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Hey guys, I tore out my steering column (1975 F250 4wd, auto) to rebuild it. Got all that done, but I cannot for the life of me seem to get it lined up straight (perpendicular to the firewall) in the truck. I have the bolts on the firewall side loose, the bolts under the dash loose and the inside firewall (seal) bolts out totally. I can wiggle it all around, but I cannot seem to get it to light up straight. It always seems to want to run at an angle (towards the drivers side door inside/towards the passenger side of the engine compartment outside) I don't recall how it sat before, if there was an angle to it, but it doesn't seem right.
Pictures are always a plus if possible. What will not line up? The internal steering shaft or the outer column tube? Are the u-joints in the wrong orientation? Pictures will help.
I bet it (the overall column) just "looks" crooked in there right? The firewall seal can turn and slide if that might help. Do not trust that the 2 bolts position on the botton of the dash to be the tail tail sign that the column is straight. Do you still have the steering shaft disconnected? I seem to remember fighting one before.
Thanks for chiming in here guys. Here is a photo.. it's a little hard to see. The column went back together and works like a charm. The lower shaft is still out. But when you look straight down on the column from above, you can see that it appears to be not square to the dash/firewall. I worked on it a little more this morning (pushing the mount on the outside of the firewall all the way to the drivers side and centering the slotted mounts on the column) but you can still see that its not perfectly straight. Or at least I can. ha!
I think at this point I am going to button it up and try to make it to the Saturday night cruise tonight and see if it feels crooked when I drive it.
Mine looks crooked like that as well but I never noticed until I removed the dash then I could really see it, I think it's how they are even adjusted all the way on the slotted holes mines at an angle
Mine is little to driver door also. I thought it was like that because I just put in new cab bushings and don't have the cab lined up right yet!
See if your cab is lined up right on the frame. If so, might be the slight angle is supposed to be there. In the late 60s collapsible steering columns came to be and the angle may be intentional.
Mine is little to driver door also. I thought it was like that because I just put in new cab bushings and don't have the cab lined up right yet!
See if your cab is lined up right on the frame. If so, might be the slight angle is supposed to be there. In the late 60s collapsible steering columns came to be and the angle may be intentional.
This wouldn't have anything to do with the cab to frame relationship since the lower shaft is not installed at the moment. The only thing that is installed is the main column and upper shaft.
Thanks fellas, with a couple confirmations that other's are seeing this... Im going to just leave it be for now.
Now... if you one of you has a suggestion about how to get he damned shifter bushing into the shift lever and then get the shift rod into the $%#Q&*$(^&*# bushing... I'd take some advice on that! ha!
