The steering system on the XR311 is quite elaborate. The steering links are non adjustable just like other cars from that era. Tolerance seems to be quite good though. The front wheel on the old XR311 I have points straight without need for tie rod adjustment.
The gear box is a hefty cast piece of metal.
On the new gearbox, the bevel gear is engaged with a splined shaft. On the originao XR311, it is fastened with a set screw. Same with the drive gear. The original is located with set screw while the new one is located with a hex shaped feature on the drive shaft to prevent rotation. The new method is more secure. As you know, set screws tend to loosen up during running.
As a result of the tendency for the set screw to loosen up, on the original XR311, there are two plugs that goes into the bottom of the gearbox. You pull these plugs to retighten the set screws.
