Crossover steering arm pitman direction

[lochenjons]

I thought with the steering wheel in the center between lock to lock the pitman arm faces directly back, parallel to the frame with crossover. I just got a pitman arm from an '82 furd van that was supposed to work. But with the way the splines are on the 2wd steering shaft, it faces either inside the frame or outside. Is this right/is this still going to work/does it matter/ is this still going to work/which way sohuld it face/is this still going to work?
thanks!

 

[southernspeed]

I don't have my truck here but I think mine was almost straight back. I'll have a look in the morning.......if it hasn't floated away in these floods!!

 

[55Willy]

the pitman arm should be indexed for every 90*s

 

[lochenjons]

the pitman arm should be indexed for every 90*s

It is, so it can either be 45* inside the frame or 45* pointing out

 

[55Willy]

hang on, I'll go get my stock ford arm and look.
the shaft on the box should allow for 4 spots all 90* from each other.

 

[lochenjons]

hang on, I'll go get my stock ford arm and look.
the shaft on the box should allow for 4 spots all 90* from each other.

It does. all 45* away from the frame with the wheel centered and around 90* at lock position

 

[55Willy]

so I'm guessing the ford arm you have is indexed wrong for this application.
the arm should have the 4 indexing splines perpindicular(sp?) to the drag link hole and 2 in the same plane.

 

[lochenjons]

so I'm guessing the ford arm you have is indexed wrong for this application.
the arm should have the 4 indexing splines perpindicular(sp?) to the drag link hole and 2 in the same plane.

Great . Its not like that. its like this:

\ /

/ \
A
R
M

 

[55Willy]

so yours look like the 2nd one?

 

[lochenjons]

so yours look like the 2nd one?

Yeah, its not gonna work? Great I gotta get this done before blazerfest

 

[lochenjons]

TTT I'm going to the pick n pull this weekend (half off day!! ), and I'm still not sure if this one will work. I can easily get another one, but if someone wants to save me the time and effort of returning the one and pulling another, let me know this will work.
thanks!