REAL TIME: Reassembling steering shaft to steering box (??) Sat.9/24 (1 Viewer)

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Reinstalling my steering box after a West Texas Off Road refresh...in my hurry during disassembly I did not mark the position of the steering shaft (intermediate shaft) on the splined worm gear shaft on the steering box.
I've figured out how to re-index the steering wheel to the steering box....but here is my question:

The worm shaft on the steering box has a circumferential groove in the splines for the retainer bolt to fit through and hold the steering shaft on. This groove also has a larger cut out portion. Is it necessary that the retainer bolt fits through the larger cut out portion of the groove? Or does the position of the bolt not matter where it is in the groove (infinitely adjustable), just as long as it is IN the groove?? Follow me?

As of now, if I line up the retainer bolt with the large cut out in the groove my steering wheel is 180 deg. off (upside down). If the position of the retainer bolt in the groove doesn't matter I can knock this out pretty quick. I'm definitely going to put a little blue thread locker on the retainer bolt.
 
Line up the lock bolt with the larger cutout in the shaft even though you don't want to. I think you have to anyway. The bolt won't quite catch the threads if it's not aligned with the big groove.

Fiddle with steering wheel alignment at the other end, near the firewall. You can slide the yoke down and spin the wheel how you like it, then re-engage the teeth. Then tighten that bolt down.

That's how I've always done it.
 
Thanks OS, good points.

Got to looking at it again and the bolt threads all the way in easily by hand regardless of where it is in the groove.

Also took a photo of the bolt threaded into the spider clamp. Kinda blurry pic but you can see that the bolt threads protrude only a minimal amount into the spline clamp. Given that, it would actually seem the bolt would have LESS chance of "locking in" if it were lined up with the flat cutout in the groove.
Bottom line, I think this is more of a compression clamp fit than a locking groove fit...the interference fit of the bolt in the groove is an added measure of safety.

Probably overthinking this, but there is a somewhat recent thread where someone lost their steering when this retainer bolt worked loose...so it got me to thinking.
Pic...
image.jpeg
 
Yes, the extra bigger cut in the shaft may not be there to retain or align the bolt, but to serve a visual marker as to the alignment of the shaft (maybe)
 
I had the retainer bolt back out....

I recently went through this same process with the remounting of WTOF resealed steering box. There are diagrams in the FSM to give guidance regarding alignment of the steering shaft coupling on the splined box shaft. IIRC when the box was returned from WTOF the shaft for the pitman arm was properly centered so I mounted the box and did not disturb this alignment. In connecting the steering shaft to the worm gear shaft I followed the diagrams in the FSM ignoring the position of the steering wheel. Once I had the steering shaft connected I made adjustments to the steering wheel.
 
Thanks OS, good points.

Got to looking at it again and the bolt threads all the way in easily by hand regardless of where it is in the groove.

Also took a photo of the bolt threaded into the spider clamp. Kinda blurry pic but you can see that the bolt threads protrude only a minimal amount into the spline clamp. Given that, it would actually seem the bolt would have LESS chance of "locking in" if it were lined up with the flat cutout in the groove.
Bottom line, I think this is more of a compression clamp fit than a locking groove fit...the interference fit of the bolt in the groove is an added measure of safety.

Probably overthinking this, but there is a somewhat recent thread where someone lost their steering when this retainer bolt worked loose...so it got me to thinking.
Pic...
View attachment 1326612
@Skniper... Mine slipped off but only because I was an ass and didn't have the linkage slipped fully over that notch. Thankfully I was starting up from a red light when it let go so was able to just let it slowly cross an intersection and brake once I drove onto some grass across the way. Darn exciting! Entire bolt has to be taken out, then slide the linkage over the input shaft lining it up with the groove then feed the bolt back in. And the linkage does have a top and bottom. And groove is obvious if you look on each side. Its not easy to feel. And if your wheel isn't straight after all that messing around, realign it from underneath the truck at the steering rod (whatever its called is escaping me right now).
 
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