super A steering box rebuild questions

Hi All,
I'm fixing to rebuild my steering box on my '48 Super A and I have a few questions for you guys. I've looked around for a kit for the rebuild and have found they sell for $60 to $100. It looks like they all have the same parts in them (2 bearings, 2 seals, 2 bushings and a gasket). So what's the difference between the high priced ones and the low priced ones? Most of the descriptions have the exact same picture in them and all of them say the bushings need to be reamed to size. Which brings me to my next question.
My brake hone is too big and all the reamers I have are too small and I'm quite sure there are other guys out there that have done it without a reamer. So what have you guys used to size the bushings?
Also, I see in the parts diagrams on the IH site that a half-moon key is used. Does anyone know the size of that key? I have a few keys in my parts bins but I sure would like to have the size so I will have everything I need when I tear it down.
Thanks in advance for any help.

CIH doesn"t publish part dimensions on their consumer site like DEERE does, so that info isn"t easy to come by, unless someone has a unit apart and can measure the key.

CIH part # is 126-130, and it looks like dealers typically stock them, @ some $4.

(reply to post at 12:56:32 09/14/13)

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ccording to the online parts catalog on CaseIH, it is a #15 Woodruff 1/4" by 1". I don't have one in-hand but that sounds about right.

You dont need a kit. Just tear down the one you have before buying parts. You could just need the bottom seal and input one. They all vary on what parts are needed. And you will not need a reamer all the bushings i have replaced didneed one and ive done several. For best results remove the whole sector as getting the out-put drag-lnk off can be a bear it does need to be removed to get the two halves apart.

I just finished the same job on my '49 SA. Wear was divided among the sector gear, the sector bearing and the steering worm shaft bushing. After what it took to get the thing apart I decided to replace everything. I bought the Steiner kit though all the kits look the same in the pictures. Case sells all the same parts. Collectivley the Case parts cost double but there is no economy in buying your own tooling to fit the aftermarket busings or sending the job out. The Steiner bearings were no tighter than the 64 yr old originals. After seeing these problems I bought the Case parts. The bushings fit and the bearings were snug. Steiner sells a sector gear for $142, Case's goes for $543. I'm no metalurgist but if the bite of a file means anything, the Steiner gear is harder than the original. No one sells new worms and who knows what shape a used one will be in. For the sake of the worm, the sector gear must be the softer wear part. If your going replace the sector and you intend to use the tractor its a $401 question. I bought a Case gear. It hurt. Even the woman taking my order at Case flinched when she saw the price. Now the gear is under a quart of gear oil and bolted up inside a few hundred lbs of cast iron and I hope to never see it again but I look at the old tractor and I'm glad it's there. The steering sector shaft key is 1/4x1 woodruff. The old steering worm shaft bushing and seal can be easily driven out from the front with a piece of nominal 3/4" water pipe (1.050 actual dia.) used as a big punch. Finish the end of the pipe off square. It makes good contact with the end of the bushing without dragging on the casting. If you are working from an I&T manual, all it says about disassembly of the front end is to pull the four bolts and move the assembly away from the tractor. I've got the heavy duty axle on my tractor. This assembly to be "moved away from the tractor" weighs 335 lbs. If you'r working by yourself, disassemble the spindels and axle before the bolts come out! The steering box itself weighs 105 lbs. I made a saw-horse stand to catch the box when the last bolt came out. I started out with 1/4 turn of steering wheel slop and violent front wheel shimmy when driving on pavement. Steering wheel movement is now a wiggle and the shimmy is gone.