Steering wheel center.

[biomedtechguy]

I had a shop replace the manual steering box. When they reinstalled the steering wheel, it was suddenly cocked, like yours, for the first time ever. They had to have made some kind of positioning error, because the tie rods didn't spontaneously get out of alignment.
My point is that somehow mine got reinstalled crooked.
I have the car in another shop for a major amount of add ons and other work.
Changing to power steering, Borgeson box. I gave them the heads up that they shouldn't go off the current tie rods settings because they are way off, and asked them to start over from center, by measuring or counting the threads.

 

[68Moparmaniac]

If you have the "Master Splines" aligned and in their proper location then the issues lie in the pitman, tie rod, idler arm components. Everyone's spot on about the shop screwing the pooch, get another tech to check it out.

 

[biomedtechguy]

issues lie in the pitman

Not to hijack, but when I saw the picture of the OP's steering wheel, it was deja vu!!
Anyway, maybe the manual steering box they replaced my old one with had the pitman arm in a different location and they just hooked the rest of the suspension up to it?
Let me ask the question this way:
How many ways can a factory steering wheel be put in clocked wrong when the manual steering box is replaced?

 

[68Moparmaniac]

Not to hijack, but when I saw the picture of the OP's steering wheel, it was deja vu!!
Anyway, maybe the manual steering box they replaced my old one with had the pitman arm in a different location and they just hooked the rest of the suspension up to it?
Let me ask the question this way:
How many ways can a factory steering wheel be put in clocked wrong when the manual steering box is replaced?

Probably a good chance the tech didn’t get the masters aligned and just jammed it together, they’ll go with some brute strength and stupidity

 

[TopBanana72]

Well I got to Carlisle and back ok. It was weird driving with the cockeyed steering wheel. Absolutely no inner tire wear, so that made me happy. I looked things over and I really thought adjusting the tie rods would do the job. It took 4 full turns of the sleeve equally on both sides (clockwise on driver's side, counter-clockwise on the pass side). My coupler roll pin hole is facing up like its supposed to. Pitman arm is facing the right direction. Drives great now, turn signal cancels properly and I have an even number of turns from center to lock each way. I think I did it! Now, I might go back to the alignment guy and have the toe-in double checked.

Check out the pics of tie rods and see if you think OK... The number of threads is roughly the same on each, but the driver's side has more threads on the ends than the passenger side. Hope that's OK.

 

[biomedtechguy]

 

[mrhemi]

I had a shop replace the manual steering box. When they reinstalled the steering wheel, it was suddenly cocked, like yours, for the first time ever. They had to have made some kind of positioning error, because the tie rods didn't spontaneously get out of alignment.
My point is that somehow mine got reinstalled crooked.
I have the car in another shop for a major amount of add ons and other work.
Changing to power steering, Borgeson box. I gave them the heads up that they shouldn't go off the current tie rods settings because they are way off, and asked them to start over from center, by measuring or counting the threads.

You don't indicate if the replacement box was new or not. I did encounter a manual box once that displayed that cocked wheel. Come to find out that it had been in a wreck, although you couldn't tell, the pitman arm had been replace. The shaft was actually twisted slightly from the wreck causing the off centre wheel.

 

[69L48Z27]

That’s fantastic you got it fixed up. No offense but I wouldn’t be taking it back to the alignment guy. A centered wheel is alignment 101, but I would want the toe checked again. Did he drive the car before and after alignment?

 

[biomedtechguy]

You don't indicate if the replacement box was new or not. I did encounter a manual box once that displayed that cocked wheel. Come to find out that it had been in a wreck, although you couldn't tell, the pitman arm had been replace. The shaft was actually twisted slightly from the wreck causing the off centre wheel.

I took it off the donor car, which looked fine. The only reason why I took it was the one I had bought got shipped wrong and I needed one for an event, so I offered to trade the refirb I had coming for the one I took off my friend's car. His dad is a major Mopar fan, but lives out of the country. This guy who lives close to me has his dad's 2 tag California 1971 Challenger R/T 426 Hemi Torqueflight car. It's so heavily optioned, it has 2 fender tags. He has a Hemi block (Ma Mopar really did a great job engineering that block) an Indy RB powered Cuda, a nice small block A-body 1320 car, etc.

 

[TopBanana72]

That’s fantastic you got it fixed up. No offense but I wouldn’t be taking it back to the alignment guy. A centered wheel is alignment 101, but I would want the toe checked again. Did he drive the car before and after alignment?

He said he gave it to a junior tech to drive. Junior tech said to him - "that's weird, the steering wheel is all off.." I think I'll take it elsewhere.

 

[Bob Nossal]

I agree, I would complain to the alignment shop but find someone else to do it.

 

[Ceedawg]

With the wheel that much off the idle arm and pitman arm are not aligned with the lca pivot, a big problem steering

 

[Sparky Anderson]

I agree, the person who did the alignment, should of centered your steering wheel, bring the car back and complain.Don't get shafted.

 

[AJ/FormS]

Another thing that happens when the STEERING BOX is not centered is this; The sector shaft is set up to have a "dead spot" on center for one of two reasons,
1) if you have power-assisted steering; so that the control valve will not command assist all the time at hiway speed, which causes you to make hundreds of corrections every mile as you chase the car from one side of the lane to the other, and
2) If you have a manual box; same deal, but no control valve.
However, this "wandering" is not wandering, the steering box is on the wrong part of the sector, and is just steering faster than it should be.
BTW
Another thing sometimes called wandering, is the loss of self centering when overly-tight ball-joints are installed.I have,in the past, had to remove brand new off-shore BJs that would not loosen up after a reasonable "break-in" period.

 

[Chris Hanley]

I rebuilt the suspension myself . It was my first time, so it is possibly I did something wrong, although I never felt I was needing to making anything fit. The alignment guy did ask me if I installed the pitman arm in the same position as the old. I'm very sure I did, but he did ask. I am willing to work with him to correct anything I might have done wrong and likewise he is willing to work with me to get the steering wheel straight. The car does drive extremely well and straight and smooth once I get used to the cock-eyed steering wheel. Left turn signal cancel doesn't work also, so I am aware. I'll post an update next week when I get back home to work with the guy.

Is the steering arm on correctly? That can be installed incorrectly and this would be a symptom.

 

[TopBanana72]

Is the steering arm on correctly? That can be installed incorrectly and this would be a symptom.

Ya, If by steering arm you mean the pitman arm, yes. Post #25 is where I'm at now. I am pretty sure it is in the right place. It faces rearward parallel to the idler arm pretty much. I can't imagine it would go on any other way, even if it has the four master splines. If going on even 1/4 turn different it would be pointing way to the right or left. If you mean the steering knuckle, yes they are on correctly.