Steering Box Id

Seeking some help! I have a 1971 CJ5 and I'm pretty sure the steering box has been changed. From the research I have done, I think it has been modified to the Saginaw box. I also assume that is what the "S" on the top of the box means. I want to either rebuild the box or replace it.....the adjustment screw is no longer effective. What is application for this steering box? Was it from a different year CJ? Where can I find parts or a replacement box? Thanks!

 

Yes, it's been added, yes it's a GM Saginaw and yes the S stands for Saginaw.

I don't know anything about the characteristics of different Saginaw manual steering gears, but I would guess this is the same gear that is used in a '72 up CJ-5 with manual steering. Your easiest path would be to ask you local parts store to order in a remanufactured gear for say a '74 CJ-5 and compare with yours. Install the replacement and turn in this gear as a core.

Apparently these gears are available new too.

You could also fix this one. I believe the rebuild kits for these cover a lot of different applications, and you can get the kit and go through it. This is done on the bench, and you'll need a couple of torque wrenches. Look at the Jeep TSMs from the '70s for instructions.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/jeep,1974,cj5,5.0l+304cid+v8,1309452,steering,steering+gear,7416

If you buy a kit, be sure to get a kit that's explicitly for a Saginaw manual steering gear. There are many kits listed on RockAuto which don't specify and I presume are for the power gear. https://www.ebay.com/itm/190652382374

 

Thank you very much!!!

 

Your steering box looks to be the same as late ‘70s/early ‘80s CJ, maybe up to at least ‘86?
-Donny

 

Your is an earlier box. I think around the mid 70's (memory is getting fuzzy) Saginaw switched to an aluminum lid. The funky pitman arm suggests it came out of an auto.
You will want to disassemble and inspect the pitman shaft for wear before ordering a kit. Many times the bushings will wear out and there will be wear on the shaft that can't be taken up with refreshing. Also inspect the tooth mesh for wear, since it looks like the adjusting screw has been run down pretty far.

 

The C3 Corvette boxes have the same or very similar pitman arm but those boxes have a long "snout". The pitman arms available for the Jeep manual boxes fit those.

 

So, a couple of identifiers.....
If you expand the rebuild kits on the rockauto site and look at the parts you can see a couple of PS identifiers. First is the large snapring that holds the endcap on. On a manual box, that is the worm gear adjustment screw.
If you compare the ebay kit with the rockauto kit you will also see that the manual kit uses a bushing for the pitman shaft while the power kit uses a torrington bearing.
The power kit uses not only a lot more o rings but the three large O rings that are the power rack seals.

Be advised, if you order a rebuild kit for your manual box, you will need to order a second bushing. The early cast lids run a pressed in bushing that needs to be replaced as well. You will have to take the second bushing and cut it in half, then press it into the lid, otherwise the top of the pitman shaft will move if the old bushing is worn.

The later boxes use an aluminum lid that doubles as the upper bushing and the lid needs to be replaced when "bushing" area wears.