8N Steering Bearings

raneyday

New User
Finally getting around to restoring my great uncle's 1949 8N. I'm planning to do a full soup-to-nuts restore. It's completely disassembled and in a pile in my shop right now. The first thing I decided to tackle was the steering box. It was only AFTER I had taken it apart and lost one of the ball bearings that I read that I shouldn't take the ball bearings out. So...surprise...I lost one of them. Or at least I think it's only one.

My question is, what size are the ball bearings for replacement. I see they are for sale in the store here, but it says they are not for OEM boxes.

Any help would be appreciated.
 
First you need to determine which steering gear box you have. Three possibilities. Early OEM which is identified be 4 bolts on the flange where the sector shafts come out to attach the pitman arms. Late OEM and aftermarket have 2 bolts there. Late OEM has no fill plug (there is a bolt you remove to put oil in) and has a welch plug on the bottom where the lower steering shaft bearing is. Steering shaft bearings are caged. Aftermarket has a fill plug on the left side toward the front near the top and no welch plug on the bottom. Has loose ball bearings for the steering shaft and may have an ID tag on the front of the column with a part number that begins with s.xxx.

If you have the aftermarket box the balls sold here are correct.
 
(quoted from post at 09:22:05 08/18/22) Finally getting around to restoring my great uncle's 1949 8N. I'm planning to do a full soup-to-nuts restore. It's completely disassembled and in a pile in my shop right now. The first thing I decided to tackle was the steering box. It was only AFTER I had taken it apart and lost one of the ball bearings that I read that I shouldn't take the ball bearings out. So...surprise...I lost one of them. Or at least I think it's only one.

My question is, what size are the ball bearings for replacement. I see they are for sale in the store here, but it says they are not for OEM boxes.

Any help would be appreciated.

Measure a ball, and check in the drawers of assorted fasteners, washers, widgets etc. at a hardware store or big box store.

Very likely you will find one the same size.

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Good post.
Have found them in those boxes myself.
Where is that hardware store?
It looks like a good one.
Had one near me that wasn't as full as that
one but they did have the balls.
Just this week I see they are closing their
doors now.
Too bad.
 
It's great to keep the tractor in the family and that you plan to restore it. If you are keeping it all OEM original, I can help with details. Email is open. Don't use the model year/serial number either as a definitive guide. S/N means not a lot today. Many N's had their engines swapped out when the original got blown -a 9N could have an 8N engine, a late can have an early, and vice versa. Go by the details like if front mount distributor and early or late steering box. In late '49 FORD released the later steering box and it was better than the early version. John Smith rebuilt his early steering box once and said if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn't, and would just replace the early box with a later one. Kudos to you for attempting to rebuild the box yourself. Are you using the I&T FO-4 Manual as your guide? There is also a chapter on rebuilding the early steering box in the lime green SERVICE TRAINING MANUAL for dealers and mechanics that offers some additional help. If you don't have it and want a copy, I can scan the chapter and email it to you. The steering ball nut use p/n 353110-S, .281 diameter, 9/32, not a standard size. I advise not to waste time with the usual commercial hardware store or fastener retail outlets as they probably don't stock any special size anyway and if they custom order them, may cost a fortune. I looked at McMaster-Carr, my usual go-to for hardware, and they only stock standard sizes as well. If you do find a place, be sure you get a good case hardened tool steel ball, with Rc 55 as anything soft is going to wear fast. There are also companies that rebuild/restore lead screws and ball screws like for screw machines and CNC machines, but those would be expensive. Used OEM boxes pop up on eBay often but then you risk getting a unit in worse condition than yours is. Dennis Carpenter also supplies a new Steering Shaft & Ball Nut Assembly, p/n 8N-3575-G1, for $291. He has all the cups, races, seals, and bearings as well as the shim kit, $12.

FORD 8N TRACTOR SERVICE TRAINING MANUAL FOR DEALERS & MECHANICS -1949:
HcxrYREl.jpg

Tim Daley(MI)
 
Thanks everyone for the replies.

Tim, thanks for the offer. I will probably take you up on it as I plan to keep the tractor as original as possible. I'm 51 years old, and this was the first motorized vehicle I ever drove! Hope to do the same for my grandkids.

She's been through the ringer as a daily user on a Missouri dairy farm from 1949 to 2002. For years, I couldn't figure out why nobody's 8N looked like Uncle Frank's. They were supposed to be red and gray, they were supposed to be all one beautiful, rusty patina color. Ha!

I'm pretty confident in the serial number - 205816 - as my cousin has been around this tractor his entire life and says they rebuilt the engine (maybe twice) but everything is original.

The steering box has 12 drilled and tapped holes for the sector shaft flanges, but 8 on each flange. There is a bolt on the top right of the case that I assume is for oil fill, and the bearings are caged. So I'm guessing late version of the steering box and those pesky 9/32 balls. What say you?

This post was edited by raneyday on 08/19/2022 at 04:59 pm.
 
Well, Ive tried replying to this several times and keep hitting roadblocks. Ugh.

The tractor was my great Uncles, and the first motorized vehicle I ever drove. Its 100% torn down and the plan is parade/show quality restoration, and Id like to keep it as original as possible. My cousin has been around the tractor his whole life and said it has had a couple of engine rebuilds, but everything else is original. Not bad for a tractor used every day from 1949 to 2001 on a Missouri dairy farm! Tim, I will definitely take you up on your offer. Thanks!

I do have the FO manual, but not the service training manual.

Back to the steering box. Mine has 12 drilled and tapped wholes on the box where the sector flanges attach, but the flanges have 8. The bearings are (were) caged. Im tryingagainto attach images. Im thinking late OEM. What say you?
cvphoto134971.jpg


cvphoto134972.jpg


cvphoto134973.jpg
 
Or maybe not. Here is a listing for the lower housing for the early style 8N box.
<a href=https://www.ebay.com/itm/115115637449>ebay</a>
Neither in person nor in pictures have I seen one with more than 4 bolts per side.
 
(quoted from post at 13:01:39 09/04/22) Or maybe not. Here is a listing for the lower housing for the early style 8N box.
&lt;a href=https://www.ebay.com/itm/115115637449&gt;ebay&lt;/a&gt;
Neither in person nor in pictures have I seen one with more than 4 bolts per side.

In my parts manual it shows those side covers on page 49. It says its for 1948-49 before S.N. 216989.
 

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