slightly swept back is correct.
you rotate the round covers to take up backlash. usually you don't have enough adjustment on those old boxes..
But just
for S&G's, you didn't rotate the covers till it was hard to steer did you?
No up and down on the wheel is good. Question.. you didn't go into the box and replace the metal bearings and cups with those
POS nylon jobs did you? Doing so can cause reduced steering performance and hard steering if you put the box top on hard to
clamp them in and keep out thrust play.
Speaking of thrust play, you didn't remove too many shims and thus have the wormshaft held in a bind do you?
Lastly.. if it steers ok with the front up but hard, front down, check the spindle bushings.
If it steers harder one way than the other.. when the front is up.. it's in the box, unless you have binding at the spindles.
disconnect steering arms either at the front or back.. if it's binding in the box.. you will be going back in.
as said.. binding could be:
too tight adjustment on side covers
chitty nylon thrust bearings
insuficient shim stack between box and top putting a bind on the worm shaft.
a badly worn ballnut that is tipping upon steering.
PS.. having the gears out of time just reduces your lock to lock steering range, and/or, makes it so that you can steer farther
to one side than the other.
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