Hey guys so I added PS system with rebuilt and new everything to ‘63 impala but when I turn the wheel to the right it doesnt turn all the way as the left side. I did balance the control valve and the steering wheel is straight with the wheels.
Are the pitman arm and idler arm parallel with the centerline of the car when going in a straight line?
The large amount of thread showing on the right hand side toe link is very wrong but there also seems a lot of thread on the left side. Are you sure it’s the correct drag link and not one off say a Vette?
It looks like tie rods are of unequal length in adjustment. Did you count the number of turns the steering wheel go from lock to lock(?) then divide by half to set your steering wheel then adjust toe until front wheels point due straight?
No. I just drove it straight in with the steering wheel centered. I removed the old steering box and added PS system components. I didn’t take the measurements from the tie rods since I was going to take it to get it professionally aligned.
If possible I would clock those lines upward & re tighten them. They're vulnerable to road debris hanging low up front like that. Were you able to get a factory service manual for this car yet ? It will have alot of valuable info that could help w some of the questions you've had. As much as you're working on this car it would probably come in handy. Im only looking at tiny pictures on my phone so its hard to tell, but it looks like youre tie rods aren't adjusted correctly. One looks way out & the other way in.
First thing to do is unhook the drag-link and verify the gear box will go full left and right, then make sure the steering wheel is dead center. You should feel it get tight as it crosses center. After you find dead center with steering wheel clocked correctly, use the seat belt and wrap through the wheel and latch it down tight so the wheel can't turn. Now see how the drag-link aligns with the pitman arm. Is the pitman arm keyed? ( only goes one way?) Check that the axle stops hit both spindles equally. Measure from tire to frame with spindle hitting the stop, do both sides and adjust as needed. Measure each tie-rod from joint to joint ( grease fittings make good measurement points) and adjust so both are equal with the center link being centered under the car. Tires should be somewhat straight ahead. The car needs to be setting on the ground with full weight on the suspension to set toe-in, it should also be setting level on a flat surface. Tie-rod assemblies should have similar amount of threads showing at both ends. This will get you close enough to get to a shop.
The shaft into the box has splines all the same around, so you can straighten the wheel out almost infinitely. Key points are making sure the box is dead center in its travel left and right, and putting the pitman arm on right there. Then as mentioned much above, the left and right tie rod end assemblies should be about equally threaded together. Put them in and adjust each side for toe. The helper style power setup shouldn’t care about your adjustment. It will be a pain to straighten the steering wheel after you make sure the box is straight, but the box is the priority. You could take the rag joint off the box by undoing the column and lifting backward. Or you could unbolt the box and pull it forward/down. When we recently replaced a 63 box we unbolted the box and turned the input shaft a spline or two to straighten out the wheel. We were already under the car so that was the easiest way on that day.
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