Steering Box Question: Adding Shims Above Pitman Arm

[thefladge]

So, an old off-roader's trick is to add alternator pulley shims between the steering box and the pitman arm. They fit the shaft of the 1962 and later steering box perfectly.

The purpose is take any impact load from rocks or potholes and shift it from pounding the steering box cover to the stronger body of the steering box. It prevents the shaft from being forced upward and breaking the cover.

My question is how much clearance does there need to be so the steering box won't bind?

I read about this many years ago in an off road book, but I seem to have lost the book.

Thanks.
_________________
1957 Vintage Baja Bug.
2110cc engine, 40 IDF Webers on Gene Berg manifolds, Engle 110 cam, Bugpack 40×35.5 Street Pro Heads, W8CC plugs, 12.5 pound Flywheel, Kennedy 1700 pound pressure plate.

[DesertSasquatchXploration]

Unless your the class 5 Champion with 50 sponsors. It seems like your gearing up the take on Something that isn't a real issue. I find it hard to believe a VW hobbyist is going to take years building a real nice baja and have the balls or stupidity to go fast enough and total it in 30 seconds. I'm curious to know how fast your hitting our SoCal trails since we wheel the same high desert spots.

[thefladge]

Back to the original topic....

Does anyone have the answer to my question?

Thanks.
_________________
1957 Vintage Baja Bug.
2110cc engine, 40 IDF Webers on Gene Berg manifolds, Engle 110 cam, Bugpack 40×35.5 Street Pro Heads, W8CC plugs, 12.5 pound Flywheel, Kennedy 1700 pound pressure plate.

[PhillipM]

I can't answer you for VW specifically, but for racing Land Rovers offroad we do something similar to spread stress on impacts with hardened washers above the arm - generally I aim for 0.2-0.4mm of clearance with it built up cold, if that helps any for a ballpark idea.

[dirtkeeper]

.010 to .020 clearance according to Jeff Hibbard baja bugs and buggies

[jsturtlebuggy]

There was a article in Hot VWs magazine back in the 1970 that Gil George of Funco wrote about strengthening the early steering box. It included using harden shims and a Torrington bearing between the box and pitman arm. I have to see if I can find it.
It not a bad idea to do if you going to play hard.
_________________
Joseph
Fair Oaks/Orangevale, CA
Elrod Motorsports
Motion Tire Motorsports
Having fun with Dune Buggies since 1970
Into Volkswagens since 1960

[joemama]

I have done that mod both to my fiberglass buggy, and now sold class 11. The buggy has in the past been jumped at the dunes in Glamis, hard to say if they helped or not, but never had a steering box failure. I used hardened washers from the hardware store, and kept sanding them down until I thought it good. I will tell you that you should check clearance with the wheel centered, as well as at full lock on both sides, as it seems to get tighter as you move towards full lock. If you are like me, and like to do mods, this is a cheap one, if time consuming.

[Wulfthang]

I used a Copper washer the first time I did it. It got pounded flat and I don't race, although I do go fast at times. I replaced it with a hardened steel one. It's been fine ever since and hasn't cracked the top so I guess it's working!

[thefladge]

[DesertSasquatchXploration]

If you've owned a Baja for almost 20 years and still haven't done any dirt trails you have much bigger problems then shims. I work 10 hours a day in a machine shop and still rebuilt my car in two years these cars are stupid simple Just go use your bug and figure out what you really need not what someone tells you is needed

[thefladge]

[DesertSasquatchXploration]

My sandals have seen more desert trails in a year then your Baja just calling you out.

[PhillipM]

Jesus you must be fun at parties.

[earthquake]

The washer trick is cheap and easy and falls into the "It couldn't hurt" category.
You should also drain any old lube out of the steering box and fill it with good grease, that way if it blows a seal it wont leak out. Class 5 guys also TIG weld the steering arm to the shaft so it cant fall off if the bolt comes loose. They also weld a rod between the parting line of the clamp on the beam so the box wont rotate on the tube, some even weld the clamp jaw to the beam to lock it in place.
There are a lot of tricks they do to the beam to make them stand up to the abuse, they weld all the way around the shock towers to keep the spot welds from popping, they add a gusset to the top tube to the shock tower, they put gussets on the steering arms of the spindles, fill the speedometer hole in the driver side spindle pin, add stops to save the shocks and a few other thing I can't remember right now.
here is a picture of my beam, I only did a 5/16" cut and turn class five guys do a 9/16" turn which is very stiff.

If you use one of those urethane steering couplers get rid of it and get a OG rag joint! the urethane ones dry out and split and will leave you on the side of the road, ask me how I know? Also take your stock anti roll bar and cut it to fit inside the stock tie rods to strengthen them, it fit perfect inside them.

eQ
_________________
74 CLASS 11 LOOK-A-LIKE
69 DUNE BUGGY
79 INTERNATIONAL SCOUT II
05 SCION XB SERIES RELEASE 2[#437]
95 Chevy C3500 dually
98 Ford E150
Link to Kelly J. Nolte 3/20/53 - 11/6/08
https://time-zonelabs.blogspot.com/p/about-kelly.html
DEATH TO CHINGERS!
[From a military recruitment poster in the novel "The Stainless Steel Rat" By Harry Harrison]

[thefladge]

[thefladge]

[dustymojave]

Didn't I answer this question for you Fladge just recently? Maybe another thread?

My reinforced arm reamed for Ford rod ends in my 58 Baja Bug.

Pitman arm has a 1/4" thick gusset TIG welded around the perimeter, except at the split. It could also be MIG welded. The 12mm coarse thread pinch bolt hole has been reamed through to just over .500". The bolt has been replaced with a 1/2" fine thread Allen through bolt and nylock nut.

This pitman arm works with the shims to seriously beef up the stock steering box.

I've been using the shim trick since the early 70s on both of my Baja Bugs and on my Hi Jumper race car. Stock VW box on all of those. I use .010" - .020" clearance at center of travel. Center is where the gear clearance is tightest.

I use thick washers. A stack of thin shims will get dirt and water in between that will cause a lot of grief. The washers need to be a large enough diameter that they will contact the bottom edge of the steering box body outside the lower seal so when the pitman arm is pushed upward by the tie rods, the load transfers to the body of the box instead of up the shaft.

MY 58 Baja Bug has it's original early style steering box. The car now has over 956K miles. The Hi Jumper has the original late style steering box from my '65 Baja Bug.

It's worked well enough on my race car that a hard hit one time sheared the steering box mounting studs, but a quick fix on the side of the race course using bolts I had in my tool kit got me going quick enough that I won my class in the race. I've never broken the steering box lid on my cars yet. I've replaced steering boxes for others who had not been using the shim trick.

Someone used to sell a kit long ago that included a stack of thick shims and a piece to reinforce the lid. It was a pair of clamps for the top beam tube, with an arch of steel plate welded to the upper clamp. The underside of the top of the arch had a round deal that set on the jam nut on the adjuster screw.
_________________
Richard
Offroading VW based cars since 1965
Tech Inspection 1963 - 2012 SCCA/SCORE/HDRA/MORE/MDR +
Retired from building Bajas, Fiberglass Buggies and Rails in the Mojave Desert. Also Sprints & Midgets, Dry Lakes, Road Race cars. All types New and Vintage
SoCalBajas Member
Kicked Cancer's A$$...1st and 2nd round...Fight ain't over yet.