1961 Steering wheel alignment

[Richard P.]

Need to align the steering wheel on my 1961. I have reviewed the AIM, but still not certain exactly what to do. A post on Corevette Forum said you do it by adjusting the tied rod ends, one one way, the other the opposite. Is this correct? The car rides perfectly straight now, but the steering wheel is just off a bit (going for PV).

[John H.]

Re: 1961 Steering wheel alignment

Richard -

Steering wheel centering (assuming the steering wheel is properly indexed on the shaft, with the index marks aligned) is done by adjusting the tie rods. The third arm also needs to be centered, which is done by adjusting the drag link from the pitman arm to the third arm pivot. The C1 steering high-point centering procedure is on page 9-3 and 9-4 of the ST-12 manual, with a diagram.

[Richard P.]

Re: 1961 Steering wheel alignment

How can I make sure it is in fact properly indexed on the shaft?

[John H.]

Re: 1961 Steering wheel alignment

How can I make sure it is in fact properly indexed on the shaft?

Richard -

There's a chiseled index line stamped on the end of the steering shaft (see photo below), which should be at 12 o'clock with the wheels straight ahead and the third arm centered. With the shaft thus centered, the steering wheel is oriented on the shaft splines with the two cancelling pins on the forward side of the steering wheel hub at 8 and 10 o'clock as viewed from the driver's seat (this ensures correct turn signal cancelling in both directions).