Hey guys just spent the day swapping my 68 ps "pinky" box to a high effort 2.5 lock to lock box, couldnt see the paint markings on the box to see exactly what it is but got it off another forum member that said it was off a iroc. Anyways also bought a new ps pump for cheap insurance. The new pump's pressure port was for a female hose fitting, I pulled off the old pumps male fitting and swapped them out. While changing the fitting I also swapped out the pressure and flow valve with the old one. I did this bc the new fitting didnt have a hole on the side of the tube and I noticed the old one was notched where it meets the valve body. I'm guessing it was for oil flow since their was no hole drilled on the side of the tube. I drove the car around, I'll def have to get used to this box. Wow 2.5 lock to lock is awesome. I didnt realize how much effort you need to spin the wheel compared to the old box. I'm certain I need an alignment. My car tracks left and right and I have to fight the rails to stay straight. I have two questions for you guys. Any issues with me swapping the guts from the old pump to the new one? I saw some forums where I should have drilled out the port or pulled a shim for more flow/pressure. I didnt is that an issue? Second question is what's good specs for an alignment for the car? I dont track it just have fun on the street. Thanks guys!
PS pump flow valve
Nhurt
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Hey guys just spent the day swapping my 68 ps "pinky" box to a high effort 2.5 lock to lock box, couldnt see the paint markings on the box to see exactly what it is but got it off another forum member that said it was off a iroc. Anyways also bought a new ps pump for cheap insurance. The new pump's pressure port was for a female hose fitting, I pulled off the old pumps male fitting and swapped them out. While changing the fitting I also swapped out the pressure and flow valve with the old one. I did this bc the new fitting didnt have a hole on the side of the tube and I noticed the old one was notched where it meets the valve body. I'm guessing it was for oil flow since their was no hole drilled on the side of the tube. I drove the car around, I'll def have to get used to this box. Wow 2.5 lock to lock is awesome. I didnt realize how much effort you need to spin the wheel compared to the old box. I'm certain I need an alignment. My car tracks left and right and I have to fight the rails to stay straight. I have two questions for you guys. Any issues with me swapping the guts from the old pump to the new one? I saw some forums where I should have drilled out the port or pulled a shim for more flow/pressure. I didnt is that an issue? Second question is what's good specs for an alignment for the car? I dont track it just have fun on the street. Thanks guys!
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no problem swapping parts as long as you swap both valve and outlet fitting like you did. The 68 pump has a lower pressure setting and lower flow. It may not be high enough to work with the later box but try it and see. If it lacks power when parking or low speed, it's a pressure problem. If it can't keep up boost when turning the steering wheel fast, it's a flow problem.
The flow orifice can be drilled out but it takes a good quality drill bit like a cobalt bit or snap on high speed drill bit.
Pressure required has to do with how big your tires are, how much wheel offset and front end weight. Most pressure is needed if stopped and you stand on the brakes and turn the wheel which is dragging the tires over the pavement. If you have a lot of positive wheel offset it is a huge load.
There may be an adapter fitting to convert the newer fitting to fit your hose. There are also outlet fittings that are AN 37 degree male.
I have info here: Camaro steering
The flow orifice can be drilled out but it takes a good quality drill bit like a cobalt bit or snap on high speed drill bit.
Pressure required has to do with how big your tires are, how much wheel offset and front end weight. Most pressure is needed if stopped and you stand on the brakes and turn the wheel which is dragging the tires over the pavement. If you have a lot of positive wheel offset it is a huge load.
There may be an adapter fitting to convert the newer fitting to fit your hose. There are also outlet fittings that are AN 37 degree male.
I have info here: Camaro steering
Thanks for the reply David! I dont have any experience with a high effort fast ratio box compared to my stock setup so I'm not sure how much effort should be at the wheel. At a stop I can turn lock to lock with some muscle behind it. I would say its almost half way between PS and manual steering effort with more bias towards PS. I do notice if I'm driving and do a quick turn left or right it seems real easy for about 1/8th turn then stiffens up again, my wheels turn with the steering wheel movement without slop, just quick "low" effort spots. I'll swap the valves and see how it feels and then drill the hole out. I appriciate the help.
There's some great tech resources at Jim Shea's site here: Jim Shea?s Steering Papers » A, B & F Car Steering
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10,183 Posts
My guess would be to either swap back the newer valve and outlet and find an adapter for the hose or drill the old adapter to the spec on my page, then remove a shim or two on the pressure valve.
