85 MC SS quick box?

[Bobby78]

Hi guys
Need a little help. Just installed a rebuilt 85 MC SS quick ratio steering box in my 78 el camino. I mounted the box to the frame rail, centered the output shaft, 2.5 turns lock to lock so 1.25 turns either way from center. When I attach the steering column shaft I wind up with the left spoke of the steering wheel at about an 11 o'clock postion and the wheels turned just slightly to the right.
Now I have 1.5 turns to the right and 1 turn to the left. Toe was set up not long ago but the steering wheel was just slightly off-center to the right. What I'm wondering now or hoping really, is that an alignment will correct the steering wheel position and equal out the turns to the left and right.
I tried doing it over a few times thinking I was missing something but this is the only way it fits. I don't think the problem is the pitman arm because its the same style box just less turns lock to lock.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

[Killerdave8813]

If your MC box came off of a wrecked car the pitman arm could be bent or though not very common in the HD gearboxes the steering input (worm) shaft could be twisted,you are right though those things only go on one way,I'd pull the pitman arm and compare it to the old one first and then go from there,of course I may be scaring you for no good reason as a good alignment may cure it but I'd cover all the bases before I spent the money on an alignment and found out I had an issue,I've had a couple metric gearboxes that had a twisted input shaft,you can get everything else right but they won't self center properly(want to wander on the road) then again a good trustworthy alignment shop shouldn't charge you if they find they can't fix it,I would deffinatly tell them what was up beforehand,I hope that helps,Good Luck,KillerDave

 

[Bobby78]

Thanks Dave
The box is a rebuilt A1 Cardone from Advance Auto. The pitman arm is the original from from the car. Pretty sure the pitman arm isn't bent since it was OK on the old box. So it could just be an alignment issue?

 

[Killerdave8813]

Well assuming the box was rebuilt with un-damaged parts then it would about have to be now wouldn't it? I'm now guessing you had the horrid metric box that you replaced? Maybe it had a problem that you didn't know about and your car was adjusted around it? Worm/input shafts will twist before pitman arms'll bend so I'm thinkin you might be correcting a problem you didn't know you
had! Imagine that,I'd have to say next stop alignment shop,just make shure it's a place you can talk to the tech and let him know what's goin on,being a specialty type car I wouldn't let anyone touch any of mine even my pickup unless I talked to them and was comfortable with them,I've had the same alignment guy for over 20 years!! Man that's really scary!! Good Luck! KillerDave

 

[melloelky]

If your MC box came off of a wrecked car the pitman arm could be bent or though not very common in the HD gearboxes the steering input (worm) shaft could be twisted,you are right though those things only go on one way,I'd pull the pitman arm and compare it to the old one first and then go from there,of course I may be scaring you for no good reason as a good alignment may cure it but I'd cover all the bases before I spent the money on an alignment and found out I had an issue,I've had a couple metric gearboxes that had a twisted input shaft,you can get everything else right but they won't self center properly(want to wander on the road) then again a good trustworthy alignment shop shouldn't charge you if they find they can't fix it,I would deffinatly tell them what was up beforehand,I hope that helps,Good Luck,KillerDave

good point Dave,that brings me back to my i-car classes they were all about the bent steering shafts,good call!