so i'm currently in the process of rebuilding an old steering box that i picked up from salsa....got it ripped apart yesterday, and although its not hard to do, it takes a little while to figure out what comes next in disassembly since the FSMs don't have an actual rebuild procedure, and the instructions that come with the seal kit aren't very specific....so far i've had a bitch of a time getting the piston out of the box because it doesnt have a removable end plug cover like domestic trucks' boxes...also the off-center adjuster lock nut was frozen ( thanks ken...) and fought me every step of the way...

oh, and one thing i've noticed is that early to mid-year '99 manufacture dates used once part# box, while everything after late '99/early '00 all the way to '04 used another part....ken's box is from his '01, and my '00 was manufactures 03/00 so i should have the right box....not even sure what the difference is between the two ? even the FSM for the '00 shows two different boxes

i'm taking plenty of pictures and detailing the whole process, i'll be putting together a DIY writeup once i'm finished...any advice or pointers? i remember someone suggesting honing the inside where the piston slides, so i'll be including that in the rebuild..

That's cool Brian...Can't wait to hear how it comes out..

Brian,
Unlike a lot of people on the boards, I never had the need to adjust the steering box.

It never leaked like everyone elses.

And I noticed that every person that I spoke with or read about online that tried to "adjust" the steering box, ended up with issues.

So between not adjusting it, the beach and the wonderful NY road salt, I'm not surprised it was seized.

Good luck with the rebuild.

just goofing ken, no worries...i finally got it apart and everything seems to be fine with the adjuster....i'll just have to soak that whole section in PB to get the adjuster screw (with the allen head) apart from the lock nut itself lol

No prob. Good luck with the rebuild.
After dealing with that one bolt, you can imagine what I'm up against with the engine rebuild and seized bolts.
How about two in the upper intake that I had to drill out.

so the box is broken completely down, and i started installing new seals and greasing the inner bearings today....just an FYI, you will encounter the biggest, most gigantic pain in the ass snap ring you will ever see....it ate a brand new set of snap ring pliers from autozone, a set of needle-nose pliers, and 4 hours of my life....i finally brought it to a friends shop and used a set of jumbo angle-nose pliers with the tips ground down to fit in the snap ring holes....

huuuuuge pain in the ass....

woohoo

the box is 75% back together...i had a beast of a time getting the teflon seal rings on the stub shaft to seat properly, then i found a tip on some random site that suggested immersing the rings in boiling water for a few minutes to shrink them and seat them, and it worked out great...

alost, the ball bearings that ride between the rack piston and the stub shaft are a pain in the ass, they fall out every second and every time one falls out you have to pull it apart again...not fun

i honed the inside of the box with a cylinder hone which came out pretty good, although im not sure it was necessary (can't hurt, right?)

pics soon!

THat's good news Brian..

Honing, done right, is most always a good thing. A cross-hatch will seal better than a glazed surface.

Nice to hear Brian!

box is done and installed, working like a champ!

stand by for writeup

Nice!!