Help with 1971 dodge dart steering

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Ok so I'm new to this site but I have a very unusual problem. On my 1971 dodge dart swinger I have redone the entire front all bushings and ball joints EVERYTHING. Here is my problem. The steering wheel was off by almost 45 degrees to the left so the alignment shop I had align it just turned the wheel straight and aligned it. They came back telling me the pitman arm was installed wrong and that I have a lot more travel to the left rather than the right now and it's bad. Well my problem is the pitman arm the steering column and the steering wheel all have master splines and only go one position with the exception of the pit arm which appears to able to clock it about every 45 degrees. How do I get my steering centered and the steering wheel straight at the same time?
 
Ok so I'm new to this site but I have a very unusual problem. On my 1971 dodge dart swinger I have redone the entire front all bushings and ball joints EVERYTHING. Here is my problem. The steering wheel was off by almost 45 degrees to the left so the alignment shop I had align it just turned the wheel straight and aligned it. They came back telling me the pitman arm was installed wrong and that I have a lot more travel to the left rather than the right now and it's bad. Well my problem is the pitman arm the steering column and the steering wheel all have master splines and only go one position with the exception of the pit arm which appears to able to clock it about every 45 degrees. How do I get my steering centered and the steering wheel straight at the same time?


Don’t drive that car anywhere except to a competent line up shop.

If they can center the steering gear they have no business doing any line up work.
 
The business I went to have it aligned I have never had an issue with them before and they came highly recommended. I fully agree that seems like if they cant center the steering they shouldn't do alignments. But embarrassingly enough I cant figure out what is wrong as they can't. I can take the pitman arm off and try to just center the steering wheel to the steering box. Well if I count turns left to right I get 3 and a half turns so I would think center would be 1 and 3\4 turns either way. Well if I do that then my steering wheel is turned almost 90 degrees to the left but if I center the steering wheel then it is just over 1 turn to the right and over two turns to the left. That's with out none of the steering attached that's just the steering wheel in relation to the gear box. When I bought the front end parts is there I different Pittman arm for my car maybe and I have the wrong one or when I had my gear some what apart to replace seals ro stop a leak could I have unknowingly moved something by accident?
 
If you take the pitman arm off and turn the steering left and right to find the center and put the pitman arm back on, the steering would be centered. It would take the same amount of turns side to side.
Yes, the pitman arm is splined and so is the steering wheel for a reason.
Possibly, the problem could be that the steering box count wasn't the same turns side to side and the pitman arm was put on one turn of the box too much to one side.
To adjust the steering wheel so it's centered, you turn the adjuster sleeves on both sides where the outer tie rods are.
This is the only way to properly center the steering wheel.
And the alignment shop should know that as well as the steering box centering technique.
It's alignment 101 after all.........
 
OP posted a dupe thread. Please do not do this

Help with 1971 dodge dart steering

I didn't remember the pitman having multiple positions, BUT disconnect the center link, run the wheel lock to lock, count the turns and center the box based on turns divided in half. then go under and look at the pitman and re-clock it to the nearest position, where it will connect to the center line with wheels centered.

Now the wheel should be closer if it's an original OEM "type" steering coupler, or it may be "upside down" (1/2 turn off.) If so this means that the coupler was taken apart and assembled 1/2 turn "off."

So now you should have somewhat equal steering side to side, and the wheel should be within ?? 1/4 turn or less of center

Last, to center the wheel, "walk" the tie rod adjusters over equal amounts until the car drives strain on an uncrowned road (parking lot) and then finally, re re re check the toe

If I remember correctly none of these girls have "exactly" the same steering angle left and right
 
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