In a pickle 70 valiant pitman replacement

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Valiantknight

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So i oerdered a replacemmt off rock auto and evrything seemed to be going on just fine. Then the unexpected happened. The pitman doesnt want to go on all the way up. Its got about an half inch from meeting the bottom of the steering box but the nut doesnt want to turn and i dont want to destroy the nut. What do i do.

Edit: took off the nut and the bottom of the splines have met the top of the washer. Thats why it wont tighten anymore. On a related note. I need a new nut anyone wanna sell me one?

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I've lost something here.........is this the original nut? Have you tried the old pitman and see what is/ was the difference?
 
The FSM does show a gap between the box and the pitman arm when installed- remember, there needs to be a gap for the jaws of a puller to fit in there for servicing/removal. 1/2" seems about right to me... If my "senior memory" isn't failing me, I believe some replacements come with a thick foam rubber washer/seal that fits between there to keep things clean, but I don't see it in the FSM. Long story short, if it went together smoothly to this point I think you're okay. The nut should be a locking type, and it won't spin on freely by hand. Torque nut to 120 ft./lbs. for power steering, 175 ft./lbs. for manual. Recheck after driving.
Edit: Replacement nuts show up as a nut w/lockwasher instead of a locknut, but same torque specs apply.
 
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I've lost something here.........is this the original nut? Have you tried the old pitman and see what is/ was the difference?
Yeah the parts were identical. And this is the original nut. It all went on smoothly i was just wigging out becuase there was still space left on the shaft above the pitman. All is well though
 
It’s fine. It’s a tapered spline.

It’s not supposed to go to the end of the splines. There’s no shoulder there to rest against. Other manufacturers do that.

Sounds like you’ve tightened it a bunch if the inside ID of washer is interfering with the spline. Stop tightening. It’s installed.
 
When I replaced mine on my Valiant it was the same thing. I had a space. At first I thought I wasn't paying close enough attention and I mangled the splines but no it just doesn't go all the way to the top. I've been driving mine for almost 2 years and its fine.
 
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