Correct. And that's the most important step of your setup I think.
Just make sure you do this without any linkage connected to the box. You don't want anything to limit the travel, other than the box itself.
For starters too, after centering the box, I would connect the steering linkage fully without tightening any of it, so you can manipulate it for the trackbar installation. You'll see what I mean later.
Center the steering box and correct the steering wheel if necessary. Your steering wheel will be your reference point from here on out, so it has to match the box. Until you know it's centered with the box, you can't use it as any kind of a future reference point.
Install the pitman arm straight back for power steering, or one spline to the driver's side if manual.
Put the rig fully on the ground, if it's not already, like they said. For any of this the truck has to be at it's full weight or you're just pissing in the wind. If not, just get it "close enough" and worry about the fine tuning later.
Connect the temporarily adjusted linkage.
Get your toe-in pretty close. Something in the neighborhood of 1/16" to 1/4" is typical, but what makes it happy depends on your setup.
With the rig on the ground then, measure to the center of the frame crossmember and put some tape and a mark there. Do the same for the axle, or maybe the tie-rod is easier to eyeball.
Hang a plumb-bob or nut-on-a-string from the center mark on the cross member and compare it to the mark on the tie-rod. Hanging it from the back of the crossmember might make this easier?
Adjust the trackbar all the way in for now if you don't have a lift yet. Leave the locking nut loose for now.
Mount the lower end of the trackbar and raise the upper into the pocket. The loose nut allows you to fine tune the angle so it will fit right up into the pocket.
If the trackbar does not reach, or is too long, don't adjust it just yet. Have a helper turn the steering wheel one way or another to shift the chassis side to side over the axle/suspension. This is why you wanted the steering linkage hooked up in the first place.
Compare your measured lines.
If they're centered, lock it down.
If the axle mark is too far to the driver's side, pull the trackbar out of the top mount and lengthen it. Reinstall and re-measure.
If it's too far to the passenger side, you might have to re-install your original one to get it closer. I think most of the trackbars will go down to a stock, or near-stock length, but I don't know that for sure.
To adjust the draglink you may have to drive it a bit, but you can set it up close initially.
If the wheels are even remotely close to being pointed straight ahead, adjust the draglink length to fit into the pitman arm without moving it. Snug it down but don't worry about all the correct torques just yet.
If your toe-in is set, drive it forward if you have room to maneuver, or drive it out of the driveway and back in, making sure that the vehicle (not the steering wheel necessarily) is tracking straight and the tires are pointed straight ahead. If the steering wheel is off-center, simply shorten or lengthen the draglink while watching the steering wheel through the window until it's centered.
Now your box, your steering wheel and your tires are all centered, while the box itself is in it's on-center position.
The clamps need to be fairly tight to avoid flex while driving. Always make sure that none of the clamps are pointed in any direction where they might interfere with another component. A typically bad position is in a TRO setup where the passenger side adjusting sleeve clamps are pointed backwards and can lock on the lower trackbar bolt when steering. Bad juju!
You might not have to worry about any interference issues, but you need to at least keep it in mind while you're putting your steering system together.
Sorry if that was convoluted or if I left anything out. Kind of winding myself back up and getting into the groove. Hopefully others will chime in and fine-tune all of that and get you running straight down the road.
Paul
