Randy 71

VETTERS,
During the front end rebuilt I went ahead and remove the steering box and replaced it with another one that the PITMAN arm is already attached. Question, when I attach the PITMAN arm back to the power steering valve does that automatically center the (not sure what its called) area where the rag joint attaches to or is there something else I need to do to center it?

Randy

zwede

The output shaft on the steering box is keyed so the pitman arm only goes on one way. The steering wheel is centered by adjusting the tie-rods. Make one shorter and the other side longer keeps the same toe, but rotates the steering wheel.

Randy 71

Ok, So your saying I could not screw it up if I tried. :lol: PITMAN is already installed on the box. I was afraid by moving the PITMAN it was making the other end off. I guess by attaching it back to the pwer steering it automaitically centers the other end.....?

Randy

Steve Straus

is there any reason that PITMAN is in all caps every time you mention it? Just curious.

Jim Shea

With the gear at the center of travel, the flat on the input shaft should be at the 12 o'clock position. Also, the pitman arm should be pointing straight ahead toward the radiator with the gear in-car position. The gear manufacturer should have manufactured the parts, and assembled the gear to insure that the previous statements are correct.

Now when you install the gear in the car and you attach the control valve to the pitman arm, your road wheels should be fairly close to tracking the car straight ahead. If your car tracks to the either right or left, you will need to loosen the four tie rod clamps and rotate the two adjuster sleeves in the same direction the exact same amount to center the road wheels and the relay rod with the tie rods with respect to the gear.

If your car tracks left you will need to lengthen the driver tie rod and shorten the passenger side. Again, if you rotate the adjuster sleeves the same direction and the same amount, you will not change your front end toe. If the car tracks right, driver side shortens, passenger side lengthens.

There are some other tie rod information on orienting the tie rod clamps at: http://www.corvettefaq.com/redir.asp?site=199

Looking straight at the gear input shaft you should see the following:

With the gear at the center of travel not only will the flat on the input shaft be at 12 o'clock but the flexible coupling should be attached as follows.

The stop pins should be at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions. There will be two bolts pointing straight at you that attach to the steering column flange. The larger bolt should be at the 9 o'clock position. The smaller bolt should be at 3 o'clock. The pinch bolt that attaches the flex coupling to the gear input shaft should be passing throught the 9 o'clock position with the head pointing straight up.

Hope this helps,
Jim Shea

Randy 71

Jim,
That was perfect. That's how I ended up when I finished the box. Back to the Front end. I put the upper control arms in a few minutes ago and did not tighten the a arm end shaft bolts. I assume those are to be torqued when you get the car on the ground? If this is true how the heck to you get a wrench on the drivers side front bolt? Am I missing something here. I beleive all the shaft end bolts are 60lbs both upper and lower?

Thanks Randy

Jim Shea

I am not an expert on front suspensions but here is what I read in the Corvette 1966-79 Shop Manual.

Upper Control Arm
Install upper control arm. Install locknuts, bolts retaining upper control arm shaft to frame. (Install same number of shims as removed at each bolt.) Torque nuts as shown in specifications (50 ft-lbs). Install ball stud through knuckle, install nut, tighten and install cotter pin.

Install wheel and tire assembly. Lower car to floor. Bounce front end of car to centralize bushings and tighten bushing collar bolts (40 ft-lbs). Lower car on hoist.

Lower control arm cross shaft bolts -- front 70 ft-lbs; rear 95 ft-lbs.

Ball joint -- upper stud 50 ft-lb
lower stud 80 ft-lb

Someone else is going to have to describe how you get a wrench on the collar bolts.