Quick ratio steering box, what to look for?

[PT Sportwagon]

Being on a budget I am going to look in the bone yards for a quick ratio steering box for my 71 Sportwagon.

What car would be best to look for a steering box out of? I am wanting something that will be bolt in with little work.

Tim

[The Stickman]

Being on a budget I am going to look in the bone yards for a quick ratio steering box for my 71 Sportwagon.

What car would be best to look for a steering box out of? I am wanting something that will be bolt in with little work.

Tim


From what I have found all GM boxes are the same case. It's just the guts that are different. I took one off an IROC-Z to put in my S-10. I went from doing 4+ turns lock to lock to doing just over 2. Now you will have to use the pitman arm that comes with your car and they can be a pain to switch. But it will transform your car. I am thinking of doing the same to my wagon.

[72ElCamino]

I am not sure if it is considered an A-body or not but I am getting a Jeep Grand Cherokee box for my 72 El Camino. There is a bunch of write ups on the chevelle forum about it.

Apparently it is roughly a 2.75 turns lock to lock and also has a larger "T-Bar"

this T-Bar apparently tells the box when to add power assist and how much.

I am not sure if this would be the same for your car but I would assume it would be pretty close? And I havn't heard anything bad about them.

Matt

[b-man]

I found one on a '79 -'81 Trans Am, it bolted right onto my '64 Lemans.

Even my old power steering hoses and rag joint went right on, no mods.

Only 3 turns lock to lock instead of the stock 4-1/2 turns. The stops inside the 2nd-gen F-body steering boxes are said to reduce the turning radius, but I really haven't noticed much difference. The car is easy to park and U-turns on a fairly narrow residential street are no problem.

Best $40 I ever spent at my local self-serve boneyard. :)

One of these late 2nd-gen T/A boxes would right onto your '71 Sportwagon too.

[86Cutlass383SR]

x2 on what Stickman said. I know the mid 80's f-body boxes had at least 2 versions. The IROC with 16" wheels had an "XH" code stamped on the end of the round plug, if it's still readable. It has more road feel to it than the simular ratio'ed YS box which has a more normal pass car type feel to it.

I like my XH box, it will make a differance.

[406 Q-ship]

You can do the Trans Am box from the late 1970's but it does reduce the turning radius (had one on a 69 El Camino) they are 14:1 ratio. I have not personaly done the steering box from the Cherokee but I have been told about it, a few issues is the input is a different size and requires a modified rag joint, and the power steering lines changed sometime in the 1980s and they went to a o-ring instead of the tapered seat that the 71 Olds used. A adapter that hammers into the fitting on the box is avialiable from Lee's Power Steering so you can use the original Power Steering lines.