steering wheel alignment

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Mar 10, 2009 | 04:31 PM

VinceP

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Racer

Joined: Jan 2008

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From: Woodinville Wa

steering wheel alignment

I just went through the front end.I replaced the steering box making sure that the steering wheel was in the correct position.When done of course the wheel is off a little to the right.I tried to find some past threads no luck.Without taking the box off is there a way to position the steering correctly......Help......Thanks Vince

Mar 10, 2009 | 04:43 PM

Nowhere Man

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From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa

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remove the horn cap remove nut on the hub. take off the hub and "reclock" using the splines on the shaft and hub

Mar 10, 2009 | 06:14 PM

JohnZ

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From: Washington Michigan

If the centering mark at 12 o'clock on the steering gear input shaft is correctly aligned with the steering column shaft centering mark on the bottom end of the column shaft and the steering wheel is installed on the upper end of the shaft with the chisel marks on the end of the shaft and the hub aligned at 12 o'clock, you don't want to re-clock the hub on the shaft.

The steering gear is designed with near-zero play between the wormshaft and sector shaft (the "high point") with the gear centered, and more play off to both sides. If you re-clock the hub to the shaft, the straight-ahead position will no longer be on the "high point" of the gears, and you'll have play going straight down the road.

The system should be centered (as outlined on page 9-4 in the 1963 Corvette Shop Manual), and the steering wheel is then centered by adjusting the tie rod sleeves (moving the wheels to straight ahead, not the steering wheel).

Mar 10, 2009 | 07:35 PM

62Jeff

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From: Conroe Texas

To add to what JohnZ said, if your wheel is significantly mis-clocked, your turn signal canceling cam will produce unsatisfactory results.

Once I read a post by John regarding the proper orientation of the hub relative to the shaft, and corrected my car to match, my 65 finally has a turn signal that cancels properly when I complete a turn.

Sep 29, 2009 | 12:33 AM

Astrodokk

Burning Brakes

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From: Seattle area, WA (On the Eastside)

I just found this thread on a search. I've solved my hub/steering wheel/cancelling cam dilemma, and I see that now I will have to look at the steering box input shaft to see if the mark aligns with the steering column, so that the car runs at high point with almost no play. At this point, the upper shaft mark is at 10:00 and the hub mark is at 12:00 with the steering wheel straight up.
Now, either the box is screwed up, or my car is way off alignment. How does one fix this?

Sep 29, 2009 | 08:42 AM

VinceP

Thread Starter

Racer

Joined: Jan 2008

Posts: 291

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From: Woodinville Wa

What I end up doing knowning the steering was in the center position I diconnected the steering colunm from the coupler and and the bolts that hold the colunm in pulled it back and realign it to the center position and slide it back into the coupler.I also brought it to a shop and had a 4 wheel alinement it runs with no problem,hopes this helps.....Vince

Sep 29, 2009 | 12:24 PM

JohnZ

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From: Washington Michigan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astrodokk

First step is to center the steering gear (pre-'69 gears didn't have a flat on the input shaft at 12 o'clock to identify centered position). Turn the wheel all the way to the right, then turn it all the way to the left and count the number of turns that took. Divide that number of turns by two, and turn the wheel back to the right that number of turns - that will put the steering gear on its center point.

Then remove the clamp bolt from the upper half of the coupler, loosen and pull the steering column back to disengage the end of the shaft from the coupler, turn the wheel so the chisel mark on the top end of the shaft is at 12 o'clock, and re-insert the shaft into the coupler and insert/tighten the clamp bolt. Now the gear and shaft are centered.

Now remove the steering wheel from the shaft and re-install with the chisel mark on the hub at 12 o'clock, aligned with the chisel mark on the shaft. That centers the steering wheel on the shaft; now everything except the wheels are centered.

Take it to an alignment shop and have the tie rod sleeves adjusted with the steering wheel held in the centered position to set the wheels in the straight-ahead position and set the toe-in. Now the entire system is centered at the steering gear's high point as you go straight down the road.

Sep 29, 2009 | 05:45 PM

Astrodokk

Burning Brakes

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From: Seattle area, WA (On the Eastside)

Thanks John. Very easy intructions to follow and not so diificult to do, it seems. I called mechron late last night and told him what was going on with my hub and he told me the same thing. I definitely will have to check toe, since I also changed the steering rod location to the rearmost, innermost, 19.6:1 ratio hole (vs the front outermost 17:1 hole). This seems to have brought my wheels outward a little. But I really want the manual steering to feel easier for me with the slower ratio (longer lever arm). Thanks again.