Took my steering box out because I though I had a problem with the steering box. When I did I noticed that the input shaft had a flat spot on it. The coupler also has a flat spot on it as well but when I removed it from the shaft they were not lined up. What happens if they are not lined up besides the steering wheel not being centered. What other problems can this cause.

Thanks

You center the Pitman Arm as good as you can and the bottom of the steering column coupling to the steering gear box shaft, bolt it together AND the Alignment Shop sets your tie-rod ends to center your steering wheel dead-on.

The tie-rod ends have several inches side-to-side adjustment built into each of them and the adjustment feeds back to also center your steering wheel as well as adjust the tires properly..

pdq67

It sounds like the rag joint (coupler) bolt became loose over the years and was never tightened up. It started to slip on the shaft. You might be able to see some rubbing and deformation in the two slots of the steering column flange where the rag joint pins were rubbing on it.
If the splines on the coupler and the steering box shaft aren't destroyed, you may be able to just clean them up and make sure the coupler is aligned properly and tightened. Maybe use a drop of Lock-Tite on the bolt. Otherwise, order a replacement rag joint to be safe.

Place your steering gear on center. Turn the input shaft from full lock to full lock. Count the number of turns and partial turns (X). Divide that number by two (X/2). Start at full lock and come back exactly X/2 turns. Your gear is now right on center. The flat on the input shaft should laying flat across the 12 o'clock position.

The flexible coupling flat must align with the input shaft flat. When the flex coupling is installed, the stop pins should be a 6 and 12 o'clock. The attaching pinch bolt should be passing through the 9 o'clock position with the head pointing straight up. (You should be able to see the head by looking over your front fender and tighten it with a 12 point socket.)

You should not be able to install the flex coupling to the gear input shaft unless the flats are aligned. If they are not aligned as you described, something is VERY wrong. Things may be worn out to a point that they could be dangereous. Possibly the wrong flex coupling with a large ID flange (13/16 inch ID) has been mated to a later design gear (the Saginaw input shaft was changed to 3/4 inch OD in 1977).

Since we are on this subject again, JIML82, when the coupler goes back on does the clinch bolt go in the notch between splines on the input shaft. I just replaced all my steering and body bushings. If it has to fit in that notch, then the steering column must move futher inside the car. Thanks.

Yes Gary, the bolt slides in that area. Might have to unbolt the steering column from under the dash and near the firewall there is a clamp to loosen to allow it to slide further onto the steering gearbox.

The flexible coupling should go all the way on the gear input shaft. Push it on until it stops. The pinch bolt (at the same time) should then be aligned to go right through the notch on the input shaft.

The 1967 F-car column is the first Saginaw energy absorbing design. It is possible that the steering shaft could have been pulled out of the steering column a short distance. If you cannot align the aluminum capsules in the column bracket to the studs in the dash with the column flange on the flex coupling, then "adjusting" the steering shaft length might fix your problem.

Moving the steering shaft a slight amount (in or out)will not cause any safety problems in terms of steering.

Jim,
I am also in the process of replacing my steering coupler on my 68 Camaro. Can you tell me what are the acceptable tolerances for distortion of the rag joint when the steering wheel is turned. What I am seeing is the pins on the coupler are protruding farther into the column flange at the 12:00 position than the 6:00 position. So as you spin the steering wheel around the coupler pins move in and out on the coulumn flange. It looks like the steering column is at too steep of an angle in comparision to the gearbox, so that as it spins the planes of the the coupler and flange are off a bit, causing a little more distance at the 6:00 position as compared to the 12:00 position. Is the accepatable (safe) is the rag joint intended to flex as it spins around? Is there an acceptable amount of pin movement in and out. Thanks for any information. Gregg

What you are describing is a flexible coupling operating at an angle.

The flexible coupling was designed to operate at a maximum angle of 5 degrees. Now that isn't much. But 5 degrees can cause about a 1/4 inch difference in the amount that the stop pin sticks through the column flange from one side to the other. If that is the amount you are noticing, then you should be OK.

