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Budget Quick Steering Box

36K views 41 replies 21 participants last post by  jimsl78 
#1 · (Edited)
Like many, I spend way too much money and time on my car, but thats what the "hobby" is all about. Still, if I can get some low-buck improvement in any aspect of my car I'm going to take a serious look at it. My car is an X44 '69 Camaro coupe... and its a restomod. One thing I wanted to do was upgrade the brakes, suspension, and steering. So the front end got power disc brakes (Wilwoods/CPP/TuffStuff), Hotchkis 2" drop coils, Helix tubular uppers and lowers, ProForged ball joints with tall uppers, ProForged tie rods, ends, and the Helwig 1-1/8" front bar is enroute as I write this. Have to give Dave Pozzi props for giving me some tips and information. And thanks to Jeff Loud [LSX69] who prodded me into doing this write-up. Jeff's going to give it a try in his car now.

My car was originally a small block V8, automatic, power steering and dual exhausts. The steering was awful, seemed like 15 turns lock to lock and response was as slow as molasses. While I'm sure the steering boxes from Lee and other high-end rebuilders are without compare... I noticed that on the compatible Saginaw steering box list they had the Jeep Grand Cherokee from the mid-'90s as a decent candidate. I did some searching on CL and found a local guy who was in the process of parting out his sister's JGC that had been T-Boned on the passenger side. I called up and asked if he had a steering box and if so, what condition. He said he'd pull it out and take some pix which he sent to me. Long story short... I drove up to his house and bought it for $45. Obviously looked a little grimy, but it didn't appear to leak, and it seemed smooth when turned by hand.

I set about cleaning it up last winter as one of my many projects. Got it installed a couple months now, and all I can say is "Night and Day" difference. As with all these newer Saginaw boxes, you'll need to pick up the correct rag joint and a set of adapters for the hoses. But other than that, its a direct bolt-in and you use the original power steering arm (or pick one up from Rock-Auto). Thought I'd post some pix of the restoration.



Kinda dry and rusty, but solid and smooth. Started wire-brushing it because if it was going in the car it had to look decent.



Wire-brushing got the box looking pretty decent as far as a used, 20 year old component was concerned.



Having had done other suspension cleanups over the years, I'm a firm believer in using a good metal etching primer.

270917


I like Rustoleum's "Hammertone" paints for cast items. Did my best to clean and polish the oxidized aluminum parts, clear-coated those.



These numbers may or may not be helpful in identifying a '96 JGC box, but I figured I'd include them. The "214496" is so lightly engraved it barely shows up in pictures.



I did find another picture (see below) where you can barely make out the numbers on the end cap.



Sorry about that LOL.



So here's the rag joint you'd need to retrofit the '96 JGC steering box into your '69 Camaro. Probably all three first gen years. Believe its a Chevy S10 rag joint.



Here's the Borgeson adapters, available from many online vendors. These ensure a nice, tight and so far... leak free connection using your existing PS hose.



Depending on which headers you have, you might have to work the tubes as supposedly the '84 and up Saginaw boxes are 1/8" wider (I never checked).



Best I can do from the bottom until I get back on a lift LOL. Last week of July I put on 1503 miles in one week, drove from Massachusetts down to the Jersey Shore for some family vacation time. Real long distance road test for my brakes, suspension, and steering mods. Happy to say nothing happened... the box is still as dry as a bone in the desert.

So the bottom line is that for well under $100 my car's steering is ultra responsive and no longer wallowing all over the road. I'm sure there's plenty of people who will suggest that the only way to go is new, but so many have opted to search out '84 IROC boxes or their equivalent. The IROC/Monte Carlo boxes (if you can find one) has a slightly thicker shaft, maybe a little better feel... I don't know. This started out as an experiment, and I figured if it sucked... I could always go buy a remanufactured box for a couple hundred and hope they put decent parts back in it. This box is 12 years newer LOL than an '84 IROC box so they're both ancient. It did however, turn out to be just the ticket for me. I'll probably upgrade the hoses this winter, maybe braided SS. Hope this little pictorial helps a few people. And don't forget that a wealth of information is over on Dave Pozzi's page, especially the charts showing various alternate choices for steering boxes. Maybe if enough people like this they'll make it a sticky. Enjoy!

