I’m in the process of rebuilding my 92 RS after crashing it 10 years ago. I


swung around in the rain and hit a curb. It broke off the rear right axle and hit the front wheel on the same side. I’ve replaced all of the damaged parts in the rear and now I’ve moved on to the front. I replaced the tie rods and center link, although they weren’t necessarily bent, but I can’t seem to figure out why my steering wheel is so far off-center. When the steering wheel is centered with the gearbox, both wheels are pointed a good amount to the left and if the wheels are straight, the steering wheel and a half a rotation to the right. Before making this post, I adjusted the p/s strut mount a bit and I removed the a-arm hoping the bushings were destroyed and they weren’t. I also don’t see any clear indications, like dirt lines, that the k-member shifted. What else could it be? Could it be something further up like in the gearbox or steering shaft? I don’t want to keep buying random parts if they’re not needed because those will start adding up. I thought about the k-member shifting to the left or the frame being tweaked, but based on how the tie rods are setup, if everything got shifted back to the right, that would push my wheels more to the left. ANY help that you guys can give me at this point would be helpful

 

So you have driven the car a bit? If so, take note of the steering wheel position when driving straight down the road. Then check the alignment as best you can with the steering wheel in that position. If the toe-in is ballpark and both wheels are the same general spot within the wheelwell, then it's very likely the the sector shaft in the steering box has twisted some.

It still amazes me that a sector shaft can twist without significant tie rod damage. But I've seen it many times over the years.

 

Also, was the steering wheel off center by the same amount before you replaced the tie rods?

A lot of people "count threads" when replacing tie rods, thinking it will get the alignment close to where it was before. But due to manufacturing differences, the alignment usually ends up WAY off.

 

i haven’t driven it yet as I’m in the process of making it road ready again. I still have to siphon the old gas out to try and even start it. I was thinking something happened with the gearbox as well. Are they able to be rebuilt? Or is it better to just buy a replacement?

 

Yes, replacing the tie rods did not make a difference in wheel position. I tried to get them within the overall length instead of threads

 

Yes, they can be rebuilt. It can be a tedious process to tackle yourself. The remanufactured units are hit and miss with quality. You may have a rebuilder in your area, but those kinds of shops are disappearing almost as fast as radiator shops. Then there's also the option of a new ($) unit from companies like Borgeson.

Have you tried to measure your toe-in?

 

There’s a shop that my job does a lot of business with that I can try to have them rebuild it. I’ve seen some of the new ones, but they’re a pretty penny. I thought about finding one off of a parts car just to verify that’s my issue before buying a new one

I haven’t tried to measure toe-in. My plan was to get it close enough to drive and once I got the car started, I was going to take it to get it properly aligned

 

A good alignment shop can figure out and take care of getting that wheel straightened out, as long as it's not a subframe issue. I'd be measuring the front lower control arm mount geometry to make sure you didn't bend anything there. The service manual has measuring points and distances everything should be from the factory. Heck, I think I've even seen someone post those pages here, but do not 100% remember.

Also, there is a fair amount of play in the spindle to strut mount, and banging the wheel sideways could have torqued that over. I'd have a look there for any evidence of movement, like fresh metal around the bolts/mounting ear. There will also be evidence of some camber changes if that's happened, like seriously-positive camber on the right side.

The steering gearbox is pretty robust, so I'd look at that only after making certain the other bits are in good shape.

 

Probably nothing wrong with the steering gear that wasn't already wrong with it. Those thinks are damn near indestructible.

First thing I'd do is take it to a frame shop and make sure the car as a whole isn't bent.

 

Trust me, I've replaced quite a few GM boxes due to a twisted sector shaft. It definitely can happen without mangling the rest of the car.

Although I do agree that everything else needs checked out first. Hence the suggestions and questions in my previous post.