VintageMopar wrote:
The trick is having the steering centered on that big center sector shaft tooth.If its turned just a little, it will end up too tight. Just because the steering wheel is level straight does not mean gearbox is centered. Turn wheel all way to one direction, note where wheel is compared to turn signal wand and and turn all the way to other lock. Half way is gearbox centered.
Ahh! Now I know what happened to a high school classmate. He wanted "more responsive steering," so he apparently tighten the gearbox. (I wasn't there so I didn't see what he did.)
The result was an unbelievably scary vehicle ... his girlfriend -- and eventual wife -- refused to ride with him. (She only accepted the engagement ring after he promised to sell his tools and refused to set a wedding date until he actually sold them.) He also got pulled over multiple time on suspicion of DWI.
It didn't help that he tend to think a bolt wasn't tight enough until he'd stripped the threads or sheared the bolt. To make matters worse, he couldn't grasp the difference between ordinary hardware store bolts and grade 5 or 8 bolts. As a result, he tended to use grade 2 bolts, without any mark on the head, for replacements.
Had I known what VintageMopar just described, I could have undone his "repairs" and "improvements."
So, thank you for adding to this crusty old shade-tree mechanic's knowledge.
