Steering problem

[Dbcrump]

I have a 1968 standard beetle. It has 1 1/8 turn to lock right and 1 5/8 turn to lock left. So it has trouble turning to the right into parking spaces ect…. It handles well otherwise with new shocks, bushings, tie rods and stabilizer.
So it should have 1 1/4 turn to lock each way and I wonder about the best way to correct this problem. Can tie rod adjustments take the steering wheel to the left enough to correct this(1/4 turn of the steering wheel?)? If so, then afterwards the steering wheel can be repositioned on the splines to center. Thanks in advance for your consideration.

[Cusser]

Yes, the tie rods can be loosened then rotated to center the steering gear; if rotated the same amount in opposite directions, then the toe-in will remain the same.

Once the steering gear is centered (same turns to full left and to full right, then returned to center position), THEN the steering wheel can come off and be re-positioned to also be centered.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[Dbcrump]

Unfortunately, for me, adjusting the tie rods as indicated in the service manual did not result in simply moving the steering wheel in the direction desired. I suspect the tie rods have different thread pitches. The toe-in was affected. I will reverse my changes and look into how else to address this problem.

[baldessariclan]

On a stock front beam, there should be two adjustable stops, used to control the range of movement for the steering / front wheels -- i.e. those stops effectively control the max side-to-side throw of the pitman arm (under the steering box).

Anyway, you may want to check and make sure those two stops are set correctly, in addition to any other steering box and alignment adjustments.
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1971 Standard Beetle — fairly stock / driver

baldessariclan -- often in error, never in doubt...