Steering gear adjusting nut

[imoore]

Not sure if you managed to loosen the thrust nut. But there is a pinch bolt which needs to be loosed before the thrust but can move.

On mine.

The nut can free spin on the column shaft.

Ian

[Russ T. Fender]

Ian, I never got mine to turn and stopped trying after getting the information here about how to make the adjustment.  It certainly looks like it would turn but I put plenty of force on it without any movement.  Thinking it through now it makes sense that it does not move because if it did the steering column could slide up and down even after the nut that sets the location of the worm gear is in place and the locking bolt on the steering box is tightened.  That is because the locking bolt keeps the steering box locked on the threads of the nut and not on the column itself.  I suppose the fact that your nut turns on the shaft doesn't matter as long as the steering box is fixed on the frame and the steering column is held in place by the bracket on the dashboard.  That way I don't think anything can move even if the nut is not fixed to the column.