Steering box change questions

[JBauer4363]

I finally got around to installing the rebuilt steering box (that I bought a year ago) last week and it was a bear for me to do. There is not much room in the engine bay to do this job on a 351C but I got it done. I was thinking that if I was careful and I switched them without moving anything in my front end that I could get by without get a front end alignment. I made sure that I centered the wheels and made sure that the box was centered 2 turns each way. Now that its installed and the car is on the ground the steering wheel turns 2 turns right, 1 3/4 turns left then stops.  Also it steers weird and the steering wheel is off center. Is this normal and I just need an alignment now or did I mess it up?

Thanks
JBauer4363

[daveSanborn]

Also it steers weird and the steering wheel is off center. Is this normal and I just need an alignment now or did I mess it up?

Your toe, caster and camber adjustments would not change as a result of a steering gearbox R&R.  The only thing that it would effect would be the centering of your steering wheel.


It's likely that during the course of the gearbox R&R your pitman arm got reinstalled a tooth or two off of center.  A good alignment shop (not the $59.99 quickie shops) should be able to make the necessary adjustments to your steering problem.

[MarkStang]

Just a note from my 65 (not sure about the later year boxes. I thought that while reinstalling my  rebuilt box and pitman arm, I worried about getting it right. Then I realized I just had to be relatively close on the steering box because mine had a notch on the shaft that matched the arm making sure that it was put back only one way with no mistake possible to off a tooth. The only way I could have been off was one whole turn. Like I say this might be an older Mustang thing and not relate to your modern ride :)