86 K10 Steering Gearbox

[travisgreeley]

Hello, i am new to the site and just purchased an 86 K10 4X4. Getting it off of the trailer i sheared one of the bolts holding the gearbox and subsequently the coupling was destroyed. Now i have new bolts and a new coupling, however i am having trouble getting the gearbox back to where it should go. I need some help for how to move it back into position. Oh and the truck has 10 inches of lift on 40's. Any help would be appreciated. I also can't replace the coupling until the gearbox is bolted down, because i can't get a socket onto the coupling due to the shift in the gearbox. Thanks

 

[crazy4offroad]

Pop the draglink off the pitman arm. Then once the box is bolted back on and the steering shaft connected you can turn the steering wheel until the draglink end lines back up with the hole in the pitman arm. Hope this helps and welcome to the forum! BTW post pics of this beast, I wanna see!

 

[travisgreeley]

Thanks so much, i will post pics as soon as i fix her tomorrow.

 

[travisgreeley]

So i finally got the pitman arm disconnected from the gearbox, but the gearbox will NOT for the life of me bolt back up to the frame. I am running out of options, maybe i need a new gearbox???

 

[crazy4offroad]

I wont lie bubba IT IS A BITCH to hold a 20-30 pound steering box with one hand and bolt it up with the other. Be sure you have it lined up right the way it is supposed to go on before you start, and maybe recruit help hold that heavy bastard if necessary. When I did the crossover steering my back was really bothering me and I had a ****-fit trying to get it done.

 

[travisgreeley]

Yea looks like some minor frame damage though. Pretty sure the truck had this problem with the last owner and he took the cheap "quick fix" out. Gotta go back and fix his mistakes, and then fix her. Hope to have her back into working order by the weekend.

 

[crazy4offroad]

It's a common problem for these truck's frames to go bad at the steering box. Usually the bolts pull through or cracks between the holes and bends all to hell. Might want to check into a weld-in repair kit, then a brace kit. Offroad Design has some but you may want to shop around for better buys. Here's a link to their stuff...
http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/steeringkit.htm

 

[travisgreeley]

Hey i got the pitman arm back on, but it seems as if it is about 1/8 of an inch off. I seemed to have shaved one of the teeth on the gearbox spline when i put it back on, and the retaining bolt was a bitch to get on. Should i be ok driving, or do i need a whole new one. Like i said it was only a shaving from one spline on the outside most one, and the bolt is now tightened. HELP????

 

[crazy4offroad]

There should be a section where there are no teeth on the pitman arm shaft, so the pitman arm is keyed to go on one way only. And it is a tight fit getting it on, and on there so far so the bolt goes on. As long as everything's tight you should be good to go!

 

[travisgreeley]

Thanks

 

[travisgreeley]

Hey i know i am full of questions, the truck steers now with no clicking, or grinding, but it is still difficult to turn, would the steering dampener have a say in the difficulty of steering. I think when i backed her off of the trailer i bent it, and now that i look at it it seems as if that may need to be replaced, and maybe the power steering fluid. any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Heck yeah if that thing's bent take it off there. It could hang up while your driving it and make it to where you cant steer! You might notice a little bump-steer till you get a new one but it would be better than a locked up steering while driving.

 

[travisgreeley]

Im thinking more and more that i got screwed by the guy i just bought it from. It bounced like crazy if i drove it more than 10 miles an hour. The steering wheel was sloppy while driving, and she seemed to only turn 1 full turn to the right. I think that i found a leak that was covered up with duct tape right behind the motor, it seems like it is from the "reman' tranny. I am so fed up.

 

[crazy4offroad]

Is it lifted? Big bias ply tires are hard to balance and hop like a pogo stick till they get warmed up. If the guy didn't put a raised steering arm, steering arm block, dropped draglink, or a dropped pitman arm on it then your steering geometry is wrong. You'll have limited steering in one direction and it seems like full steering in the other. Is it lifted? If so how much and what size tires? How much did you give for it?

 

[travisgreeley]

yea, i bought it for 4500. It is lifted 10" and it is on 40"s.