[DAVID IN GA]

do any of you know of "bolt in" steering box that would give me better steering response and stability?

i have seen some articles in magazines about a conversion using mid 80's monte carlo ss boxes, but they require changing the shaft and so forth.

i would just like to r & r the box with a quicker more responsive unit with little changeover effort.

 

[Gary S]

Run to your local wrecking yard and look for a 77-79 Z28 Camaro box. These boxes should have the same flared compression fittings as your car. You will most likely find that the Chevelle rag joint will not mate the Camaro box to your Chevelle steering rod.
I believe that the correct combination can be taken from a 70s or early 80s chevy pickup to put it all together.
Stay away from the 80 and later Camaro boxes, as they have O-ring type fittings for the hoses. You can use them if you purchase new hoses.
Also, you might check the same year Trans Ams, but the ones I checked in the wrecking yards had 3 turns lock-to-lock, while the Z28s had 2.6 turns lock-to-lock steering.
Sorry, Pontiac, but I know which one I want.

 

[68502]

Being a Chevrolet and a Pontiac fan, I'll have to say Pontiac had the best steering gear in the '70's! The '79 Trans Am (also '80-'81) with WS6 suspension had a 14:1 steering gear that was about 2.5 turns lock to lock. It had a firmer feel than the variable ratio used in the Z28. Of course, any of the Z28 or T/A steering gears are better than most others.

 

[DAVID IN GA]

ok, i can appreciate the trans am steering feel, as i have a 78 ws6 car in storage. it has very tight/repsonsive steering.

what about this rag coupler i would need to convert one of these trans am or camaro boxes? never heard of this part.

 

[JWA]

David,

I used a box out of a 78 Z28 in my 68 SS and it was a direct bolt in with no extra parts needed. Love the quick turning

------------------
Jeff ACES#841 TCG#158
68 SS396(454)
68 L78 Project
87 MC SS

 

[drptop70ss]

Hey ace what pitman arm did you use? From what I remember the camaro one is a lot longer than the chevelle, did you use the chevelle arm??

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70 chevelle ss396 conv
66 chevelle ss396 hdp/conv

 

[JWA]

I used the one off the chevelle pump. The camaro one was different, but I don't remember if it was shorter or longer.

------------------
Jeff ACES#841 TCG#158
68 SS396(454)
68 L78 Project
87 MC SS

 

[71ragtop]

I'm in the process of changing mine over in my 71. Right now there is a special "Hot Rod" Issue for Chevelles on the newsstand, one of the tech articles goes into detail about how to change over the steering boxes. It tells you what you need to make them work and where you get the the parts. This article is a must if you're going to change a box over. Pick up the magazine, you'll have all your questions answered there!