Hi All:

Have just finished putting my dash back together (reskinned the dash pads and installed all the hardware and hooked up all the wiring for Classic Auto Air).

I'm now ready to reinstall the steering column and I KNOW! I should use the "witness marks" that would have been placed on the steering box and the steering column b/4 I pulled it...BUT, I had Gary Ramadei go through my steering box and I no longer have any reference point save the archives here which did identify that an index does exists on the splines at the box and that index should line up with the index mark which is at the top of the steering shaft. Only problem is I took the column out as a unit with the steering wheel intact.

Am I answering my own question here and that is to pull the steering wheel off to see this index mark so that I line both marks up when I reinstall? If that is the procedure, does this eliminate the need to re-align the front end?

Appreciate your responses here as I'd like to dive in and get the interior buttoned up tonight...I'll be posting pics of my finished air install and what tweaks I incurred soon. I'll be starting on the engine side this weekend. I'm hopin' for no surprises.

Thanks in advance guys!

Regards,

Jim

 

Jim -

JUST finished putting mine all back together last night (got waaay sidetracked on honey doos and my new motorcycle toy). And now when I started my engine for the firt time this year (no dash means no ignition) I have a serious p-side oil leak that's getting on the exh mani and smoking _ that was at midnight last night, I am hoping it is from the valve cover gasket (the easiest fix) but who the F knows . . .

Anyway

On the dash end of the main "rod", there is a factory mark that needs to line up with a mark on the hub that jams down onto it. Do so befoe torquing the bolt down with it on wrong, don't ask me how I know . . .

On the steering box end, you likely shoud have dabbed a little whiteout, etc, but here's the thing - the factory install is that the flat part (of the splined end) goes into the clamp square against the gap between the two sides - to allow the cinch bolt to pass thru cleanly.

you will then be left with a loose "tube" - put the portion of the tube with the dent (on the engine bay side) straight up so the bump on that firewall flange - collar thing has a place to go - don't tighten the clamp yet. Don't snug the flange to the firewall yet either, let it be loose. Tighten the two screws that hold the dash estruchen on, the tighten the U bracket - odometer bracket - other bracket to the steering column tube, then the dash brace - that is where you start on the snugging down, only then do you go to the engine-side firewall flange, etc. JohnZ explained the good reasons and the steps very well, I have mangled it but I hope this helps


Now, I know I didn't use any of the correct terms here guys, please don't flame me . . .

 

Jim you want the wheels straight, the box centered,pitman arm will be pointing forward and the column straight to align the whole thing. You have a new worm shaft but it has the scribed line on the end. I would be sure of the box position first so you know where you are.

 

um yeah wheels straight, kinda goes without saying but good to repeat it . . . . . .

 

ctjackster & gtr1999,

Thanks for the walk through. I didn't get her buttoned up 'cause of getting a late start (work) but in looking at it again I've come up with more questions (I'm sure this has been asked b/4 but I'm a duh looking at this.

Wheels are straight ahead. The following pics (I'm sorry for the size!)will illustrate my questions. You'll note the first pic does show the index orientation straight up at high noon, so far so good.



This is where I'm a duh. Does it matter which way you install the coupler? Here's a pic of how I have loosely installed it. Is this OK as is or should this be reversed?



Does the flat of the steering shaft determine the coupler's orientation?

Here's another shot of that index mark with the coupler installed.



Maybe it's just too late tonight for me to think straight on this but I just need to be told what to do here (where to go, I'm pretty familiar )

Thanks guys!

Jim

 

Jim, I believe the coupler with the rag goes to the box like you have it.
Did you check the fit of the new copuler to the new shaft? I sometimes have to pinch them to get a snug fit and I don't recall how yours fit? Don't use that hex head screw either,use the correct 12 pt screw that fits the counterbore in the flange.

 

Jim, I'll look at your pics tonight (my work puter blocks many photo hosting sites, including tinypic, so all I see are red "x"s) and see if I have anything helpful to add - I can snap a pick of any portion of mine and email it if that would help (for me, I am always wishing I had a properly assembled 65 in the next garage bay to refer to for those "now how did this go together again?" questions).

of course, all the blue smoke from my newest problem might cloud the view in the pictures

 

xxxx

 

Hey Jm how did you make out with the install?
Gary

 

I am just in the process of installing a new coupler and my original was placed on opposite to what the pictures above show.

Can someone who really knows, confirm which orientation is correct.

Many thanks

Nick