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The next step was to map out the location of the frame notch that needed to be trimmed out for steering arm clearance. The supplied instructions and diagrams clearly illustrate how to do this. Randy wielded his trusty pneumatic cutoff wheel to cleanly trim the area.
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A small factory doubling plate inside the frame needed to be removed, but it was easy to pry out with a screwdriver.
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Jamco supplies the triangular boxing plates needed to fill the new opening. After tacking
them into place, Randy again bolted up the new steering box to check for steering arm
clearance lock to lock.
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Once proper fit was achieved for everything, the two front mounting holes were drilled out to 11/16-inch so Randy could weld in the supplied crush sleeves.
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This is what the inside of the framerail looked like after all the welding was done. The welds still needed to be cleaned up so the steering box would sit flat against the frame.
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The crush sleeves were also welded on the outside of the framerail. Eventually, all of the
worked areas of the frame were stripped to bare metal and painted for rust protection.
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Well, this is it! The crew at All Ways cleaned up and painted the frame and engine
compartment before the box was installed for good using the supplied Grade 8 hardware.
Jamco modified the Pitman arm so it could be connected to the Merc centerlink, and a
Borgeson U-joint linked it to a new column. With the engine in place and the power
steering lines hooked up, you can see there was still plenty of clearance around the box.
Better still, it worked great when Randy lowered the Merc back down onto Terra Firma
and took it out for a test cruise.
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© 1998 - 2008
