]

Plz do more videos like this I absolutely love them bc I'm a mechanic

[@danieleder4863]

Now you made the tutorial! I needed it 3 years ago 😂

[@bitcoinphill8635]

Excellent Work Absolutely Stupendous Job Great Stuff I think I leaned something today Cheers.

[@frankbiz]

Complicated but you did an outstanding job. 👍🏻

[@sahidin2618]

Aku suka tuturial kaya gini.manambah ilmu.terima kasih jar

[@gthomer1231]

excellent restoration

[@larryweiss7170]

Once again........amazing work!!!!!!!!! Will the car need a realignment now?

[@RestorationStation]

Oh yeah. New suspension and new steering is definitely cause for an alignment

[@levivaughan3434]

The fact that he took the time to shine the internals of his steering box amazes me

[@thisguy4543]

I mean, he is cleaning the internals. Sludge, dirt, old oil. The shine is just the after effect of all of that

[@levivaughan3434]

@@thisguy4543 well, I've cleaned old parts a lot, but never managed to shine them just by cleaning.

[@davidbrown-55]

Beautiful resto! One of my favs.👍

[@dangerdoberman]

Whoa. That's really great.

[@jimc12]

Interesting fact. Saginaw steering played a huge role in WWII. They produced many guns for the allies. Including (367,853) 1919A4 .30 caliber machine guns, (44,531) 1919A6 .30 caliber machine guns (517,213) .30 caliber M1 carbines, (13,377,152) 37mm projectiles, (148,981) 57mm projectiles. Saginaw Steering gear also manufactured components for the M3 Submachine Gun built by the Guide Lamp Division of GM. SSG produced bolt assemblies, barrel bushings, and barrel collars for the M3. SSG produced subassemblies for many other military products. They included subassemblies and components for: Amphibian trucks (GMC DUKW), Canadian military vehicles (GM of Canada), 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns (Pontiac Motor Division), 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns (Pontiac Motor Division), industrial trucks, industrial cranes, industrial tractors, military aircraft, military road building equipment, Export Reconnaissance Vehicles (Chevrolet Staghound Armored Car), Armored Cars (Chevrolet Staghound Armored Car), diesel engine parts for trucks, tanks and boats (Detroit Diesel Division), Army Tanks (Fisher Body Grand Blanc Tank Arsenal), Army Tank Destroyers (Fisher Body Grand Blanc Tank Arsenal and Buick Motor Division), Gun Turrets, Army and Navy Supply Vehicles (GMC and Chevrolet).

[@BBslider001]

Dropping the heated bolts in oil...does that provide a protective coating? This is amazing work....amazing.

[@Failure_Is_An_Option]

Meh... some but not much.

[@davebarron5939]

Beautiful work, looks like I will be doing my ow rebuild instead of purchasing one, Thanks.

[@marcocateni9824]

Non mi intendo i questo tipo di meccanica ma, come meccanico rivolto verso un altro settore, direi che è stato fatto un ottimo restauro.

[@comfort_in_discomfort]

I wish I had rebuilt my original box on my FSJ. Instead stupidly I traded it in as a core for a reman... who knows where that one was built. Nice work.

[@Ms1Explorer]

I’m impressed!

[@Billy28376]

Excellent work

[@bobpocock87]

What an interesting video, I have to say, I was a little surprised to see it fitted to a fairly modern vehicle, I thought rack and pinion had made these obsolete back in the 60-70's

[@MiikeyLawless]

Nah, these actually work really well and tbh, are better than rack and pinion in some applications.

[@Basslicks82]

Saginaw boxes were still used on GM full size trucks well into the early 2000s and Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators still use link steering to this day due to the fact they have solid front axle (which makes rack and pinion prohibitive).

[@TheWellRoundedWarrior]

Me, squarebody Chevy guy seeing the Jeep steering shaft… 😅 Got one coming for my truck!

[@stephaneaudette6665]

Wooww, verry relax video. Thank you very much.

[@bbb462cid]

Tip re: Saginaw recirculating ball steering units- if it is leaking, this is considered normal and you still have fluid. It's when it _stops_ leaking that you have problems.

[@TwofierceTony]

I always love how your projects turn out!

[@richierich4604]

This is so satisfying

[@DarkFilmDirector]

I genuinely will not ever in my entire life understand how people can remember every single little detail that goes into disassembly and reassembly of all these pieces and make it look so easy. I struggle with just changing the headlight bulbs in my truck cause I can't reach anything and sliding under to drain the oil I always seem to knock my head against something or have an itch on my nose as soon as my hands get grimy. Service manuals may as well be written in German with the terminology used.

[@Failure_Is_An_Option]

You lack of knowledge does not increase complexity in the world. Nobody has it memorized. They know the theory of operation, and back it up with documentation. If no document exist then create it during disassembly.

[@DarkFilmDirector]

@@Failure_Is_An_Option It's not naturally occurring. It's man made product of engineering that took thousands of years of tool making to attain the skillet for.

[@eurosportfans3099]

Awesome Job the best ive ever seen

[@Failure_Is_An_Option]

What are you talking about? There is literally only one way to do it. Any other way will not work. You've never worked on a steering box...

[@d.a1893]

So COOL! REALLY COOL, AND A GIFT HE HAS TOO BOOT!

[@25vrd48]

Excellent detailed video . Watch it . Great Video

[@restorationconstantines7731]

Very well👍great job

[@juanlopezpolanco3400]

really like it to see this job!

[@eduardomarques8018]

¡¡ Tecnología norteamericana , solida y confiable !! .