CraigH

Thanks Brad

Got it from Bendpak Australia

http://www.bendpak.com.au/Shop-Equip...k/BL-5000.aspx

CraigH

Happy New Year to all.

While many of you are still possibly celebrating I decided to try out my Qucikjacks in anger.

Have been meaning to check that my Borgeson steering box was perfectly centred as it has always gone further to right and left so.....

Up on lifts.








Disconnected the relay rod ready to check the exact centre box.









Enough for today :-)

13611

Nice work going on but after looking at the last picture I'm hung up on the fact that YOU'RE WEARING SHORTS!!! Definitely way across the pond.

CraigH

Well it has been between 90 & 100 degrees here (in Fahrenheit) :-)

Alan 71

Hi Craig.
Happy New Year!
Car looks terrific and what a good place you have to work on it.
Santa brought me a pair of Quick Jacks for Christmas and they're quite nice for someone with a lowish ceiling, and a lowish toy-car budget!
They'll certainly change getting under the car for this old man!
Regards,
Alan

CraigH

Thanks Alan

Yes certainly a great option in flat or low roof garages. I agree it changes the getting under the car experience totally.

I am going to be 56 this year and I can see how my body wil appreciate it. Also things like cleaning or polishing will be easier.

CraigH

Well I was out by a bit

Dowloaded a degree wheel image and printed and stuck to cardboard.



Then tested steering at both ends of movement. Then set it to center, and i could feel it getting tighter.



And realised how far I was out when i looked at the steering wheel.



So now the column will need to come out and be re-seated in the rag joint.

Got to say after reading posts by @zwede I thought I may have been off centre given i had a little wander on straight heavily crowned highways and i could not feel it get any tighter near center.

Tried all sorts of things but lets hope this was the issue.

13611

Can't you just reposition the pitman arm and then pop the steering wheel off and correct it up there as well?

CraigH

I think the steering box shaft is machined for the Pitman arm with 4 aligning low splines so it can go on at each 90 degrees.

I will need to have a closer look, hook up the idler arm etc and see if the pitman arm is in the correct spot. I think it still is as on center it sits roughly pointing straight back.

May need to move the idler arm end out a few turns to line it all up underneath then move to steering column.

A few more steps.

CraigH

Closing out from my thread in the Tech/performance all is now bolted up, aligned and the on-center steering is chalk and cheese compared to before.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1591239632

I think the problem i had originally was centering the steering box when it was in car and drag link was connected.

Because the Borgeson box has more throw than the vette steering will allow (without hitting stops on lower a-arms) I was getting an invalid center (as box can't have been near center when bolted up.

With the drag link off it was easy to get to both ends of its sweep and then set center.

danthony

Great looking garage and cars. I've been meaning to paint my floor for 15 years, I may do it this summer.

How do you like the quick jack? Does the car feel very stable on it?

Thanks

BLUE1972

It's been a while but the following post may help with the steering

Borgeson Rag Joint 90 Degrees off... the thread is in the install area of the C3's. Shows a steering wheel 90 degrees off as your picture.

I put the Borgeson unit in my C3 1971 last December and have no issues except there is some extra travel. I centered the box and then centered the steering wheel and slipped it into the rag joint - perfect.

I know that it has to use a good tight manual steering coupler from the Pitman arm to the relay rod for the unit to work properly. If I remember right - the Pitman arm can only go on one way. I'm not sure if it can go on upside down? It's been a while.
I moved the tie rods into the inner holes.. thus a little extra travel. My friend did not and does not have the extra throw.. His steering feels lighter.. as it should - no bad side effects.

Love the lift..

CraigH

It is amazingly stable, great access underneath and no hint of movement at all while working on it.

CraigH

Yes the pitman arm can only go on in 4 spots and only one points backwards.

I had a look at the thread you mentioned and I am running the drag link adapter Borgeson provided, however it looks a little different to the one in the other thread

The important thing is the distance from the part that mounts to the pitman arm and the end that threads on the drag link.

CraigH

Well look what i found.

I am positive the box is now perfectly entered but steering wheel is cocked at 90 degrees.

I pulled out my Borgeson instructions supplied with the kit here in Australia dated 4/14/2009

INSTALLATION CONT.
Reinstall your modified column and be sure to securely fasten all original mounting bolts and hardware. Securely tighten all setscrews and then loc nuts on the rag joint.

However the instructions dated 2/09/11

INSTALLATION CONT.
Reinstall your modified column and be sure to securely fasten all original mounting bolts and hardware. Securely tighten all setscrews and then loc nuts on the rag joint. The existing flat spot on the steering column shaft is not intended to be used for the set screw. Use of this flat spot can cause the steering wheel to be crooked after installation. It will be necessary to file a small flat for the set screw to seat into when installing.

Well that explains the steering wheel being offset.

Now I just need to correct that and look closer at the pitman arm offset.

One step forward :-)

CraigH

I have progressed with my issues around centring the Borgeson box.

It is now centred, drives great but the pitman arm is clocked a little one way (adjusted through tie rods)

So i followed up a comment made by Paul in another thread

I contacted Jeff at Borgeson and advised him of my problem, told him year of manufacture etc and asked for some advice.

Answer straight back was that a few boxes in 2009 slipped through with incorrect shafts in them and mine was likely one of them.

Even though I am well out of warrantee he offered a new box. Just needed to ship it to Australia.

I then advised AussieJohn who sells the boxes here in Australia and he offered to send me a replacement locally and sort out the warranty box with Jeff.

Amazing customer service and the box turned up today.

Will try and fit it up soon.

Again a big thanks to Borgeson and AussieJohn. Great after sales support.

CraigH

Gave the vette a good wash today.

Had purchased a snow gun a while back so tried it out on the vette.

Makes cleaning a bit easier.

CraigH

Also worth mentioning that I ran into an issue with my Quickjack 5000. Was slow to lower and one side went up quicker.

Levanta, Bendpak here in Australia are the distributor so I gave them a call.

Amanda from Levanta got onto Quickjack in the US and got me a part shipped over very quickly.

Turned up yesterday with instructions etc and once swapped over all is back to normal. Working great.

Another example of good customer service and being so far away from the manufacturers its appreciated.

CraigH

After the wash, back in the garage, jacked it up and finished cleaning at a better height :-)

13611

Sounds like a good couple of days for you!!!