my steering box has about 2-3 inches of play in it, very bad, i need to replace it but dnt kno if i should take it in, or if i can do it on my own in my driveway, any suggestions? if u guys think it isnt that hard of a task how do i do it?

Do a search here on the Grand Cherokee steering box swap.
An awesome improvement over a stock Chevelle box! :thumbsup:

I changed my 68 chevelle with manual steering and took my power steering out of my 70 and swapped them. Very easy just make sure to mark the steering shaft so your steering wheel is not off centered. There are 3 bolt in the side of the frame holding the box and a couple from the shaft bolted to the box.

so what do i do exactly to take the steering box off and put the new one on?

Unbolt the bolts from the steering shaft to the box. Then unbolt the bolts to the box on the inside of the frame and take the box off and install the new one. Again make sure to mark the steering shaft before taking anything off.

There will be that pesky pitman-arm thing in the way too. ;)

You may need a puller to remove that, but as was stated above, just make sure everything is lined up before removal and installation. It is pretty straightforward.

Also, there is a procedure for bleeding the air out of the steering gear/pump, you probably won't be able to drive it for a few hours after you finish.

Don't have to mark anything...
The rag joint will only go together one way...the two bolts holding the thing together are of different sizes.
And the Pitman arm is splined so it only goes on facing the rear.

So...
Three bolts thru the frame
Two rag joint nuts
One Pitman arm nut
One Centerlink nut
Two hoses (if PS)
And off it comes....:hurray:

so will i need to have a puller or not? and as for the bleeding process, how do i do that?

so will i need to have a puller or not? and as for the bleeding process, how do i do that?

Only you will know that! If you get the nut off and the arm is stuck, then yes.

For bleeding, put the front end on jackstands, start the motor, and give the wheel several full turns through its full range of motion. Shut off. When you remove the cap, you will notice it is full of foamed up PS fluid. This will take time to settle down. Once settled, top off the fluid. It should be OK now.

ok thanks ha, i guess i will just figure it out, and some1 said that the jeep cherokee conversion would be worth it, what is so much better about that one?

Price, and faster ratio. (less turns lock-to-lock)

Cons - special parts needed, and using "recycled" parts.

I bought a rebuilt fast ratio steering box from Napa for $180 or so, worked great.

I just had Billscamino put a grand cherokee box in my 72 4 door. cost was $94 for the conversion kit from Lee Mfg. and $134 for a rebuilt one from pep Boys. I can tell you it is like night and day as far as steering from the original.
To me the grand cherokee box while having less turns lock to lock, it has a much better feel, much like a more recent car with rack and pinion. Not the real quick, excessively easy, power assist, but rather a little more road feel when traveling down the street.
I can say i would do it all over again now that I have driven it this way. I never liked full time power steering of the orignal. I only wish I had known about this before the steering box in my Sprint got replaced.

The deal with the Jeep GC box swap is this: steering feel is largely determined by the size of the "T-bar" inside the hydraulic control valve in the steering gearbox. This T-bar is fundamentally a torsion spring that you must turn the wheel to overcome to turn on steering boost. So a smaller diameter means less steering effort before boost kicks in and vice versa for a larger diameter.

Many of the A-body or Chevelle PS gearboxes came with 0.165" T-bars while the Jeep GC box came with a 0.195" T-bar. Huge difference, going from pinky steering to something with some feel and feedback. This is the biggest and most worthwhile change to your steering you can make.

And the Jeep GC box is a fast ratio so you do not have to turn the wheel as far. Nice and very commonly available but not so big a deal as the T-bar size.

Personally I would never replace a Chevelle steering gearbox with anything less. I actually run a box with a 0.210" T-bar (which is what AGR boxes run) and love it. It is too much for some though, so the 0.195" in the Jeep should be good and safe.

Is there a difference between the Grand Cherokee box and the fast ratio "stock" steering box?

There are a number of 12.7:1 Police, F41, and/or FE suspension Caprice gears that will interchange quite easily as well (just like the Grand Cherokee power gear.) You want a gear with about the same pitman shaft sweep as your Chevelle. The Jeep GC and the Caprice gears meet this requirement. The problem is that you have to recognize that with the Caprice the fast ratio power gear was a special gear tied to particular types of suspensions (F41 or FE) or the police car option.

Do NOT install a fast ratio Camaro power gear, your turning circle will increase considerably. The Camaro gear will bolt right in just like all the others but its pitman shaft sweep is restricted.

Here is a link to the listing of the GM fast ratio gears with similar pitman shaft sweeps:
http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/01/1985-96Caprice,MonteCarlo,BuickFastRatioGears.xls

All of the Jeep Grand Cherokee gears (1992 1/2 through 1998) gears were 12.7:1 fast ratio gears. (They were no optional GC gears so you really can't make a mistake as long as you find the correct year and model.) Please note this is the Jeep Grand Cherokee NOT the plain Cherokee gear.

Lastly, I recommend the following procedure for "getting the air out" of the power steering system.

First jack both front wheels off the ground. (Make sure that your jacks have clearance when the road wheels are turned to full lock.) With the engine off you can rotate the steering wheel back and forth (full lock to full lock) and the piston inside the assist cylinder will act as a pump. Rotating the steering wheel will gently move the fluid along with any large air bubbles through the circuit until the air can rise directly into the pump reservoir - and out. It is a good idea to hold the steering wheel at full lock for about 5 seconds each time before turning in the opposite direction. This allows the air to rise into the pump reservoir with each steering cycle. Repeat this lock to lock procedure a couple dozen times.

You should note that the level of the fluid in the reservoir drops as air is removed from the system. You may have to refill the pump reservoir to the COLD mark on the capstick a couple times during the procedure. This will get MOST of the air out. Then drop the car back down and start the engine. Try a few more lock to locks but now be sure NOT to hold the steering at full lock for more than just a few seconds. Recheck the fluid level and fill if required. Go for a 10 mile drive. You are done!

For even more of an explanation on the above procedure you may want to take a look at this paper on the www.corvettefaq.com websight: http://jimshea.corvettefaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/deaireationprocedure-corvetterev02jl08.doc

One last tip, I recommend that you use genuine GM power steering fluid that is available from GM dealerships. I don't recommend using the stuff that is labeled, "Meets everyone’s specifications" nor do I recommend automatic transmission fluid. The only fluid that has been tested in tens of thousands of Saginaw laboratory tests and millions of vehicle test miles is the GM fluid. Also the GM fluid is pretty good at dispersing the air out of fluid suspension.

Jim

Regarding difference between Jeep GC box and generic fast ratio rebuilt boxes...

Both types of boxes will have the fast ratio and is good as far as it goes. Unfortunately the rebuilt boxes DO NOT specify what T-bar size is used internally. They generally use whatever was original and I suspect often use whatever they have on hand. This suggests they tend toward the small T-bar size.

What I really like about the Jeep GC conversion besides the bolt on and equivalent pittman arm sweep is it DOES specify the T-bar size so you know you are getting a box with real feel to it. This aspect of the steering box is HUGE. Unless you really like super easy pinky steering, then you can just run OEM.