The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks Power Steering Kit

Anyone make a complete setup with new components for my '63? I checked Jim Carter and LMC and could not find an entire set up. I jumped out of airplanes too many times for Uncle Sugar and have had two rotator cuff operations on each shoulder, can't put it off any longer. Went for a nice long ride today up into Virginia and came to the realization I need to do this. I know you can do it with junkyard parts, and I am open to that, but would rather a brand new entire unit. If I can't get new stuff, any info on doing it with used stuff would be appreciated. I'm sure this has been covered a thousand time, so apologies in advance.
Thanks,
Pete

Hey Pete. Sorry to hear about the bad rotators! One of the most frequent convenience upgrades we perform, at 4-5-6 Chevy Trucks, is the power steering conversion. I will send you a PM with some specifics. One upside is, the '63-'66 Chevy trucks have the coil front suspension, in lieu of the earlier torsion bar set-up on the '60-'62 Chevy predecessors. Another consideration, is the motor you are running. Although we offer the power steering pump mounting kits for the 230, 250 & 292 six cylinders, the tough application is the earlier 235 six cylinders. If you want to chat about the particulars of the conversion, feel free to give me a call. In the meantime, take care of them waving sticks!

what engine does it have
ron

230. thanks guys

I have not done business with this seller. IIRC all new power steering for a 230/250.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/194-215-230...arts_Accessories&hash=item4abfade917

Larry

I emailed a friend who had a 66 and put power steering in it. I will post what he did shortly. I think he did it with donor parts. His was 4X4 however.
Also CCP has a kit for $95 and our sponser, Classic Parts of America, has one for $60 (less components). These kits allow you to use regular FLAPS type parts or used if you prefer. (1969-1987 2WD steering box, hoses and pump).

Thank you, I would enjoy looking at that. I'm thinking NAPA or a similar place would have a new steering box and hoses and pump? I guess I could find a quality used one. Any tips How could I identify a good one (pump, Steering box) as opposed to a broken or worn out one? Any step by step instructions for doing the install online anywhere? I know my way around the toolbox (I have owned Indian Motorcycles since I can remember, "Indians, making mechanics of riders since 1901"), but do better with copious instruction!
Pete

Buy a 71-75 C10 reman box and PS pitman arm, hoses for the same, pump for same from your fav FLAPS-should all bolt up using Tony's plate or a REZ kit, Captfab also sells the frame plates. You'll need brackets to bolt up your pump.
Used boxes are kinda a crapshoot unless you know the truck its coming off of-many wrecks damage the box.

If you want SAE fittings, purchase a '68-'79 GM Saginaw #605 power steering gear box. '80 & up, when to metric fittings & hardware.

Here is a link to a kit for mounting the early style Saginaw power steering pump, to a '63-'66 230, 250 or 292:

'63-'66 Chevy truck 230, 250 & 292 power steering pump mounting kit

If you want a good play-by-play of the process, check out this link:

'63-'66 Chevy truck power steering conversion

FLAPS means Friendly Local Auto Parts Store. O'Reilly's has a remanufactured box for $190 and a pump for $46, hoses are around $20 each. As I said the kit from CCP (Classic Performance Products) is $95. May need some ebay/craigslist/junk yard brackets for pump. Don't buy used pump or box. Too much effort to end up with bad parts. CCP sells a COMPLETE! Kit for $649, you can wait for a sale if you want. Review the how-to below, with pictures, using this kit, for 63-66, This, or any other COMPLETE kit, will be your best bet and least headache and no searching around trying to figure out what works. See what you think. Seems like a lot of money but you may spend that on pieces and have trouble too.
http://www.classictrucks.com/tech/1204clt_1963_1966_chevy_power_steering_upgrade/photo_23.html

but most times one needs used str box as a core. junk yard price is usually cheaper than the core charge unless you have shipping to deal with
ron

Good point Ron. The O'Reilly's Power Box has a $91 core charge. Get one off craigslist person parting a 67-87 truck with an ugly, bad, greasy box for $10-$20 and save $70. keep any rag joint stuff off of it and fittings. The pump core charge is $10. You could, of course, use an original power set up with old style ram box, but modern is more available and probably cheaper. KEEP IN MIND: The CCP kit comes with box and pump and no core charge......and hoses, pump brackets, rag joint, pitman arm, column coupler, hardware and instructions and pictoral on their web site Tech Section. Pump brackets are for small block Chevy though. Don't know if they can be modified for 6 cyl. They would know what to use there. That kind of thing is not hard to fabricate (see LGriffin link)... or get one off of 67 and up 6 cyl, used?

