The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline 55 Chevy Power Steering

Hey,

I picked up a power steering box from craigslist and the gentlemen told me there was no problem with the box getting in the way of turning. In my signature i've put some pictures of the box and where it should be placed per http://www.classicperform.com/power2.htm ... To me it seems i was misinformed and it will rub. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,
Taylor

Nope, they all rub. except when they sell them

Haha, thanks. Looking at the Toyota one, is that the most simple option? Even though it's a bit more than i would like to spend, it seems easy and about price comparable to the other options.

I have 4 years on a Toyota power steering swap and I love it.

I installed the Toyota conversion in my 56 in 2000. In my opinion it is the best set up for TF trucks. Also put one in a 55 Cameo, a 57 3600 dump truck, and a 56 F100. All are still performing well.
They are pricy and becoming somewhat scarce. Does require mods to the stock column or replacement column.
Fred

Thanks, i'll be ordering one today!

Alright, before I spend the money...Are Rack and Pinion Conversion kits a better option? They seem comparable in price.

If you try to put a R&P on a straight axle, please increase your liability coverage and your life insurance. They're deadly dangerous and totally irresponsible. The coupling between the body and the axle-mounted rack has a nasty habit of locking up and making the vehicle impossible to steer. Just because somebody has something for sale to gullible people doesn't mean it actually works as advertised!

It's fairly simple to rotate the Saginaw steering box 90 degrees, mount it on top of the frame, and point the Pitman arm straight down. All it takes is a pretty basic bracket fabricated out of flat plate and a minor modification to the Pitman arm spline to allow it to be clocked to the proper position. That eliminates the Rube Goldberg linkage between the Pitman arm and the spindle, and it puts the steering gear on top of the frame, out of harm's way where it can't be rubbed by the tire. People just can't think outside the box sometimes!
Jerry

Jerry,

Thanks for the input, we're new at this so give us a little grace! I do have a few questions regarding moving the Saginaw box. When clocking the pitman arm spline do you mean taking the back part off the box and moving it so the arm will align straight down when connected. We aren't sure how that would work with linkage that goes to the triangle bracket that comes off the hob/axle (not pictured). Also, the truck front end was stripped when we purchased it, what is the bracket that sits right in front of where the steering box would go.

Power Steering

Thanks,
Taylor

If you're talking about the bracket on top of the frame just behind the steering box input shaft, that's part of the parking brake linkage. The slotted bracket in another picture is part of the radiator core support attachment, I believe.

Most all of the Saginaw Pitman arms have four wide splines in the tapered hole that slips over the steering gear output shaft, that's supposed to prevent the arm from being installed incorrectly. By using a 3-cornered file to split the wide splines, the arm can be installed on any spline, resulting in several optional positions to use while tinkering with the geometry of the linkage. I see someone has already figured out how to top-mount the steering box, which is much more practical than the usual dumb-looking method the commercial kit vendors use. You can fabricate steering stops for the spindles to prevent the tire from rubbing the steering linkage in a hard right turn. It just reduces the turning circle tightness a little.

Edit:
It's also possible to move the shock absorber mounting bracket to a position behind the axle to free up some extra space for the drag link when the steering gear is mounted ahead of the axle. You might want to move the steering gear far enough forward to be ahead of the core support if you don't want to alter that bracket- - - -just use a longer drag link.
Jerry