Ok checked out the steering some more today, figured I would post the update (haven't had it in for an alignment yet).
I turned the steering wheel each way til wheel lock on the front tires. I got 1 3/4 turns to the right from center to wheel lock, and about 1 7/8 turns to the left from center to wheel lock. I looked at the steering shaft again and have a bit of concern/curiosity about that. The roll pin was straight up and down when the wheels were centered when we removed the old gear box. Now the roll pin is flat going right to left when the wheels are centered rather than up and down. And the steering wheel is about a 1/4 turn off of the way it should be, turn it back that 1/4 turn and the roll pin is up and down again, but the wheels aren't perfectly straight anymore. The reason I explained all this about the steering shaft is I don't think that the steering wheel is far enough off that I can just detach the steering shaft and move it then reconnect with a new roll pin and get the wheel back to it's normal position. So I don't think removing the steering console or readjusting the steering shaft is the answer here.
I also changed the pitman arm while I was replacing the steering gear, figured it was a good idea while I had it all apart. Could that be part of the reason that the steering wheel is off, and that the turns from center to wheel lock are a bit off? If the pitman arm didn't get put in, in exactly the same position as the old one was when it came out?
Also assuming the pitman arm is not the answer, would an alignment be able to fix the problems that I am having? If that's a no go, could I adjust the steering wheel and wheel turn back to where it is supposed to be by adjusting the steering gear itself (I have no idea how to do this lol)?
Thanks for any and all help guys. This is one of those things that is going to frustrate me until I get it figured out lol.
