VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 41 steering box

I've got a lot of small projects going on right now in addition to changing the rings. One of the smaller projects is the steering box, which had noticeable wear in the sector (output) shaft bearings. I blamed the difficulty in adjusting the steering to this sloppy sector shaft.
Now the sector shaft bearings are replaced, and I still have problems - small acceptable problems, but nevertheless. The sector shaft and wormshaft endplay are easier to adjust, but the play between the sector and worm shaft is not so easy. I can adjust it perfectly without play when the pitman arm is in its center position, but as soon as I turn to either side some play returns.
If I adjust the play even closer, the slop while in the side position disappears but I have some resistance at the steering wheel precisely at the center of its range of motion.
So I am thinking, this sector shaft is essentially a wheel which revolves around the shaft as the wormgear turns. It seems to me that as the sector wheel revolves away from the center position it is only natural that the distance to the wormgear increases. In other words, I would think that there is an engineering error that should mean that all 41 chevs have play in the steering box as one departs from the center position. Am I out to lunch? Should I ignore this? Do I need a new steering box?
Karl

All steering boxes are engineered to be adjusted in the center position and have play off center.

This design feature is stated in one of the later manuals. Going straight down the road is when you need the least play.

I would still think that the design used on the truck steering boxes, with the quarter round sector gear, is inherently more precise.