Mike
 
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#2 ·
Thanks a bunch for this informed and detailed post on upgrading the steering on your car. I've been looking for something exactly like this. Now all I have to do is head to the junk yard in search of a mid 90's Grand Cherokee. One question, I need to replace the rag joint in my '68. Is the Dorman 31011 the only part that I need to purchase to replace the rag joint? I'm just starting a LS1 conversion and would like to upgrade my steering at the same time as my motor and brakes. Thanks again!
 
#4 ·
The Helwig 1.125" tubular bar is in and it's pretty effective in flattening the cornering. So the front end makeover is pretty much done and I'm more than pleased. The money I saved by using the JGC box obviously went towards other items. I'm in the process of switching to 17" wheels, so that will probably be an improvement over my 15" setup.

Rich... As far as finding a mid-90's JGC box... the junkyards are one source, but check your local Craigslist listing under parts, that's how I found mine. Either way, try to find one that isn't all stained with leaks. Check the movement by hand. Glad you enjoyed the writeup.
 
#5 ·
I like restoring on a "budget". 468 out of a 72 Suberban with 5K rebuilt miles with T-400 for $600, sold the trans for a hundred. 4 speed out of a 78 trans am, he upgraded to a 5, paid $100. Suspension: SB moog springs, lowered the front 2", energy poly front bushings and stock ball joints and larger front sway bar. Upgrade cam, heads, intake, carb. . . .$1200. PPG black with pearl white stripes, VA AC, stock radiator and clutch fan, IROC box, $116. Parts from NAPA or Autozone.
BFG on 17 Foose wheels. All new PUI interior with last years 2000 watt stereo system. Best engine last 13 shows, 2 beast paint and best in show 6 times. . . .runs great, handles fantastic with cold AC and great tunes. . . . .total restoration cost. . . .$23K over 2 years and never left the shop out back. . . .#35th Camaro over 35 years.
 
#9 ·
Excellent post!
My car had manual steering and it was a bear to park or maneuver at slow speed.
I got my PS gear box, Pittman attached with pump and old hoses from a member here. ($50 and a three hour drive) It was from a 1967 327. I cleaned and painted the 3 1/2 turn gear box and pump like you did to your's. I got new 350 pump brackets, hoses and crank pulley to fit my 350. I also got a new PS rag joint kit from Ricks. Sold the 327 brackets on ebay for $40.
The difference is amazing!
Only thing is, I can not figure out why the steering wheel is off by about 20/30 degrees to the right. Meaning if steering wheel held straight as prior to change over the car slightly drifts to left. Yes, I swear the wheels and steering wheel was straight ahead when I put it back together. But working by myself didn't help.
 
#10 ·
Are you saying that if you were to hold your steering wheel, while you are driving it, so it's not 20 to 30 degrees off center, the car goes to the left? That's what it looks like you are saying. When I did mine, I had the same issue. With my hands off the steering wheel, it was abut 10-20 degrees off center to the left, but the car drove perfectly straight. I just pulled the steering wheel while the car was parked and the wheels perfectly straight and moved the steering wheel 10-20 degrees to the right. Problem solved.
 
#11 ·
Yes. I think.
Before the change over my manual steering was dead on. With only a very slight amount of play due to age. Immediately after finishing the change over to power I noticed the wheel was not straight while on a straight run. If I held the wheel straight the car tracked to the left. Hence, I now have to keep the wheel about 20-30 degrees turned to the right to travel straight.

Sure I could pop the steering wheel and put it back on. As you say, problem solved. But it bugs me that I screwed up somewhere!
I could have nudged the tire while under there or the steering wheel moved while I was wrestling with the rag joint.
How 'bout taking off the Pitman at the center link, nudge both wheels a half a tick to straight ahead and bolt the pitman back on?
 
