Crooked steering wheel

[UNGN]

As long as don't want a horn or self canceling turn signals.

or potentially having the steering box wanting to turn while you are going straight.

 

[Javi702]

You have to start at the steering box and work forwards and back.

The Input shaft on the steering box has a flat, that has to be up. The steering box has a "center" and if you build your steering system with the box off center, it won't work right.

Working towards the back, what steering shaft do you have? An Astro Van steering shaft is 90 degrees off and has to be modified for use. A 92-early 95 Grand Cherokee lower shaft is a direct bolt in.

With the Box properly oriented and a proper lower shaft, the spline on the steering wheel mount should be up.

With the Wheel, shaft and and Box right, align the tie rods straight.

Okay so when u say the "flat has to be up" is there any way u could show me a photo of exactly what u mean and when it comes to the shaft I'm assuming its the stock one that originally came with the car

 

[fleming442]

Have you even popped the plastic cover off the shaft yet?

 

[UNGN]

Okay so when u say the "flat has to be up" is there any way u could show me a photo of exactly what u mean and when it comes to the shaft I'm assuming its the stock one that originally came with the car

Here is a helpful Graphic I made:

 

[fleming442]

All this speculation, and the rag joint could be hanging on, literally, by a thread. No diagnosy = no fixy

 

[UNGN]

My dad had a 427 Cobra Kit Car and when my son was 3, he loved to sit in it and pretend he was driving. We went out into the garage my son jumped into the Cobra and he was just sawing at the wheel and making engine noises and going through the gears... but the front tires weren't moving...WTF?

I popped the hood and the Rag joint dad used to connect the steering rack to the shaft was torn completely in 1/2. He replaced it with a U-joint. Good thing he hated driving it.

 

[Bonnewagon]

All that is true but the wheel gets centered at the tie rod ends. That is assuming the alignment is correct. If it is, then you shorten/extend the tie rod ends until the wheel is straight. Ever see an alignmnet guy get in the car after aligning it and drive it around? He gets out a few times and adjusts the tie rod ends until the wheel is centered. Then he tightens them up and you give him a nice tip for making the wheel centered. The trick is to adjust either side evenly so you don't screw up the alignment. I would do that just to get the wheel as centered as possible. Then once the car is driveable get a real good alignment.

 

[fleming442]

I had mine fail, on the 67, in the Pep Boys parking lot while trying to park with manual steering. They didn't have one in stock, I didn't have enough tools, and it was 1000⁰ degrees with no shade. It got done because Roadkill, but took all day and mommy had to come pick up the kid.

 

[UNGN]

All that is true but the wheel gets centered at the tie rod ends. That is assuming the alignment is correct. If it is, then you shorten/extend the tie rod ends until the wheel is straight. Ever see an alignmnet guy get in the car after aligning it and drive it around? He gets out a few times and adjusts the tie rod ends until the wheel is centered. Then he tightens them up and you give him a nice tip for making the wheel centered. The trick is to adjust either side evenly so you don't screw up the alignment. I would do that just to get the wheel as centered as possible. Then once the car is driveable get a real good alignment.

Unless you've owned the car since new and know the Steering wheel, upper column and lower shaft have never been messed with THEN you go straight to the Tie Rods.

There are people ON THIS WEBSITE that admit to bolting in an Stock Astro shaft and cutting a tooth off the wheel and lock ring splines, brushing off their hands and saying "fixed!"

The Flat being up on the Steering Box is THE #1 most import thing in the entire system. If the flat isn't up, there could be up to 1/8 of a turn of slop on center, because the steering box has a tight center and off center, it doesn't hold a center.

I've owned a car previously owned by a "respline guy" and I couldn't figure out why there was so much Slop in the steering even though everything was new and I had a U-joint lower shaft... The Flat on the input shaft was not up.

 

[fleming442]

Can you even get 90⁰ on the wheel with tie rods? Seems like a lot.....