We're having a hard time getting our steering column to line up with the gear box. We had two power steering gear boxes with the curved pitman. Netier of which were attached to the car when we got it. They both have 5691676 cast on the housing. I think these were from a Camaro or somthing other than a bird. The steering column is straight but when I bolt it to the gear box, one side of the rag joint is 1/4" further away than the other side. If I tighten the bolts and turn the wheel, the column gets tight as it goes half a turn. Could the output shaft from the gear box be bad? Maybe we dont have the correct gear box? About ready to just go buy a quick ratio from NAPA but want to make sure ZI'm not overlooking something here... anyone have suggestions/ideas? Thanks!
Might a shim or two between the gearbox and the frame rail straighten it out? Camaro gearbox would be the same, so no worries there. In fact, many of the GM gearboxes will interchange.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
A shim is a good idea but it's the vertical alingment (if that makes sense) that's off. Those three bolts wont allow a rotational adjustment. Guess we have our mission for today, we'll tear apart the gear box and try a rebuild. Glad to hear the gearboxes are interchangeble.
Do you have the wedge shaped shim for the column? Loosen the back bolt on the column plate. A 1/8" - 3/8" tapered wedge is supposed to fit in there. If you don't have it, you'll need to find one.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
Hi Vikki, Yes I have the wedge. It goes in last after the front two bolts are tighted up. The problem seems too be the angle to the rag joint. I know the column is straight becase it spins perfectly when removed (upper and lower bearings have been replaced). Lee, you may be onto something with the mounts. I dont have the sheet metal on the drivers side (need the access) and the front wheels are off the ground. I wonder if I have the furthest rear mounts tightend up too much. If I loosend them, I think the car would sag a little which would be in the right direction to align the column. We also managed to rebuild the steering box today... that was an adventure, but at least it's all back together and seems to work. Maybe we have the brake support installed incorrectly? Right now it fits up under the btoom of dash and the steering colum fits into the curved part... should the brake bracket be above the the dash on the inside? Dosent seem like it made sense to go togher that way, but that would give a little more of an upward angle for the column.
Thanks Vikki... so it looks like we have the brake bracket installed correctly. The Camaro parts books indicates a 3-5 degree gap is normal. Havent found anything on the Firebird yet but assume it would be simmilar. That gap makes the steering column bind a little everytime it completes a full turn which doesnt seem normal. Shouldnt the shaft spin on center within the column? This is driving me nuts trying to figure out what's wrong.
Doug & Dustin, Does the flange for the rag joint run true? i.e. if disconnected from the steering box, (watch it from the side while someone turns the wheel) does it wobble (flange not perpendicular to the shaft.) There shouldn't be anything in the rag joint that would bind otherwise, especially if it turns free when disconnected. Sounds like it must be an alignment issue between the column and box. BTW, is the front end off the ground? Where are the jack stands? (Just my .02)
-=>Lee<=- Due to budget constraints the "light at the end of the tunnel" has been turned off!
I just installed one last night, but the car is gone now so I can't get any pics. I put the coupler of the rag joint on the steering box and bolted it down, then slipped the column in. The steel plate at the firewall was hung up on the firewall insulation, until I cleared it out of the way I could not get the column to mate up.
Once the insulation was out of the way I started the flange on the bolts, loosely installed the shim and the lower plate, then tightened down the rag joint. Since it was only a temporary install, to make the car a steering roller, I did not install the three plate screws, but did tighten the front two capsule nuts, adjusted the shim, and snugged the third.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
Lee, It appears to be straight and runs true. We pulled the shaft and checked it as well. The only odd thing is the bolt holes are different sizes and there is a half moon cut out on the flange (see pic). If this was for a column shift car would that make a difference? We had the front end jacked up with the stands forward of the engine on the frame. We then put it back on it's wheels and still have the same gap distance. We dont have the pitman arm attached so we can turn the steering gear easier. We also put our pin back in the subframe/body alignment holes and they match up. Our subframe is from a 67 and our car is a 68.. We believe the subframes are the same or could that be the problem?
In addition to what Vikki has mentioned, I would reposition the jacks forward to mimic the weight on the wheels...seems like that would level the alignment. have you new mounting hardware / bushings on the subframe? I used the CI rags and had no problem with them (after 2 years so far) Not sure who made em but doubt they are GM.
Vikki, We must have a universal rag joint. We only had half of the original rag joint and took it into the local parts store and they sold us the one we have now saying it would work. The bolts and holes are the same size. So you think it's the rag joint causing our problem? Is this an easy part to find? Thanks!
No need to have weight on the wheels for this task; the gearbox is bolted securely to the subframe, and the column to the body, so the suspension never factors into it.
There are a couple of good rag joints available, they are expensive. I think $70 or so for the last one genuine GM I purchased at NPD, may be available cheaper but not by much. If you choose a repro, be sure it exactly matches in appearance.
There are different rag joints for power steering or manual, but the difference is on the steering gearbox side, not the column side.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
There is nothing obvious that would keep the universal kits from doing the job, but I battled for most of an afternoon trying to install one on my '69, and ended up reinstalling the battered old one. And...the universal had no provision for the ground wire jumper, so the horn didn't work.
I tried the same kit again on a '68, and again ended up putting a "real" one on.
On my dad's car I didn't bother with trying the universal, I bought this one for that car. And the one I did last night came from the PS rebuilder with a genuine GM or at least a lookalike.
The other reason I go with the full replacement couplers is that the splines on the gearbox end of the coupler are often worn out. This gives sloppy steering and eventually wears on the gearbox input shaft. Every one I have changed needed the splined end replaced. All were original factory couplers, with a lot of years and 60K+ miles.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
Vikki, I think you identified the problem... the splines on the gearbox side of our coupler are worn smooth. Didnt notice it before. That might explain why it's off angle. Just ordered a new one from NPD ($88 w/shipping). The one in the book looks a little different from yours, but say's it's GM for a 68. I'll post back next weekend after we receive it and bolt on... keeping our fingers crossed this will fix it.... I can sleep tonight! Thanks!
...but Vicky, what I was aluding to was that the box bolts to the subframe, the column to the body, so if the subframe mounts were bad, loose or otherwise, then the two would flex against each other, causing a misalignment as per colaradas pic. If letting it settle and flex straightened the alignment, then I would have suggested checking the subframe mounts.
I forgot to mention that the whole car has new bushings, bearings, joints, springs and shocks. Basically anything that could wear out (or did) has been replaced with new.
