Actually I am getting ready to take out my manual steering for a boregeson power on a 66 Stang, and yes the steering shaft can be removed from the box, you have to unscrew the cap that holds the shaft/gear in the housing after you remove the steering tube out of the way, not all the way just up far enough to get to the cap, with the engine in the car, I just restored mine from the ground up and had the steering column, box, gears all out and cleaned and painted before putting back in, so it can be done without cutting the shaft.