Getting a new steering Gear set to fit.

[Mopar_man]

I've seen a lot of information on this subject with people trying to swap 4 to 1 with a 5 to 1. Mine is a 26/7 case and 5 to 1 shaft (stamped 5) and gears (stamped 5). I want to change out the gears but as normal the center shaft won't fit the cover. My cover with the original shaft is loose. I've read that this is a common problem with the reproduction gear sets. Is it ok to put the shaft in a drill press and use sand paper to get it to fit the cover? How tight should it be?

[Norman Kling]

Most important is to have it centered. It will ride in the center of the steering post and the cover should be centered when it is fastened. The cover could be worn on one side or on the bottom. so first thing is to make it perfectly round, then you can either turn the shaft or ream the cover to fit. It should be loose enough to turn easily, but not wobble when everything is a fit. Use a little grease to lubricate it and also the gears should be packed with grease.
Norm

[DanTreace]

If you purchased the ''oversize" set with the oversize pinion shaft, then yes, you'll have to fit the new pinion to the cover. Either ream the cover bore or remove some of the oversize shaft to make a nice slip fit.

For me, most times the new set in std. size works OK with a cover that has been re-plated with nickel, as the new nickel layer adds just the right amount of thickness to a worn bore in a cover.

Also, I like to 'lap' the new gears to the new pinion too, for smooth operation.

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