The steering box on my XR7G is pretty bad LOTS of play. The rest of the steering system is new parts so I’ve pretty much narrowed it down to the steering box. So I’m looking for feed back from any of you who have rebuilt your boxes or those of you that have replaced them with new ones.
Have you been satisfied or dissatisfied going with either way.
thanks
Wayne
I replaced mine with a rebuilt original from WCCC and I have been very happy. No more sloppy steering.
I’m curious how difficult they are to replace on a big block car?
Surprisingly easy. The Pitman arm can be removed with one end still attached to the PS control valve. Then the driver seat, steering column and brake master cylinder (not booster) have to go. Three more bolts and the steering box is out. With power tools it takes maybe an hour to remove and three to reinstall.
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Well at least I don’t have to pull the engine lol
68G, did you do the time honored trick of bottoming the preload screw from above, then backing it off 1/8 to 1/4 turn and retightening the lock nut? You probably have, but if not it may provide temporary relief while you bag a new box.
It took me a lot longer than that but it was the first time I had ever done any of the involved operations. Even with zero experience I did find it to be a relatively easy, albeit time consuming, process.
Check for any local places that may rebuild it for you. I had mine rebuilt locally cheaper then I could buy a new or
rebuilt one online.
+1
I reviewed the WCCC video and performed this adjustment. Worked like a charm! I have a little more adjustment possible down the road if more wear happens.
Yeah I did the adjustment but really didn’t make much difference. May go the rebuild route.
+2. I was shocked by how much a 1/8 turn worked. If I remember right, the vid said that it works best for cars that only need a little tightening. If the gears are too far gone, it doesn’t help much.
I recently rebuilt about 5 boxes using over 10 boxes. This was a pretty good rate of survival. I find the internal shafts suffer the most damage from water & old hard lube & grit. In the years of doing these boxes I have found many places/people who state they rebuild them. I’ve talked w/ at least 5 places advertised as doing a quality rebuild. After taking a few of them apart ( customers stating they bought the “rebuilt” unit only to have it go back to the loose state after only a few weeks.) the fact is clear. Using the old ball bearings is NOT a quality rebuilt unit!
What I found was the quality of the build was flawed almost from the start. Failing to replace worn or rusted parts is usually the issue. One rebuilder re-profiles the shafts, but uses the original 62 ball bearings. I’ve not found one rebuilder that replaces these with new ball bearings. Most likely due to cost. The ball bearings add almost $100 to the cost of the parts to properly rebuild a box.
I clean all parts & keep the 2 shafts from each box together as they have “machined” them selves to each other. Kinda like a cam & lifters. As you can see this is a long and involved task.
In short, many can clean & replace a few bearings & some grease, but few if any correctly rebuild them. An original box failure rate of over 50% is normal. So, before you start to throw $$ at a “rebuilt” box consider the above info…
I can rebuild yours, only if the internals are good. Suggest taking it apart & cleaning to inspect the internals.
Hope this helps everyone!
Great insight Bill! Thanks!
Those are pretty legs on Bill’s Calendar. about the most risqué’ picture i can get on the work computer!
I too am glad he left it on March.