In a few other posts I recommended a company that I have used in the past - Red Head Steering Gears:
About/Process. Red-Head Steering Gears
This is ALL they do. As such, I expect expertise. They have a history of providing quality work and products, for decades.
I must now rescind my recommendation.
Mine was leaking severely, and loosey-goosey as well, so I sent it to them to rebuild. Note that I had used them in the past on a Jeep Comanche, and was very happy with their performance.
Received the Steering Box last week, and started trying to re-install it yesterday.
Test fitting the Pitman Arm:
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But when I started installing fittings, I was... surprised... might be an understatement:
![Image]()
![Image]()
While paint on the threads is just sloppy workmanship, paint INSIDE the O-Ring sealing surface, aa well as deeper into the orifice is... IMHO, inexcusable.
Sent them an email last night. Basically, "...did you hire a new guy doing painting???".
No response, so I called them this am. Talked to one of the family members who own the company.
To summarize:
1. No, our most experienced painter did this.
2. We repair/refurbish 3500-4000 steering boxes a month - if we took the time to cover the inlets we could never keep up. (Seriously? All they had to do is install the plug before paint, not after!! This is not a difficult concept)
3. I could open every box being sent out, and they are all like this.
4. We test each unit, and we provide a one-year warranty.
5. If you want, you can return the unit to us, and we will clean the threads and sealing surfaces.
While it was good of him to offer #5 - and I will prolly take him up on it - if I can afford another 2 weeks of delay... is this ...lack of attention to detail and cleanliness normal now? In mechanical systems, keeping contamination out of equipment internals is rule #1.
I ...almost... asked the guy if he would be proud to consider these pics as representative of his company's quality and workmanship; but I didn't. I should have. As I sit here typing this, I still do not know if he actually believes what he is saying, or if he is just saying what somebody told him in an attempt to convince me this is normal...
At this point, I hope the guy doing the rebuilding did a better job than the painter...
Now where did I leave the paint remover and Q-Tips.
About/Process. Red-Head Steering Gears
This is ALL they do. As such, I expect expertise. They have a history of providing quality work and products, for decades.
I must now rescind my recommendation.
Mine was leaking severely, and loosey-goosey as well, so I sent it to them to rebuild. Note that I had used them in the past on a Jeep Comanche, and was very happy with their performance.
Received the Steering Box last week, and started trying to re-install it yesterday.
Test fitting the Pitman Arm:
But when I started installing fittings, I was... surprised... might be an understatement:
While paint on the threads is just sloppy workmanship, paint INSIDE the O-Ring sealing surface, aa well as deeper into the orifice is... IMHO, inexcusable.
Sent them an email last night. Basically, "...did you hire a new guy doing painting???".
No response, so I called them this am. Talked to one of the family members who own the company.
To summarize:
1. No, our most experienced painter did this.
2. We repair/refurbish 3500-4000 steering boxes a month - if we took the time to cover the inlets we could never keep up. (Seriously? All they had to do is install the plug before paint, not after!! This is not a difficult concept)
3. I could open every box being sent out, and they are all like this.
4. We test each unit, and we provide a one-year warranty.
5. If you want, you can return the unit to us, and we will clean the threads and sealing surfaces.
While it was good of him to offer #5 - and I will prolly take him up on it - if I can afford another 2 weeks of delay... is this ...lack of attention to detail and cleanliness normal now? In mechanical systems, keeping contamination out of equipment internals is rule #1.
I ...almost... asked the guy if he would be proud to consider these pics as representative of his company's quality and workmanship; but I didn't. I should have. As I sit here typing this, I still do not know if he actually believes what he is saying, or if he is just saying what somebody told him in an attempt to convince me this is normal...
At this point, I hope the guy doing the rebuilding did a better job than the painter...
Now where did I leave the paint remover and Q-Tips.
