excessive wandering and steering wheel play in my 54 KM

[retroguy]

When I first got the car, it would wander all over almost a lane and a half unpredictably.  It was quite a thrill to drive.  I had the following replaced; 4 tie rod ends, frt and rr shocks, engine and trans mounts, rear spring shackle kits, sway bar bushings, wheel bearings checked, adjusted and greased, king pins found to be tight and not replaced.  Tires are about 3 years old and are balanced and properly inflated.  We also noticed that there was a lag between the time the steering shaft started to rotate and the time the pitman arm moved. The mechanic said he tried to tighten the roller shaft screw, but when he did, the steering wheel locked up and would not turn.  I then had the front end aligned.  That seemed to take care of the wandering, but I still have about 45 to 90 degrees of free play in the steering wheel.  I'm thinking of replacing the idler lever, pitman arm, and drag link before trying to find someone who can rebuild the gear box.  Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?  By the way, I find that when I try to make a 90 degree turn from a dead stop, the steering effort is almost more than I can handle.  Making turns while in motion are just fine.  Am I just a whimp or out of shape?

[rrdcorvair]

Is the 'rag' joint in good shape?  The 54 Kaisers have that joint about half way down the steering shaft.  And the ball/socket at the end of the drag link?

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

You might need to have the gears in the steering box replaced.  Check with Adam Harder at the club's Manufacturing Fund to verify what's needed based on the symptoms you have; these parts are a new offering by the fund and will work on 1951-55 Kaisers; check with Adam on possible additional applications.

[retroguy]

rrcorvair--I don't think I have a rag joint in my '54 KM.  I followed the steering shaft from the firewall to about half-way up behind the steering column cover and it's just a solid shaft.  Do I need to go further?  Looks like I'd have to take the shaft cover and some of the column supports off to get at it.  Nothing in the manuals about a rag joint.  ??

[rialto]

The 54 Manhattan has a rag joint down near the steering box. The rubber could be worn out or the metal part could be loose on the shaft. Have a helper wiggle the steering wheel right and left while you watch the joint for play.

[rrdcorvair]

Here are the pictures of the 'rag' joint on our 54 Manhattan.

[Terry T]

cannot the play be reduced by adjusting the slack in the steering box?

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

In my case, the adjustment was worn to the point where it could no longer be tightened.  You can give it a try though; the how to do it is in the 1951 Kaiser and Frazer Shop Manual.

Having the Shop Manual and the Parts Book are very good things to have.  The 1954 -55 Kaiser service information consists of Kaiser-Willys Service Bulletins and some K-F Service Bulletins carried over.  You will find the K-W stuff (which notes that mechanics should also use the 1951 Kaiser-Frazer Shop Manual and the 1952-53 Kaiser Supplement to the 1951 book) as part of KFOCI HANDBOOK Version 5.0.

[DTort96646]

Adjusting the screw on top of the box only adjusts the mesh between the steering worm gear and the pitman shaft. if the bushings for the pitman shaft are worn they must be replaced or if the steering worm gear is worn or pitted it must be replaced. Shims are behind the end cap for the steering worm gear to preload those bearings. Tightening that top screw incorrectly can cause no return to center when you let go of the steering wheel after taking a corner or turn. Have someone turn the steering wheel left to right taking up the freeplay and see if the pitman shaft moves side to side. The tires should be on the ground. You can also see what else is moving that could be worn. Get a bright light and see what moves up and down that is suppose to go side to side , and vise versa.

[retroguy]

Thank you all for the very good info re: steering looseness and rag joints.  I feel like an ignoramus after discovering that my car does indeed have a rag joint. I'm so embarrassed.  My only excuse is that when I first looked, the joint was completely covered in grease as was the nearby neutral safety switch and it just looked like a big blob.  I cleaned it up, had someone turn the steering wheel and did not observe any looseness in the rag joint=none at all. 
     That brings me back to the looseness I saw between the spline on the steering shaft and the pitman arm.  I'll check the torque on the nut that hold the pitman arm on first, and if that doesn't help I may try holding them together with a couple of temporary tack welds until I can find someone in my area to rebuild the gear box.  So far I haven't found anyone that will do that work.
     Thanks again everyone for your help.