<VV> 66 steering

[Bill Hubbell]

This should serve as a good lesson to all who buy old cars - not just
Corvairs:

Always inspect EVERY critical part involving braking, steering and
suspension (wheel bearings, shocks, etc.), fuel system, etc. and repair or
replace whatever is necessary before putting the car on the road.

Don't trust a PO to have done things right, unless you trust the PO with
your life -- you just might get to test that proposition.

Bill Hubbell


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dennis & Debbie Pleau" <ddpleau@earthlink.net>
To: <virtualvairs@skiblack.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2004 9:43 PM
Subject: <VV> 66 steering


> I was the first of about three inquiring about problems in the steering
> gear of a 66 Corvair.  The weather was better today and I went out to work
> on my car.  It looks like I have a PO problem, not the last two POs,
> because I have all their documentation, but some one before that.  What I
> found could have killed me and my family.
>
> I asked a few weeks ago about the need to drill a hole to get to the
> coupler bolt on my 66 steering column.  The consensus from all of you was
> it was the best way.  I found today that a PO had used tin snips and cut
> back from the hole the filler pipe goes through and bent it back to allow
> access to the  coupler bolt.  When I started loosing the coupler bolt the
> coupler came loose from the shaft attached to the steering box.  Now
> everyone who has done this job before realizes the bolt holds the coupler
> to the shaft no matter how loose the bolt is because it is in a groove in
> the middle of the splines where the bolt is suppose to go through.  The PO
> had clamped the very end of the steering box shaft in the coupler, not the
> whole ~1" and the bolt was above the end of the shaft.  The play which
> suddenly developed was the steering box shaft slipping within the
> coupler.  I'll have it back properly together tomorrow.
>
> To think this could have failed at any time.  I usually get up to 80 mph
on
> my way to work and it could have decided to separated then.  It chose to
> separate while I as backing out of a parking spot in the parking garage at
> work.  Thank God I was going less than 1 mph.
>
> Dennis