i had to replace my leaking 605 steering box on my 62' impala. i had wanted to switch to a 500 box but after finding my pump was leaking and the hoses were iffy, i ended up taking that money and getting a remn. 605 box and new pump and hoses. every thing installed good. I ended up removing my old box and taking it to the parts store to make sure they ordered me the exact same one i had. every thing looked the same. (same casting #'s, fittings and size.) i got home and installed it with out any major issues other than what i thought was the fact i didnt have the steering wheel straight. i have now figured out that i can only turn 1.25 turns to the left and 2.5 to the right. ( i now have an amazing turning radius when i go right.) the pit man arm shaft has 4 areas on it where the splins are missing. these line up with the reverse location on the pitman arm itself. unfortunatly when the pitman arm is on and the wheels straight forward the arm does not line up with the reciver on the tie rod when the steering wheel is centered. the pitman arm is about 2" off to passanger side. how do i correct this do i loosen the bolts on the tie rods and adjust them so the arm and reciver line up? will this mess up my alignment? or am i missing something else here? I have tried but the pitman arm will not go on with out lining up the splines w/ the voids, that would be to simple.
i went out and looked this morning and it apperars that i couldnt adjust the tie rods any more. the passanger side is screwed almost all the way in and the driver side looks to be screwed most of the way out.
I think I would take the pitman arm off the center link, turn the wheel until it stops, turn it the other direction until it stops while counting the revolutions, bring it back half way, and see where the pitman arm is pointing. It should be straight ahead. If it's not figure out why. Larry T
first disconnect the pitman arm from the center link. Turn the steering wheel lock to lock counting the number of turns and go back exactly halfway. Hook up the center link with out moving the pitman arm. The tires will be way off. Now adjust the tie rods to get the tires pointing straight ahead while keeping the steering wheel centered. They make a tool to lock the steering wheel by wedging it against the seat if you are working alone...the first thing that an alignment mechanic does. It would help to have a friend keep the wheel centered while you adjust the tie rods since you probably don't have that tool. Once the box and wheel are centered The long tie rod will need to be shortened and the short one lengthened. After they are adjusted you should be close but it should get an alignment to be sure. The steering wheel will be straight on the highway and the turn signals will cancel correctly.
when the wheel is centered the pitman arm is pointing straight back. do the tie rods come in different lengths standard, or am i going to be hunting for a while? Man i wished i hadnt turned my old box back in when i picked up the new one. everything work good and the car went straight, it just leaked like a sieve.
If the pitman arm points straight back now can't you take it loose and move it straight forward.??????????? Jus asking.
I didn't think about 62's were front steer. Straight back will work, just as long as it's straight. Tommy explained it better than me. You need to clock the box (and pitman arm) first. Then check and straighten the front wheels. Then if the steering wheel is off (the column is usually marked, but on an old shaft it might be buggered beyond recognition) reset the steering wheel. Larry T
If the blank spline area is that far off, I suspect that they got the pitman gear one tooth off when they put the box back together. Your options would be to get yet another reman box, or take the existing one partially apart and move the pitman shaft one tooth in the direction you need to go. The following might help. http://www.mypowerblock.com/video/musclecar-power-steering-box-1
i understand centering the box and wheel when this is done the pitman arm is straight back, but does not line up with the tierod connection. it appears that the tie rod adjusting sleves will not allow me to shorten the passanger side enough to get things to line up. will it have to be cut by a shop or can you order differnt length tie rod sleves?
Ebbsspeed. Thats a good though i hadnt thought about that. But since my pitman arm is straight back when the wheel is centered i would assume they got it right, and my previously modified tie rods are incorrect....correct?
True, I missed that bit of info, reading too fast I guess. How, or why, were the tie rods modified previously?
Center you steering box, pay no attention to what your wheel looks like. Now with your wheels pointing straight ahead put the pitman arm on and connect it to the steering link. Take your steering wheel off and put it back on straight and drive it to the alignment shop. They will adjust everything so that you can go driving around. Your wheel may end up crooked when they are done. Din't get shook they have centered your steering up if they are good at what they do. now take it home pullthe wheel and put it back on straight again. Happy motoring.
If the steering box & pittman arm are now correct and your tie rod ends have been modified, you might need to replace the modified parts with standard parts now. Larry T
I don't think an alignment shop is going to be able to get it all centered up with what sound like tie rods that have been modified, and don't have enough adjustment in them to correct the issue.
called the mfg. about the box, they said that the box might be off a tooth but told me how to determine that. so we will see later tonight. up next if that dosent work is modification of the tie rods and sleaves.
well the box is correct so my tie rods will need to be changed out so i can shorten them down som. I hope my parts guy is good.
Shows the importance of first centering the steering box's output shaft before connecting or building the rest of the front end. Gary
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