#14 ·
Yours looks like a different situation than mine. My car went perfectly straight when my hand were off the wheel. I’m no expert in alignment, but it sounds like that is an issue for your car. I know that it is recommended that an alignment be done after the steering upgrade. I waited until I did some more work on it. I had mine aligned after I put new upper control arms, disk brake conversion and coil over shocks. I figured it wouldn’t be a huge deal since I don’t drive it all that much and did the other upgrade shortly after the steering upgrade.
 
#15 ·
Thx Al, Mike, and Chris.
A couple of guys at my local cruise nights said the same thing. I'll get it an alignment once the weather breaks here. Like Chris said, I thought about holding out until I changed over to discs as well. That's not happening anytime soon due to budget restrictions.
 
#17 ·
i just purchased the steering box ,rag joint and o-ring fitting conversion set. there are three fittings in the o-ring conversion set . two are the same and the third is different . which two do i use? any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
#18 ·
I have a question...I am looking at the Borgeson adapters--how do they work?

I am using a 3rd gen iroc box for my conversion, and was under the impression that the threads in the box were metric, while the hose threads were standard? I have ordered the 650SOL part number from summit, but have been "S O L" so far, as they have been on back order for about a month now.

Was hoping the borgeson might solve the issue, but am confused by the whole metric/standard thread thing... Before I order the borgeson adapters, just want to confirm they'll work for an IROC box?
 
#19 ·
All these later Saginaw PS boxes are pretty much the same externally, and they all have metric fittings after '84 or '85 AFAIK. The Borgenson adapters allow you to use your old SAE hoses that have a flared fitting. I recall reading someplace... maybe it was on David's page, that the thread/flange in the borgenson fitting seals the metric thread because of its angle and the thread is very close to identical. Its a little over my head LOL. But why you'd need a third fitting? I'm thinking there was only the high pressure feed and the return. IIRC, one has a larger bore... maybe that has something to do with the pressure? I've probably got 2K on the box now and its as dry as a bone. I really need to replace the hoses... they are not as pretty as the rest of the engine bay but thats number 814 on my to-do list LOL.
 
#20 ·
I just totally rebuilt my frontend and did new tubular control arms ball joints and tie rods & disc brakes . That's a lot of work but it seems to be going pretty good and I'm getting close to finishing it . I'll be glad once I get it all finished and get to drive it again . It started out as fixing a torn seat and replacing the carpet and turned into redoing the entire car even replacing the motor and switching to a 5 speed and rewiring the entire car . I went over the top but when its done it will be a very nice car with new paint and interior , new engine and tran . When I say everything is new or replaced I mean everything
 
#21 ·
A lot of people have asked me about header to steering box clearance and I figured I'd add this picture because it shows just a little daylight between the Hooker Competitions and the box. I'll note that I did use a set of motor mount shims (1/8") on the mounts, and my headers arrived in the box with a slight indentation already in them... I guess some of the Hooker guys know LOL.

 
#22 ·
Install details on F-body?

The Steering Box on our F-bodies seem to be right up close to the firewall. The A-bodies have a collapsible shaft that seems to make everything pretty simple.

Did you have any trouble getting it out or back in? Have to loosen the steering column? Two lines off, two bolts removed from the rag-joint, Pitman arm off & three bolts from through the frame - that about it?
 
#25 ·
Re: Install details on F-body?

The Steering Box on our F-bodies seem to be right up close to the firewall. The A-bodies have a collapsible shaft that seems to make everything pretty simple.
The 1st gen 67-69 Camaro's are "rear steer" cars that have the tie rods behind the front wheels which is why the steering box is also behind the wheels. (spindles)

The 2nd gen 70-81's Camaro's are "front steer" cars that have the tie rods and steering box in front of the wheels
 
#23 ·
57vette - I've been looking to do this budget upgrade but have some questions. In my research I found information that the original 69 box was 67* lock-to-lock and the JGC box is 87* L2L which could cause rubbing issues. Did you experience a decreased turning radius and any rubbing issues? And did you up your wheels & tires to 17"?
 
