Steering Coupler Rebuild "How To"

[Karl Nicholson]

You're in a similar boat I was in. My 66 Dart had the same coupler you're deadling with. Luckily, mine had the two rectangular springs and they were in good shape - as were the shoes and coupler body. I simply replaced the seal and installed a set screw to act as the small safety pin on later couplers.

Maybe try placing a wanted add for those two springs. Are the two shoes and body in decent shape?

I had installed new shoes from a later rebuild kit that I had purchased. Once everything was reassembled, the steering still had accessive play so my friend and I are tackling it again. When we opened the first time, there were no springs holding the shoes. I bought the car 4 years ago so dealing with a lot of unknows.

 

[Thanquol]

Don't be a “SLAMMER”- Be aware what many folks miss:

1. The coupler shoes and the end of the shaft must sit HALF-WAY inside the coupler AFTER it is installed back into the car/steering gear box. The shoes “float” inside the coupler. Big black letters in the FSM draws your attention to this. The purpose is to allow for expansion /contraction of the assembly and to prevent the assembly from binding.

2. This is done by keeping the steering column LOOSE in it’s bracket under the dashboard WHILE you install the coupler back onto the steering gear box/rollpin. The coupler does not move after it is tapped back on properly to the gearbox and secured with the rollpin. But the steering column DOES slide. If you ever wondered why those 3 aluminum (67) or nylon (68+) clips in the dash bracket are elongated- now you know. The entire column is intended to SLIDE for the final adjustment to get the shoes in the middle of the coupler.

3. There is a diagram in most of the FSMs that shows using a 13/16” wide paper gauge (provided by Mopar to dealer mechanics) to set the distance between the back face of the coupler and a “gauge hole” pre-drilled in the steering shaft. So cut yourself a 13/16” wide card and you (probably with an assistant in the drivers seat pulling gently on the steering column) SLOWLY slide the steering shaft on its loose dash bracket in whatever direction to get that 13/16” from the coupler face to the gauge hole. When you have it, THEN tighten down the 3 dash bracket bolts to specs. Dont forget your ground strap. The coupler shoe assembly (specifically the press pin on the end of the shaft) will now be in the EXACT MIDDLE of the coupler like it should.

4. Problem: This 13/16” setting only works on MANUAL steering shafts, not POWER. Wait! What? Why? Because MaMopar didnt bother to drill that gauge hole into POWER STEERING shafts yet still tells you to do the 13/16” measurement in the FSM (conveniently acting as though the gauge hole is on all shafts). At least for 67+ that I’ve ever seen. So if you want to you can either:

A. “Eyeball” the power steering shaft so it “looks” about in the middle of a coupler and make a mark on the shaft BEFORE you assemble the coupler and adjust the coupler up to your mark.

OR

B. Mark and drill a tiny hole 2.325”” from the end of the shaft. Not just anywhere but ON THE SHAFT THAT LINES UP WITH THE BLANK SPLINE OF THE STEERING WHEEL. Then when the wheels are straight, the steering wheel is straight, and the gear box and coupler blank splines are “up”- you will be looking right at your cool little drilled hole and do your 13/16” adjustment.

Bottom line is dont be a SLAMMER where many Moparheads just slam that shoe assembly all the way to the bottom of the coupler and tighten everything up and call ‘er a day.

Photo #1 is a MANUAL shaft with gauge hole. #2 is the 2.325” measurement. #3 is my PS shaft with a tiny matching hole I drilled. #4 is the FSM. I cannot speak to pre-67 setups. #5 is showing the elongated clips on the dash bracket to adjust the entire column 67 only.