I've noticed the last few weeks that I've got some slack in my steering that didn't used to be there. I'm pretty sure it's in the column. I can turn the wheel back and forth a fair amount before I feel anything down at the rag joint, which still appears to be tight. I know there's no slack in the front end. Is there anything that can be done short of yanking out the column and rebuilding it?

 

Can be the stearing box... or worse yet, Check to see if the Steering gear box moves when you turn the wheel. You will need to have someone turn the wheel while you watch it. If it moves check to see if it broke off the frame.

I hit a pothole with my truck and it started doing exactly what you're explaining. I could't figure out what was going on... but I finally noticed that the gearbox was torn right out of the frame, and only staying put because it had nowhere to go. But when I turned the wheel you could see it rock.

 

It's not the steering box. I can hold onto the shaft and move the wheel back and forth and feel the slack in the wheel before I feel any pressure on the shaft, so I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the steering column. I just don't know what to look for in there.

 

I take it from the picture that you have a 1981 C3. That means that you must have a T&T steering column. As you say, you are sure that the lash that you describe is coming from the steering column.

I have a series of three papers that can be found at www.corvettefaq.com in the Jim Shea's Steering Papers section. (You then need to click on Corvette Steering Papers and scroll down to the Tilt & Telescoping 69-82 areas. The papers are as follows.
#1 Test strg column and minor disassembly (column still in the car).
#2 Drop column, remove from car, replace ignition switch.
#3 Disassemble upper end of column, remove steering shaft.

I would suggest that you download paper #1 and conduct the quick tests to identify any other problem areas in your steering column. Bad upper bearings could allow some movement of the upper steering shaft that might seem like lash.

Assuming that you are sure that the problem is in the steering shaft, there is only one obvious place that it can be occuring in a T&T column. There is a two piece plastic sphere the allows your column to tilt.

If the problem is indeed in you steering shaft here is some background:
The upper steering shaft (the part that tilts) and the lower steering shaft (extending from the plastic ball down and out into the engine compartment) both terminate with ends that form a semicircular yoke.



You must have developed lash between the yokes and the plastic spheres.

The good news is that the lash can be corrected by carefully "tonking" on the ears of the yokes with a hammer. The bad news is that the steering column has to be removed from the car and the steering shaft removed from the steering column in order to disassemble the steering shaft to be able to "tonk" the yoke ears. You will need the other two papers as well as the three Disassembly and Repair Pics that are in the same section.

Jim

 

Thanks Jim. That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.