Take care to notice if your valve is newer style it won't have shims. Later pressure settings were done by screwing in the "nut" and loctiting it in place. So no shims were used. Shims can be added and the nut tightened down but you have to measure how far from full tight the nut is before removing. Usually a late style with no shims does not need pressure raised unless you are experiencing a problem or converting a pump for a box to a rack & pinion.
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10,183 Posts
This will convert a female inverted flare pump port to old style 5/8" male: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...RCbARIsAF8FMpW8KMuINogN8U2yK9ukD_sIaFaLfyVBhV5hZUKbtCIbf1Ezey9ZM30aAqLQEALw_wcB
If your outlet is later Saginaw metric type fitting with O ring, then you need a different adapter: 16mm male with O ring on one end and 5/8" - 18 male on the other end. I haven't found one of them anywhere. All I have found are AN -6 on the hose end.
If your outlet is later Saginaw metric type fitting with O ring, then you need a different adapter: 16mm male with O ring on one end and 5/8" - 18 male on the other end. I haven't found one of them anywhere. All I have found are AN -6 on the hose end.
So I got that fitting in the mail yesterday and tried to install it yesterday. The mail an side was too small for the hose, in guessing it's a an-8 not 6?? Anyways went to lowes today and grabbed a 9/64" cobalt bit and drilled out the orfic to allow more flow bc it was too hard to turn the wheel at a stand still. Now the effort is spot on I love the feel and it turns more easily at a stand still. I added too much fluid about 1/2" from the top of the cover and thought it would be fine to take for a mile test drive.... nope. When I pulled back in the drive way I smelled oil burning and the hood had atf sprayed all over inside the engine bay, The lid burped. I'm letting it cool down before I remove some oil. I did notice the pump and reservoir were too hot to touch for more then a second. Is it normal getting that hot for a mile drive? Yes I was making sharp hard turns testing it but nothing crazy in a 5 min span.
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10,183 Posts
You do need a fluid cooler in the return hose to the pump. With stock box and pressure it probably isn't needed, but with the fast ratio box and boosted flow and pressure it is. I've seen the pump housing neck come unsoldered from the base from the heat at a track day. Heat can damage the teflon piston seals in the box.
I've used a narrow finned cooler ahead of the radiator. It has one down and back up loop with hose connections at the top and is just a little less height than the radiator core. something around 15" should do it. I think the core is 19" tall?
I've used a narrow finned cooler ahead of the radiator. It has one down and back up loop with hose connections at the top and is just a little less height than the radiator core. something around 15" should do it. I think the core is 19" tall?
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7,509 Posts
OP
David's note on a external cooler for your setup is what I would, and did, do on another car I have (not my 1st gen) to keep PS fluid from boiling out the PS pump itself. There are several types of shapes & sizes of fined air coolers available you can mount in front of your radiator. You will likely need to fabricate some brackets to secure it and bend up and flare some hard line for the path from your pump return line into the external cooler than out of that cooler back to the return port/line of the pump.
I bought a 4' piece of 3/8 hard line that already had the fitting size of the donor cooler I had (was a external trans cooler for my Impala I converted to a T56) and just bent it up using a cheap Harbor freight hand tube bend tool I have (pic) and then flared, using a Harbor Freight flare tool, the bare ends to connect to soft hose using clamps into the return line of the PS system. I bent up a coat hanger template to use as a pattern for the hard line. Hard lines looked like this but yours will be different pending cooler size and location you decide to mount it:
Pic of it installed (not a 1st gen) but you get the idea
Like so many other modifications, like swapping to a tighter ratio steering box, its a domino effect on having to do additional things to get everything to work right under the use conditions you will be driving the car
David's note on a external cooler for your setup is what I would, and did, do on another car I have (not my 1st gen) to keep PS fluid from boiling out the PS pump itself. There are several types of shapes & sizes of fined air coolers available you can mount in front of your radiator. You will likely need to fabricate some brackets to secure it and bend up and flare some hard line for the path from your pump return line into the external cooler than out of that cooler back to the return port/line of the pump.
I bought a 4' piece of 3/8 hard line that already had the fitting size of the donor cooler I had (was a external trans cooler for my Impala I converted to a T56) and just bent it up using a cheap Harbor freight hand tube bend tool I have (pic) and then flared, using a Harbor Freight flare tool, the bare ends to connect to soft hose using clamps into the return line of the PS system. I bent up a coat hanger template to use as a pattern for the hard line. Hard lines looked like this but yours will be different pending cooler size and location you decide to mount it:
Pic of it installed (not a 1st gen) but you get the idea
Like so many other modifications, like swapping to a tighter ratio steering box, its a domino effect on having to do additional things to get everything to work right under the use conditions you will be driving the car
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