STEERING GEAR (work done in October 2012)
I was uneasy about disconnecting the ball stud and pitman arm. They can sometimes be difficult. I also read a lot of horror stories and BFH tales that didn’t help.
I bought two tools. With a little patience and a lot of care, everything came apart just like the shop manual said it would.
Harbor Freight 1752 - Tie Rod and Pitman Arm Puller (left)
OTC 7315A - Universal Tie Rod End Remover (right)
I ordered a rebuilt steering gear from Rock Auto (a Lares rebuild) but it had damaged mounting threads on the body, so I sent it back.
What I got from Rock Auto/Lares
Online investigation revealed a company called Red Head Steering Gears in Seattle that said they could rebuild mine. I found several threads on this site where people had good things to say about Red Head. Also, Wes at Classicheartbeat (a 67-72chevytrucks vendor) sells Red Head products, and he is a quality conscious guy. So I sent the gear off for a rebuild. The turnaround time including shipping was only a week.
http://redheadsteeringgears.com/
When it came back from Red Head, I installed the freshly rebuilt and repainted unit with the red top. I adjusted the steering column length so the flexible coupling was flat like it is supposed to be (not warped like I found it, I think I may have fkd it up long ago !). The steering is a lot firmer now and the unpredictable drifting is absent.
The rebuilt Red Head gear with a new flexible coupling before installation.
