1966 67 68 Steering Gear Isolator Solution

[Dan Szwarc]

My dad’s ‘62 does not even have the rubber isolators, the gearbox appears to be mounted flush with the body. Is this something that needs to be done? Since we have no rubber isolators, is this not the cause for the steering to wander?

Inspect the steering gear for input to output play (wheels jacked up, helper wiggling the steering back and forth, you inspecting for where the play is). It may be time for a rebuild (it is if it has more than 70K miles).

[TonyC]

I agree. If you're 100% certain that your car does not have the rubber donut spacers, then the steering box could just be feeling its age and in need of restoration surgery. Usually, that's accelerated by the rubber spacers, causing serious wear on the internals of the box (shafts, bearings, seals); but the second law of thermodynamics is always in play.

---Tony

[continentalguy]

Thanks all! We will look at the play. It sounds like the steering gearbox needs to be rebuilt. That sounds like some fun.

[Lee]

Yes, but there was a service bulletin in January of '63 explaining how to retrofit the insulators to the '61 and '62. I'm pretty sure I posted that bulletin in the documentation forum, but i can't find it at the moment, so here it is:

Does anybody have access to this TSB that was posted some years ago? The links are now dead, and I would really like to confirm a suspicion I have that my ‘62 may have been retrofitted, rather than original from the assembly line with isolators. Thanks in advance.

[linc64]

I'll try to get it re-posted in a couple of days.

[Lee]

Many thanks, Jim!

[frasern]

My '62 has no spacers of any type, same with the '62 parts car. My '63, '66, '67 all have rubber ones, the '68 has solid spacers. All appear to be original. I would think a '62 with spacers, would also have to use a '63 drag link?
Cool old thread, by the way!

[Lee]

Fraser, that's an excellent question, and this car has always confused me. I had always thought that the spacers were 63 and later, and mine was some kind of oddball, but in reading this thread, I see reports of spacers on some 62s, and even one report on a 61.
In any event, I replaced my drag link probably 15 years ago, and the link I received seemed to work...I replaced everything on the front end at that point, so I can't absolutely guarantee it was identical, but it aligned OK.
If you go to the Kanter site, they sell a different link for 61-62.
If you look at Classique, they sell the same link for all 61-69..https://www.classiquecars.com/lincolnsuspension60s.htm
If you go to the Lincoln Old Parts store they say "Fits 1961-1962 Lincoln with Modifications & 1963-1967 without Modifications"
I assume the "modification" is spacers...https://www.lincolnoldparts.com/center-drag-link.html

Somebody is confused, and I think it's me

[frasern]

Bakers also showed 3, 61-2, 63-7, 68-9. Somewhere in the past, I measured all 3 and posted them, the only difference seems to be at the end next to the box. I think it was close enough for the toe in adjustment to compensate. I also have a 1966 Motors flat rate and parts manual which shows 61-2, C1VY 3304 A $17.80, 63-6 C3VY 3304 A $25.22, A price difference that big seems odd. I'm curious to see Jim's bulletin in large enough printing to read, it should answer some of that.
My conv. has a weird adjustable and rebuildable end like the '60 had, never seen or heard of another, but I think it may have been an early '61 unit that was superseded?

[TonyC]

I have maintained that retrofits could have happened with the pre-'63 clap-doors, because the engineers at the time really believed they were onto something to make the cars as smooth as anything ever built. Those spacers were never seen as flawed designs until the '68 models were being drafted up, by which time they had to have seen something to the effect of what we all know now about them. It's also very likely that nobody ever thought of documenting any retrofits, as Ford's manufacturing record-keeping was not exactly the best back then.

That said, there is a simple way to verify whether a car with such a question mark may actually have those spacers. With an assistant, start the engine, and turn the steering wheel in both directions from stop to stop. If the gearbox visibly twists in place as the steering wheel turns, your car has those spacers...and consequently needs to be refitted with either of the two replacement spacer designs available now. The sooner the better, as those spacers, I've determined, were the root cause of every ill the steering systems of these cars ever suffered.

---Tony

[Lee]

Bakers also showed 3, 61-2, 63-7, 68-9. Somewhere in the past, I measured all 3 and posted them, the only difference seems to be at the end next to the box. I think it was close enough for the toe in adjustment to compensate. I also have a 1966 Motors flat rate and parts manual which shows 61-2, C1VY 3304 A $17.80, 63-6 C3VY 3304 A $25.22, A price difference that big seems odd. I'm curious to see Jim's bulletin in large enough printing to read, it should answer some of that.
My conv. has a weird adjustable and rebuildable end like the '60 had, never seen or heard of another, but I think it may have been an early '61 unit that was superseded?

Fraser, I searched your old posts for key words that might relate to measurements of those 3 drag links, but came up empty handed. I know the one I installed at the time “works”, but the more I over-think the subject, various drag link lengths of pitman to idler, and/or position of the holes for the tie rods might be easily adjusted for the straight ahead position, BUT…where things could start to get goofy is the Ackerman on turning, and possibly affecting the “toe out on turns”, or wheel pivot ratio. Of course, most alignment shops don’t really check that, as it is baked-in to the design…it can’t be adjusted. And it might not be apparent to the average owner…it might slightly increase tire wear, or cause increased tire scrub in a tight parking lot, but slight differences might well go unnoticed, especially in a big car that spends little time on the slaloms.

I wonder if somebody could have installed a 58-60 link in your car? I’ve seen weirder things. If indeed it changed in 61, I’d at least expect an A/B suffix change in the part number. Maybe Wixom just had a lot of unused ‘60 links they needed to use up.

Tony, on the ‘62 anyway, you don’t need an assistant. Just turn the wheel while standing outside looking into the bay, and you’ll see the power steering hose from the box to the wipers visibly moving.

[frasern]

Because I suck at computer stuff, finding this and posting it was really hard https://www.thelincolnforum.net/phpbb3/ ... 06#p413206, so I hope it helps. I edited it, because I had shown 26 feet! Nobody's perfect.
I thought of it being a '60 drag link, but the picture in that Motors manual shows a different profile. My '68 Bronco also had that type of rebuildable "ball and stud kit"

[Lee]

Thank you Fraser! When it stops raining here, I’m going to shuffle the cars and get the 62 on the lift and measure to see which link I really have.

I have now learned that when you search a specific member’s posts, you must be very specific, and hope that they included the key word in THAT post. In your case, I searched “measurement” instead of your “measurements”, and there was no drag, or link, or center (all words I also searched in vain) in your message.

[TonyC]

Well, true, Lee; an assistant is not really required if you can eyeball the gearbox and turn the wheel at the same time. I did it with Frankenstein. It's a bit more convenient to have help, but not necessary.

---Tony

[frasern]

I have now learned that when you search a specific member’s posts, you must be very specific, and hope that they included the key word in THAT post. In your case, I searched “measurement” instead of your “measurements”, and there was no drag, or link, or center (all words I also searched in vain) in your message.

I thought about posting that link before, but I got lazy.
Yeah, search terms have to be exact, doesn't help when people miss-spell, or use acronyms. And some of those Canadians keep using Oxford words, instead of Webster words!
Anyway, my parts car has no engine, so easy to get some pictures, if needed (if this damned snow ever goes away!), But if it were me, I would just throw the spacers away and reset the toe in.