Moderately dumb question

Hex bolts (and shift a hole) and maybe the center nut so the splined hub can be shifted a few splines.

@WOLFGANG posted:

Hex bolts (and shift a hole) and maybe the center nut so the splined hub can be shifted a few splines.

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

The first thing you have to make sure of is that the Pitman arm is dead nuts centered. Steering boxes are adjusted to have no play at the CENTER ONLY. If the pitman arm is centered, then by all means move the wheel to center it.

But if the pitman arm is not centered, center it, then adjust the tie rods to the steering box/pitman arm. Then after all that, then it would be OK to rotate the steering wheel hub a couple splines.

As Danny said, once you know the Pitman is centered, and only then, is it OK to correct via rechecking the hub on the splines.  Both the 21mm (Vintage, most CMC, Gen 1 Beck Spyder and Beck GTS, and many others) and the 18mm tapered (Beck, all except GTS and Gen 1 Spyder) have 40 splines, so you get 9 degrees of adjustment per 1 spline move.  To fine tune closer that that you make very minor adjustments to the tie rod ends.  Standard 12mm tie rod ends will give you 4.5 degrees of adjustment per 1/4 turn.

@chines1 posted:

As Danny said, once you know the Pitman is centered, and only then, is it OK to correct via rechecking the hub on the splines.  Both the 21mm (Vintage, most CMC, Gen 1 Beck Spyder and Beck GTS, and many others) and the 18mm tapered (Beck, all except GTS and Gen 1 Spyder) have 40 splines, so you get 9 degrees of adjustment per 1 spline move.  To fine tune closer that that you make very minor adjustments to the tie rod ends.  Standard 12mm tie rod ends will give you 4.5 degrees of adjustment per 1/4 turn.

I still write myself notes on the back of my desk calendars from Carey's posts :!)