pulling apart a mk3 steering column theother day ,I noticed that none of the uj yokes line up is there a reason for this?
only thing I can think of is that as the steering shaft isnt rotated at high speed, then yoke alinment isnt critical

I believe the reason for this is so that the steering column does not come straight at the driver in the event of a frontal impact (there is stuff in the SVA manual about it)

Would this be my answer to how to get the steering column around the Pinto engine mount?

if you use more than 2 uj in the sterring, it will need a bearing along its length.

I have 3 in mine - to get a decent 'crash angle' in the line. I used a machined alu block as a 'bearing clamp'.

You might be able to use a rod end as a bearing, provided you put it on the shaft before you weld the end on!

atb

steve