How do you take the coupler out, need to replace the old one, I have all the bolts out, but can not get the coupler out, not enough room between the steering box and steering column. Do I need to removed the steering box? or the steering columm can move toward the car a bit?

 

Well, you got two chioces,, first, make sure your new coulping looks like this:



Not like this:




the second one is common junk and won't work correctly.

you got two choices,, remove the pitman arm end from the steering drag link and remove two of the three bolts holding the box to the frame and rotate the box slightly away from the column or

Pull the column slightly into the cabin.
This requires two people to do easily, not as easy as it sounds, but is do able, also.
To do this, remove the ingnition lock out cable from the steering column plate under the brake booster on the engine side if the fire wall.
Remove the two column plate retainer nuts in the pass compatrment fire wall above the pedals.
On the engine side of the fire wall, remove the round head bolt that goes through the steering column plate from the engine side.
Now rotate the plate CW on it's remaining through firewall stud untill it's clear of the column and remove it
Remove the two column hold up bolts from bottom of the dash, keeping in mind that the column will fall when you do this,, watch your head and neck.
You can now widthdraw the column into the pass compartment.
that's on a '73,, an 80 should be similar if not exactly the same. good luck,, C.



Be carefull not to collapse the column AT ALL, as it can be very difficult to re-extend it.

Correct install:

 

Possibly a little more explanation as to a "good" flexible coupling versus a "bad' one would be helpful. First of all, I am not sure that even the first picture of a flex coupling is a correct one. I think that all C3 flex couplings had stop pins that were the same (the pin diameter should be 3/8 inch). The top picture appears to have unequal diameter stop pins.

Here is another picture of an incorrectly machined flex coupling.

The flange that attaches to the gear input shaft has a boss that is machined for a cross bolt. One side of the boss has threads machined into it. The other side has a clearance hole for the cross bolt. The inside of the flange is machined with splines and a flat. The flat should be located on the side with the cross bolt clearance hole. As you can see in the above picture, the flat is machined on the wrong side! This will cause your steering wheel to be upside down.

I wrote to several Corvette suppliers about this incorrectly machined part. Most never responded back to me. A few said that they would make their supplier aware of the problem. I just don't know if it has been corrected or not.

Jim

 

I guess I will take the steering box out and see if I can get it out without removing the header on Big Block. It is very close, not much room at all. A lot more work than I first thought. Thanks for the info.

 

Can someone tell me which is the right part no. for a 68 ?

7818568 or 7806391.

I was told by the GM dealer that 7806391 is the right no. but i read from the forum that 7818568 is the right one, so which one is the correct one?

Thanks

 

If you can collapse the steering column into itself, what makes it hard to re extend it?

 

The design of the assembly makes it a one time collaspe. It is sort of like a crush collar, once you collaspe it you would have to really tug on it to re-extend it.

 

If you can, place your steering wheel in the straight ahead position. Look under the hood at your connection of the flexible coupling to the steering gear. See if your steering gear input shaft has a flat as shown above. If your gear DOES NOT have a flat, you must use 7806391 flex coupling. If it does have a flat, 7818568 is the correct flex coupling for this gear.
Jim

 

I believe that the Saginaw manufactured OEM flexible couplings come with plastic alignment spacers that are fitted on the stop pins. During installation, the spacers help to align the steering column to the steering gear. After the column is aligned and tightened in place, the plastic spacers are pulled off and thrown away. That may be another way of determining that you have an original OEM part.



Jim

 

Ordered the part from GM dealer. let see what I will get. btw: the part is a lot more expensive than any one on the of the Corvette restore places.

Part is $99. from GM. Hope this is the right part.

 

Duntov motors has some OEM parts too, I believe mine was $69. I wouldn't skimp here, the aftermarket parts are really bad in quality.
The GM oart is the same part,, 99 ain't bad,, The shop that installed the aftermarket junk charged me 168 for it. Once I saw the steering wheel was off 20°, that was when I changed in myself top a OEM unit.
http://www.duntovmotors.com/Steering.htm