I have one other question for you. Are the stop pins staying central in the column flange slots when they are at the 6 and 12 o'clock positions as well as the 3 and 9 o'clock positions? If they remain central, then the column is pointing directly at the gear shaft (like it is supposed to) and everything should be just fine.

JIML82

Thanks Jim. I think I am getting about 1/4 inch or so 12 to 6. I did notice too much side to side movement at first, so I loosened the column on the dash and was able to move it sideways a little to line it up. So I was able to correct the side to side movement. I then ended up just removing the column because I need to repaint the dash, install the Vintage Air system, and I bought a new American Autowire complete rewire kit. ( I was only going to spend half as much restoring this car as I am ending up spending. But I just keep thinking I am going to do this one time and do it right.) I also noticed that my coupler would not reach the flange if it is installed all the way down on the gearbox shaft. From reading other posts, it looks like that is not good. Is it important to press the coupler all the way down? I'm hoping when I reinstall the column, I will be able to move it forward the 1/2 inch or so that it needs in order to move the coupler all way down the gearbox shaft. By the way, a tip for others out there... The coupler was a bit difficult to install on the gearbox splined shaft. So I boiled a couple of cups of water and let the coupler sit in hot water for a couple of minutes. It made a big difference on how easily it goes on when you expand it even that much. I also found the same thing with my lower ball joint rubber dust boots. I could not get them to slide over the ball joint. So I soaked them in boiling hot water for a couple of minutes and the too slid over the ball joint with minimal pressure. Of course that is after trying to get them on for a half hour without any success. Anyway, please let me know what you think about the need to slide the coupler all the way down on the shaft. The bolt installs without lining up with the channel that is cut through the shaft 3/4 of the way down. Thanks again.

Thanks Jim. I think I am getting about 1/4 inch or so 12 to 6. I did notice too much side to side movement at first, so I loosened the column on the dash and was able to move it sideways a little to line it up. So I was able to correct the side to side movement. I then ended up just removing the column because I need to repaint the dash, install the Vintage Air system, and I bought a new American Autowire complete rewire kit. ( I was only going to spend half as much restoring this car as I am ending up spending. But I just keep thinking I am going to do this one time and do it right.) I also noticed that my coupler would not reach the flange if it is installed all the way down on the gearbox shaft. From reading other posts, it looks like that is not good. Is it important to press the coupler all the way down? I'm hoping when I reinstall the column, I will be able to move it forward the 1/2 inch or so that it needs in order to move the coupler all way down the gearbox shaft. By the way, a tip for others out there... The coupler was a bit difficult to install on the gearbox splined shaft. So I boiled a couple of cups of water and let the coupler sit in hot water for a couple of minutes. It made a big difference on how easily it goes on when you expand it even that much. I also found the same thing with my lower ball joint rubber dust boots. I could not get them to slide over the ball joint. So I soaked them in boiling hot water for a couple of minutes and the too slid over the ball joint with minimal pressure. Of course that is after trying to get them on for a half hour without any success. Anyway, please let me know what you think about the need to slide the coupler all the way down on the shaft. The bolt installs without lining up with the channel that is cut through the shaft 3/4 of the way down. Thanks again.

When the flex coupling is installed on the steering gear input shaft it should be all the way down. Otherwise, the pinch bolt will not slide through the notch on the input shaft. The pinch bolt MUST be through the notch or slot.

You should be able to take a large screwdriver and force it into the pinch slot on your coupling flange. That should "spring" it open enough to make it easy to install on the gear.

I am wondering if your steering column shaft may have been compressed a slight amount up into the main body of the steering column. The shaft is designed in two pieces such that in a severe frontal collision it will collapse on itself to protect the driver from being "speared" by the shaft. The steering shaft is also held in place by some plastic that hold the upper shaft and the lower shaft in a set position. The plastic shears as the two shafts collapse. (The intersection of the upper and lower shafts as well as the plastic are up inside the column so you cannot seem them.)

Unfortunately, I don't have any information as to exactly how far the column shaft should be extending out from the lower bearing on the column. Possibly you could try and measure some other first generation Camaros to get an idea as to what that dimension should be. If you find that your shaft is too short, you should be able to force it back out to its original length. If done with care, this should not cause any problems to the shaft or to the steering column.

