Posted by Matt Wilson [172.69.69.175] on Sunday, August 19, 2018 at 23:05:01 :
In Reply to: 1955 PW steering seal posted by Tim [172.68.58.230] on Sunday, August 19, 2018 at 21:57:30 :
I recently installed a Timken # 471737 seal in the steering box in my '49 Power Wagon. I believe it should be the same gearbox that's in your '55.
The OD of this seal is about 0.020" smaller than the ID of the recess in the housing, but I slid the steering box output shaft in place through its bushings, just like it would be when installed, then slid the seal over the shaft and pushed Permatex Gear Oil Gasket Maker (gray stuff) into the space between the seal and the housing, pushing plenty of it down into it that gap, all the way around. I had carefully cleaned the outside of the seal and the recess in the gearbox housing with lacquer thinner so that the gasket maker would adhere to both. The output shaft acted as a centering device to keep the seal centered in the housing while the gasket maker cured. Once it cured, the seal seemed to have a pretty solid fit in the housing.
Disclaimer: I have yet to install the gearbox into the truck and really find out if it's leak-free, but on a work bench, with the gearbox full of oil for a couple of weeks, it did not leak (at least not from the seal area, although it leaked around the gaskets).