Need a little schooling on steering couplers

Thanks a lot, everybody, for your suggestions. I think I have it under control; I am just going to re-use the old coupler. Everything inside looks to be in good shape. May I please ask a couple more questions, though:

1. Are the curved side of the steel blocks supposed to go toward the inside or the outside of the coupler?

2. The old orange rubber gasket broke. I think I'll just make a new one out of cork. Any problems with that?

3. How do you get the tabs to bend over and hold really well, so it won't come apart again?

(The end did come off the coupler long before I removed it, but I just kept on driving and it didn't seem to hurt anything.)