Thanks very much for the information. This helps a lot to understand how things are supposed to work.

It just dawned on me that the 1967 and 1968 steering columns were first generation, energy absorbing type. The steering column used in the 1969 F-car was the second generation, locking type (even though the 1969 F-car was still rear steer, i.e. the column still connected directly to the steering gear without an intermediate steering shaft like the 1970+ Camaros.)

What I am getting at is that when I told you to measure the steering shaft length on some other vehicles, you should measure the 1967-68 steering columns only. (They might have a slightly different steering shaft length sticking out of the lower end of the column as compared to the 2nd generation 1969 steering column.)

I looked at the steering column I removed. It looks to me like it was installed as far back into the passenger compartment as possible. I think with the adjustment capabilities built into the mounting bracket, I can move it forward the 1/2 inch or so I need when I reinstall it to allow me to press the coupler all the way onto the gearbox. However, I do have two related questions. First, if I exactly center the steering gearbox input shaft between the maximum lock to lock within the gearbox itself, the flat spot (non splined) of the input shaft is not exactly at 12:00. Do you think I should install the coupler at the exact middle of the lock to lock spot, or should I rotate the input shaft the few degrees it takes to get the 'flat spot' at 12:00? Second question: I installed the Pitman Arm tonight and I found it will not press all the up on to the output shaft. I tightened the nut as tight as I possibly can and I still see space between the pitman arm and the gearbox. I am assuming the pitman does not slide all way up the output shaft like the coupler is supposed to slide all the way down the input shaft. Am I correct in that? Thanks very much for you help.

Let's take the easy one first. The pitman shaft has tapered splines. So when you tighten your pitman shaft nut, you will draw the pitman arm up onto the tapered splines. The arm should not fit tight to the gear housing. It sounds as if you are describing a typical condition.

With manufacturing tolerances it is sometimes possible to assemble the flexible coupling within one or two possible splines on the gear input shaft. Otherwise the flat should only allow one position. If you have the flexible coupling too far off center, (the stop pins not at 6 and 12 o'clock positions) but yet you center your steering wheel, you will find that your turn signals will be cancelling differently right turn versus left turn because now your steering column is not on center.

Assuming you are not talking about a large problem with the flat not being right at 12 o'clock, I would use the tie rod adjustments to bring the flat back to 12 o'clock (and the stop pins back to 6 and 12 o'clock). Now when you assemble the column flange to the flexible coupling, the turn signal cancelling cam will be centered in the steering column.

Thanks once again for helping me and others with these questions.

FWIW, try to use a steel, screen-wire reinforced rubber washer b/c it is a whole lot stronger then just the stock, clothe-fiber reinforced rubber washer!!

BUT watch out b/c the little screen-wires can stick you like little pins!! I ground mine down on my grinder to keep from getting, "Gotcha'ed" before I installed it

been there, done that!!

pdq67

FYI, the screen wire molded into the face of the rubber disc is not for strength! The metal wire screening is to allow horn relay electrical current to pass across adjacent quadrants of the flexible coupling and complete a path to ground.

The ground circuit was through the horn button to the steering shaft; down through the column steering shaft into the column flange and to the flexible coupling; through the flexible coupling into the steering gear; into the frame; back to the battery to ground.

Early flexible couplings had a copper strap that wrapped around the inside of the flexible coupling and electrically connected adjacent quadrants. This provided electrical continuity across the flexible coupling disc. However, that strap had a tendency to fatigue and break.

It was replaced by a stranded wire that had electrical terminals crimped on the ends. This wire worked well but was expensive.

Finally, for the 1972 model year, the coupling disc with a wire screen partially molded into one face was released and replaced the stranded wire. The screening easily allowed horn ground current to pass across the flexible coupling disc.

The coupling disc was manufactured in the following manner. Layers of neoprene rubber and cotton cloth were molded together in large sheets with the wire screening on one side. The coupling discs were punched out of the sheets like you would with a cookie cutter. Sorry about those cut ends of the wire screening that can poke you.

The screening worked extremely well as a horn current carrier to ground.