I've included a photo of the old Pitman arm next to the new one and they look to be the same.
actually, they do not. the new one seems to be shorter on both sides than the old one.
this MAY not be important, as the critical consideration is hole center to hole center. and the most important part of that is that the Pitman and Idler arms have the same distance hole center to hole center. otherwise you'll get a different deflection on the RF than you have on the LF front when you turn the steering wheel.
think back to your high school geometry. ideally, the front steering arrangement should be part of a parallelogram that can deform. viewed from overhead as if you were in the driver seat, the Pitman arm would be the left side of the parallelogram while the Idler would be the right side. the Pitman and Idler HAVE to be the same length OR you have differing angles between the frame of the car ( the top ) and the steering link ( the base ). this is going to induce different steering angle in the RF with reference to the LF.
Suggestions please.
1968-72 is all the same generation of Skylark. we don't have a manual for 72 BUT we do have the chassis manual for 1971. so the first option would be to look at the factory recommendations:
https://www.teambuick.com/reference/...ssis/index.php
beyond that, there are a lot of shadetree fixes.
a - convert to rack and pinion steering! can't rub the steering link if'n you don't have one.
b - pull the engine and use a gas torch and sledge hammer to adjust the shape of the cross member
c - get out the welder and box the cross member to get the extra space you need
d - grind on the steering link til you shave enough off that it doesn't rub any more ( makes the link weaker and easier to deform )
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