#24 ·
57vette - In my research I found information that the original 69 box was 67* lock-to-lock and the JGC box is 87* L2L which could cause rubbing issues. Did you experience a decreased turning radius and any rubbing issues? And did you up your wheels & tires to 17"?
I'm not sure where you found those numbers, but the 67's do have a different "sweep" or travel, of about 39° and 68-69's have a travel of about 32°.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Jeep boxes are problematic. You can use the IROC box , and it is cheap. It is front steer like a second gen. I think they all bolt up the same. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
#28 ·
Jeep boxes are problematic.
I've found that same comment when researching this which is why I'm asking my question here since 57vette installed the Jeep box. I believe the potential issue is due to the Jeep boxes having a tighter turning radius. I'd like to know if he (or anyone else who has installed a JGC box) ran into problems.
 
#29 ·
Here are some charts that I have acquired over the years.

 
#32 ·
Hello,

We put a Jeep Grand Cherokee box in our 67 convertible about a year ago in a conversion from manual to power...
Works great for us with no noticeable issues with turn radius. Only minor issue is I likely will increase the pressure in the PS pump slightly as it growls a bit at idle when maneuvering slowly into my garage where there is a tight turn needed to get it in to the parking spot properly.
The box came from a local junkyard car with about 80K miles on it. The car is a cruiser with no autocross or serious performance driving.

Just one data point here... your results may vary!

Tom
 
#33 ·
Your results may vary...

I got hosed by ACDelco with a Reman Jeep GC box. All Installed and it was nearly deadly. Zero power assist across half of its travel and the full-on power trying to send me into the ditch.

They called it remanufactured - I doubt it. When I flushed the fluid from it to ship it back it was like mud.

I went with a Lee Saginaw 800 at 14:1. Happy as a clam with that steering box. The whole feel of the car is now fun and responsive.

It cost a bit, but I expect it to last the next 52 years!

264127
 
#34 ·
Five year update lol... the Jeep Grand Cherokee box is still working like a charm, has never leaked, and I'm happy as a clam with it. My car is a cruiser, but I like handling, so the steering box was an upgrade, as were the Wilwood discs, MC, and control valve. I also went from manual to power brakes, used a TuffStuff dual diaphragm booster. Added a 1.125" Helwig sway bar, ProForged ball joints (tall uppers), and Hellix upper/lower control arms. I also have Hotchkis 2" drop springs up front, and yes... I eventually bit the bullet and went to 17" forged wheels. Needless to say, the action of the JGC box was a big improvement over the original PS box. I have no issues with steering at all.

All these Saginaw boxes are relatively similar, I'm not aware that the JGC box is manufactured with lesser quality than others. The box I bought was used, it came off a well-maintained JGC from the original owner with around 100K or less on it. I answered a semi-local CL posting that it was being parted out after an accident (t-boned), and the part was removed by the lady's brother. I saw the jeep in his driveway, and it was perfect on drivers side, messed up on the other side. Buying used parts is a crapshoot, maybe I got very lucky. But I've also heard that remanufactured ones have had horror stories. I have no complaints and no intentions of changing this box.
 
#35 ·
I know it's kinda late to chime in, but I wanted to share a comparison between my manual box travel and the 3rd gen IROC box.
Sometimes the more research you do, the more conflicting information you get. So I decided to do the math before I sent my junkyard box for rebuild.

I made a card paper disc and attached it with a magnet to the shaft on my manual box, then marked it from lock to lock.
Machine Machine tool Cold saw


Then took that disc and measured the stops on my junkyard 1987 IROC box,
Machine Vehicle

66 degrees for standard box and about 68 on IROC box
Circle Tool Measuring instrument

The Iroc box has about 2 degrees more travel. You can keep everything on the linkage the same, as long as you get a Pitman that's the same length as you had on the standard box (mine was 5-3/8") 🙂
 
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