Rebuilt steering box problem

[Belgian1979vette]

I have a rebuilt steering box (parts from corvette south) here that i wanted to mount. What has me worried is that the inputshaft turns about 3 1/4 turn from stop to stop. The pitmanarm seems not to turn as many degrees, meaning that it stops sooner on one side when comparing to a my stock unit (the rebuilt box was a spare i had lying around).

What could be wrong ?

 

[mrvette]

Sounds to me like the pitman arm is not on there correctly.....

I think that when you put the steering wheel in dead center from stop to stop, with all the linkage disconnected, lock that SOB down....I use the key wheel lock.....

then the Pitman arm needs point directly to the stern of the car....

then snug up the linkage and see what happens...from all I hear it's supposed to be 3.7 turns full R-L.....

another thing, IF you have had that steering wheel off the stem, you need make sure those two hash marks are in line, otherwise your turn sig cancel on return will be all wonkey...

:friends:

 

[GTR1999]

The box, out of the car, should between 3.75- 4 turns, lock to lock. In the car it will be less. Look at the splined end of the pitman shaft. There are 4 wider slots, 90* apart, for the arm to mount. With the box on center,the arm should be pointing forward.

Since you have a vendors box there is NO QUESTION in my mind you should take it apart for a look. I'd be surprised if you found new parts in it. Measure the lash lock to lock before you touch it. It should go from 5-12-5 in/lbs. Some of the crap I've seen over here is more like 3 in/lb lock to lock. Look at the lash screw before you make an adjustment. A correctly built box with new or good used gears should be setup like I stated with 2+ threads showing above the nut.

 

[Belgian1979vette]

Well, i opened the box again and lifted the shaft a little then repositioned the sector and shaft and it came right at 3.75 turns. Looks like the box was mounted wrong.

I have it in the car now.

 

[JIML82]

You really can't assemble the pitman arm incorrectly to the pitman shaft. Unless you think that the arm sticking out perpendicular to the car either to the left or right (or pointing to the rear) could possibly be correct.

The pitman arm has one blocked tooth. The pitman shaft has four equally spaced (90 degree increments) skipped teeth around the splined end. So there are four positions where the pitman arm can be assembled. The pitman shaft has only 80 degrees of total travel. Therefore, three of the positions will be easily recognized as wrong!

Jim