I mocked up my 350 SBC and 700R4 some time ago and just squeaked by with the ram horn exhaust between the motor mount and original steering box. Since install, I am off my original design. This is on a straight axle front end. Not so concerned with power steering. I looked at the Toyota mini box but still will not have the clearance I need for the exhaust on the driver's side. Block huggers won't work. Rather not run fender headers. If not familiar with the 46, the steering box is located in the frame rail instead of the top like the AD trucks. Here are my thoughts:
Option 1: Move Steering box back 1-2 inches with drilling out new sector hole in frame and shimming steering box so the sector is in the same plane as before and extending my drive link. I have put in modern tie rods with an adjustable link. I am not a machinist but thought this would be less disruptive to the steering geometry. I have also cut my steering shaft on the old box and will U-joint it to my modern steering column.
Option 2: Try the Toyota mini box on top of the frame as the AD modifications have done and extend the pitman arm. Not crazy about this as I fear it will really mess up the steering geometry.
Option 3: Leave as is and reverse the exhaust manifolds out a 1980 Camaro, for example, so my exhaust exits toward the front of the engine and then turn the exhaust backward.
I have attached a pic of my issue and an example of the manifold. I have plenty of clearance on the passenger side.
An exhaust manifold for a 1955/56 265 V8 has an outlet that's forward of the position of the one on a rams' horn manifold, enough to clear the steering gear. Unless you're planning to do a lot of full throttle operation with a pretty radical camshaft, the slight advantage in exhaust flow volume of the rams' horns is going to be a moot point for normal street operation. Those manifolds are on Ebay pretty frequently, at reasonable prices. Ditto for swap meets.
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
So the 265 V8 has the same bolt and exhaust port pattern as a 350? I will have to see if these will work, afraid it may be directly over my motor mount but won't know until I test fit. I have about a 3 inch opening between the steering box and motor mount on the driver's side.
Yes, the port spacing on virtually all the small block V8 heads until the mid-1990s is the same. A little creative pipe bending by a custom muffler shop will be better (and less expensive) than tinkering with the steering gear mounting, and totally botching up the steering geometry in the process. If you don't need the generator mount boss on the driver's side manifold, the passenger's side fits with the outlet in the same location. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Is the Toyota Steering under the hood? I recently installed a Prius electric steering system on my 55.1 and everything is in the cab. Under the hood the steering looks basically stock. It came from a wrecking yard and someone had previously moved the steering box over 2 inches to install a V8. I would rather have it in the stock location but it is too much to change it back now.
Toyota made a power steering gear with hydraulic boost, not electric. It's almost, but not quite a clone of a stovebolt steering gear. It would need a pump fitted to the engine, as well as a little bit of fabrication to make it fit a Chevy frame. I believe that's the one the OP is talking about.
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I like the front exit Camaro manifold idea. Or another SBC exhaust that points straight down, but at the end like the Camaro one. Looks like there's plenty of room up there versus shoehorning that hot pipe right next to the steering box and firewall.
The original thread is over a year old- - - - -it's not likely the OP will respond. Using the 1955/57 265 V8 manifold has been done many times over the years, and it works well. I'm not sure what the original poster ended up doing. A lot of the usual options such as "block hugger" headers, etc. are a very expensive and troublesome fix for a problem that can be resolved by using old stock parts. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
I tried block hugger headers, tried the 265's that Hotrod Lincoln suggested, the Camaro headers (would have worked except the pattern was not the same for my heads. I ended up moving the steering box back 2.5 inches using the original second mounting hole for the steering box as the now the first one. I used a approx. 14 inch steering link w/ modern tie rods ends. The problem I ran into after that was that the tire would hit the pitman arm when turning to the left leaving me shy of approx. 4 degrees of turning. I then cut the pitman arm and angled more rearward so the tire would clear w/ a left hand turn. I am running 205/75R15's. Plenty of room for turning and may have been able to run a 215 instead. I originally wanted to keep the straight axle for originality and looks but now would stronger consider going to a Mustang frontend to save some reengineering. You can PM me if you any more questions.
Oh, the 2.5 inches gave me plenty of clearance for my Amazon ram horn exhaust between the motor mount and steering box. The other manifolds would interfere with my frame. Bill
here is another option i did. I put a passenger Camero stock iron manifold on the driver side. It dumps straight down in the front of the engine then I run it under backup up and out the back. Dual exhaust. I got the passenger manifold for a case of water to one of the local custom builders who is always swapping out engines.
Sorry just found time for some pics with my modification of the steering setup. I moved the box back 2.5 inches and had to shorten my aftermarket steering column 1 inch and changed the angle of column to accommodate the rearward movement of the steering box.
Last edited by Hilarious Chevy; 05/07/20263:41 AM. Reason: add picture
I was going to use buckets out of a Nissen Sentra (hug the floor vs. set up high) since I am using the pedestal and the under seat gas tank, but with the changes it was a cramped since the bucket seat had a high back and hit the cab prematurely. It was fine for my short stature (5' 6" on a good day) but anyone else would have been way tight. I plan to go with a 3rd row seat out of a Ford Expedition or Suburban when I get a chance to go back to the junk yard. Hopefully it will have a shorter back. Other threads have suggested this. I have the tilt steering on my aftermarket column which doesn't tilt as low as I like (near vertical) but will be much better than the original.
This is starting to get off topic, but the third row seats from a Suburban are probably too narrow. They are only 48" wide and at least the 53 trucks are a few inches wider than that.
