New steering box and rag Need help

[tony-muscle]

I think the shaft allows for some axial adjustment of the rag joint. Could it be that the rag joint is to far into the flange? In mine it is right onto the clamp but maybe in your case you have to move it slightly away. I am not sure if that's the case but if you do, make sure you have enough overlap with the splines.

 

[Tesla80]

Yeah I did pull the bolt and slide it forward but then I could not get the bolt back in to secure the rag joint to the gear shaft. I wonder if i slide it up further then I could catch the grove for the bolt. This is the current location of the rag joint.

 

[Stanglover]

You say you replaced the steering gear. Could it be that it is a shorter version or with a different bolt configuration? Do you have the old one so you can compare?

Good question. But I see in the next post, it is the same box.

 

[Tesla80]

I just checked the Lares web site that makes the steering gear and they say it uses the 201 coupler which is the one that I am using. So I think the gear shaft is correct.

 

[Stanglover]

Yeah I did pull the bolt and slide it forward but then I could not get the bolt back in to secure the rag joint to the gear shaft. I wonder if i slide it up further then I could catch the grove for the bolt. This is the current location of the rag joint.
View attachment 97173

The bolt MUST go into the grove in the input shaft.
Even if the rebuilt box has a slightly different shaft (which it shouldn't) you would still not have the gap we're seeing.
Here's a pic of a shaft which shows the position of the groove relative the adjustment screw which is correctly set, minus the lock ring. If the groove on your box looks the same, then the coupler is correctly positioned.

 

[Tesla80]

yup mine is the same as that and that verifies that I have the coupler on the gear correctly Thanks!

 

[MAD IRISHMAN]

Well with some gentle prying i got it to move a few millimeters. Still not close enough. I think I am going to pull the column back out and see if i can lube it up good and get it freed up. It seems really seized. I do have it that the safety pins are barely engaged but there is still around a 1/2 gap between the rubber and the flange. I did pull the bolt out of the rag joint to steering gear and I can slide the rag joint up further but then I can not get the locking pin back in on the gear. Why does something so simple have to become the most difficult

Just because it can! It's been said The price of progress is trouble.

 

[Bill Perkins]

So I dropped the column today to install the new rag joint onto the steering box. That is done. When I went to put the column back in it's bolt holes they are in but the column seems to be to short. Does the rag joint have to be slid further up the shaft or am I missing something dumb.

Steering box
LARES 807 w/ Power Steering; Fast 10:1 Ratio (2.5 Turns Lock To Lock)

Rag Joint
Lares 201 Flex Coupling Disc

View attachment 97159

View attachment 97157

I don't mean to jump in on you'll conversation but I had a very similar issue on my 72 Mustang with Power Steering (Non Tilt Column). I ordered from NPD a replacement Rag Joint but it wouldn't fit as this one in the picture. I called NPD and was told that the 71-73 Mustang (Non Tilt and Tilt Columns) have a possible three different rag joints. I purchased the other two that I didn't have and was able to get the correct rag joint when I laid all three side by side and was able to match up the new correct rag joint and send the others that weren't correct back to NPD for a refund.