Hiya Pete,

Here is what I have done several times, although never on a 1963.
1. Find an engine like mine with all the stuff on it I need. This is almost exclusively an engine based update, but there is one piece you'll have to buy or make . . . the 1/4" spacer which goes behind the steering box on the pre-1967 trucks! Get everything off the doner including the pulleys and belts, the bolts and nuts, the frame clamp for the lines, etc. There are also a couple of spacers that go between/behind brackets that are way easy to drop. Get the year model of the doner truck so you can get parts later on.
2. get your goodies home and clean them up and paint them as you choose. You don't need me to remind you about safety, just do it! If you want all new stuff now you have cores, but the Saginaw boxes are built like a tank, and 40 year old ones usually work as well as the remans at the parts houses. Do get a couple of quarts of a good quality compatible PS fluid AND new idler and pitman arms.
3. Look at your crankshaft pulley and compare the belt grooves to the new one to see if you need to change it. I have always had to change the water pump pulley but yours may be different. Test fit the mounting bracket for the pump and the bracket that goes on the pump. One bolts to the block and one is a saddle for the pump.You'll see how this stuff fits.

Unless I am mistaken, PS wasn't available until the following year in the "C" series, so use the year of the doner truck for buying parts for the PS.

Now one SUPER important thing for junk yard scronging, EXACTLY which engine do you have? Since you said 230, and that would be correct for your 1963, you would use the early brackets. When GM changed the head on the 250 in 1974 they also changed brackets.

The 230 and 250 are the same block with different innards so they look alike from the outside, except for the funky, later model heads. Got all that?

That's it except for the install. The spacer plate I mentioned earlier is so a hump on the back of the steering box will clear the frame. The later trucks have a "dent" in the frame to clear it. On the first crank-up of the new system put something over your alternator to keep any leaks off. You can imagine HOW I know this. I always replace the idler arm as well as the pitman arm. The pitman arm MUST be replaced due to length and that means the idler is the wrong length, too. No other front end parts have to be changed, but this is a great time to do so!

This is also a perfect time to add a front sway bar. The last one I got came off a late 1980s 'burb. I didn't pay squat for it!
Not like the 3-4 hundred ones on line.

See http://s1109.beta.photobucket.com/u.../compairbrackets.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2 for pictures of the brackets. Also if you poke around in the panel truck pics, you will find pictures of my PS installation on my '69 C-20.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

best wishes,

Les

Les, I believe we need to have you and your bride up here for a steak dinner when you are all healed up. We'll take a ride up to Ray Whites junkyard in Germanton and go shopping. I'm hoping to have the new bed in this weekend if it ever quits raining. I should've done it this weekend, but I was forced to ride motorcycles with the beautiful weather we had. Thanks everyone for all the replies. Keep em coming if'n you wish!

Look at the quality of the parts that Tony (4-5-6) has and it's an easy choice to make. He'll have everything you could need and be able to walk you though the change over without any issues. Besides,he's a nice person. How can you beat a deal like that.
Tramp

Tony is a very helpful member of this community.

I used the complete kit from CPP on my '66. The kit was great but they don't have brackets for my 292 (or any 6 for that matter). I ended up shopping on line and found the correct aftermarket brackets. Whole installation took less than 2 hours with a lot of breaks. i would buy it again.

John

Pete,

One thing I forgot, (how is THAT possible,) is that the brackets don't care what they come off of, vehicle wise. Chevy, Pontiac, (except the OHC 6,) Olds, Buick, GMC etc. all work. as Long as the donor has a 230 or 1974 back 250 you are good to go.

If you haven't already, this is also a great time to pick up and install an L6 HEI distributor off one of the post1974 ones we can't use anyway. There is a 12ga PINK wire on those vehicles that runs from the distributor, probably along the rocker cover edge all the way to the bulkhead plug. Clip it as close to the plug as you can and save it and the clamp, too.

I'll be glad to give you a hand and I don't need an excuse to visit a buddy just up the road in Walkertown. I'm about useless right now, and looks to be the mid-end of February before I can jump on much.

Drop me a note any time.

Les

I know you just had a dance with the sawbones Les. I will take you up on your offer,once the weather breaks and you are feeling better. I will start assembling the parts.

Be sure to follow that link in my first post in this thread, Pete. You'll be able to see exactly what you need in terms of brackets.

Please drop me a pm via the 'bolt and we'll stay in touch. Aren't you and Alvin talking about a "Gathering" in G'boro in the late Spring? I'll pitch in on that, too!

Les

Senator, I do no recall any such statements, and I could not divulge or acknowledge any such statements if in fact they were made!