Sorted Steering

[Crashontheone]

Hello again everyone-

My last thread was an agitated one, but all is on the mend now. My difficult steering has been sorted and the culprit had to do with some misalignment of pieces.

Here's what we know:

1. The input angle into the rack was too great.
2. BDR was kind enough to send brackets to rotate the rack back towards the cockpit and reduce the input angle of the mid shaft into the rack.
3. As a result of the aggressive input angle, the universal shaft was bent.
4. As a result of the bent universal shaft, the u-joints were forced to attempt to swivel true, and caused a bind in the steering column.
5. Vintage was kind enough to point me in the direction of replacement upper & lower steering column bearings for immediately behind the steering wheel & just inside of the stainless tube, above the bolts that connect the steering rod to the universal shaft.
NOTE: If anyone needs this part number for these replacement bearings I have it posted in another thread.
6. A replacement universal shaft, and reduction of the input angle into the rack, and all seems to be well.

It's 46 degrees and slowly warming up here, so I haven't had a test run yet; but many lock-to-lock's in my garage are telling me that this issue has been settled.

Thank you all for your guidance and support. This was a frustrating issue and I'm glad it's in the rear-view.

RG