:wave:its fun to fabricate.but how about the steering box,the 3 holes in it are bigger than the mounting bolts.so do you center it somehow to make sure theres no side load on the steering shaft?or welds(other thread)? just thinkin out loud here.overandout
No.
The steering coupler takes out any misalignment with the steering shaft. The column itself moves a little too, it can be adjusted a bit with its position on the floor.
But, the bearing isn't new. From the factory, floor shifted manual steering cars came with a lower column bearing, pictured first below.
Also, all column shifted cars had lower bearings. There's a bearing on the steering shaft that rides inside of the shift tube, which is supported by a nylon bushing. Second picture below shows examples of the stock column shifted steering shaft bearings.
There's less give in the flange bearing I used, but not a ton. Its biggest advantage is if you're switching from a column shifted car to a floor shifted car, or if your stock lower bearing is worn out or damaged. The first one pictured below is usually about $80, the flange bearings are often in the $10 range.
