<VV> steering box slop

[Doug Mackintosh]

First off, Congratulations to you and Missy on your upcoming wedding! I wish you both the best!
 
Expanding a bit on what the guys have told you on the steering adjustment so far:
 
The 1961 manual page 4-2 covers steering box adjustment on the car. 
There are 2 sources of slop: 
One is the wormshaft (the shaft the steering wheel is attached to) moving in and out of the box, caused by the bearings at the forward and rear ends of the box not being snugged up against the shaft (see figure 4-1 in the manual for the worm bearing locations). This is sort of like the front wheel bearing adjustment.
The other is too much clearance between the ball nut and the sector gear (also visible in the same figure). If you look at figure 4-4, you see that the sector gear (the lower part in the figure) is tapered, so if if is moved toward the left in the figure, it will tighten up against the ball nut (in the upper part of the figure). The Sector gear / shaft is what pokes out the bottom that the steering arm (pitman arm) is attached to.
 
The manual tells you how many inch-pounds resistance there should be, but you can also use a lightweight "fish-scale" pull gage hooked to the steering wheel rim near the OD (where the spoke joins the wheel) to measure pull force along the rim rather than using torque. The 1962 manual changed the procedure to reference force at the rim rather than torque. I made a simple cardboard and rubber band "fish scale" to do mine once, before I got my inch-pound torque wrench. Or you can do it by "feel". 
 
Here is the basic procedure:
 
1) Disconnect the pitman arm from the steering box. This removes all the other resistance from the measurements due to linkage friction, ball joints etc.
2) Loosen the lash adjuster screw enough to be sure there is plenty of clearance between the sector gear and the ball nut. This is because the worm bearings have to be adjusted first, with no extra drag confusing that resistance
3) Measure the effort to keep the steering wheel in motion. The spec is 2-6 inch-pounds or 7/16-11/16 pounds of force pull on the steering wheel rim. To adjust the wormshaft bearings to tighten this up, loosen the large locknut on the forward most end of the steering box and turn the big nut at the end of the box. Always recheck your torque or pull force after retightening the lock nut.
4) Center the steering gear. Turn all the way one way (GENTLY), then the other to count the turns, then turn back to the mid position. It is important to find the mid-position because the sector gear is made fatter in the middle so it is tightest against the ball nut in the middle position. When you move the wheel off center, there is more slop between the sector gear and ball nut. That means if you adjust it to be tight when it is off center, it will be too tight when it crosses through the center position, which will make it "sticky" in the middle, and can damage the gears.
5) Adjust the lash adjuster screw (the one under the plastic plug in the trunk) to get a total 7-12 inch-pounds torque, or 1.12 - 1.5 pounds force at the steering wheel rim. Measure the torque while moving the steering wheel through the center position (moving it from 1/4 turn before center through 1/4 turn after center). Moving the screw into the box makes it tighter. Again, recheck the torque or force after tightening the lock nut. 
 
As stated by others, if the lash adjuster screw is so far in it is starting to be submerged in the hole, your adjustment is all "used up" and the internals need work.
 
Hope this helps!
 
<<Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 14:35:45 -0400
From: Ramon Rodriguez III <corvairgrymm at gmail.com>
To: "virtualvairs at corvair.org" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Subject: <VV> steering box slop
Message-ID:
<CAEaZS-9pFEnr1Js3dCvr9MzpymoobZeub4KOWnVy5Kp_Enk_WA at mail.gmail.com>
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Hi guys!

I'll get to the point first:  My biggest concern currently with Missy's 61
coupe is the steering.  I've installed the nylon clarks bushing and
everything in the steering linkage is nice and tight but the steering wheel
goes through far too much travel before the pitman arm starts to move in
the slightest.  I checked the tech guide and didn't find a steering
section.  I think I remember reading years ago about steering box
adjustment.  I've got the shop manuals, so feel free to refer me to them, I
just want advice on how best to proceed.  Keep in mind this is Missy's only
set of wheels so I don't want to take it off the road for more than a day
or two if I don't have to.>>

Ray Rodriguez and Missy Nagle (who will be Missy Rodriguez in twenty days!)
Lake Ariel, PA


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-- Doug Mackintosh
Corsa member since 1996
Corsa/NC member since 1996,  Virtual Vairs member
Corvair owner 1969-1971 and 1996-on