[GT182]

Manual steering isn't all that bad. You just need to be rolling a little bit and it's easy to turn the wheel.... tho not power steering easy as it is at a dead stop.

This is my second 66 GTO without power steering and I wouldn't have it any other way. And as Andre said it "has excellent feel on the highway".

You don't know what a pain manual steering is until you have to back a COE Kenworth with a full load of lettuce on a 48" refer into a building to unload. I was 34 back then and all I did was cuss the truck's owner and the grocery warehouse in Montreal, PQ I was delivering at. I didn't give up but I can tell you my arms were sore as all hell afterwards. It only took 45 minutes to get it between 2 trailers..... this was inside and backing to the spot 90°s to driving in with only 30 feet of room from wall to trailers. That was 65 feet of big rig I had. Most drivers paid for a warehouse truck to get their trailers in. I was too cheap.

So there is nothing hard about manual steering in a car.

[3 Deuce 64]

I've had 2 64s with the stabilizer both were manual steering cars .

[Rich-Tripower]

For what it is worth, our car had the quick ratio box and the stabilizer, manual steering. I always assumed the stabilizer was part of the quick ratio steering option. I'm big into Chevelles, especially the early ones, and I've NEVER seen this piece on a Chevelle. We have the PHS buildsheet which shows the quick ratio option. It is a handful to steer at parking lot speeds. Our car also has the sport "wood" wheel which I believe is smaller in diameter than the basic wheel, thus making steering a bit more work than it really should be. My cousin has a bad shoulder and it can really be hard for him to get the job done in slow or not moving steering inputs. I've been working with my manual steering Chevelle for decades now, so I don't have too much trouble with the GTO, but it is noticeably more work than the Chevelle. Of course that monstrously heavy tripower 389 doesn't help much either!

[1_Wild_Cat]

Just to contribute a little more...My manual steering 64 has the steering stabilizer. PHS shows Handling Pkg/Quick Ratio (612) and HD Suspension.

[scotzz]

My '64 6-cylinder, 4-door with manual steering has the stabilizer. It was built in February '64 at Baltimore

[bill ryder]

What are the build dates on the shocks??? "Bill"!

[1_Wild_Cat]

What are the build dates on the shocks???

I will have to check next time I am down at my shop...My GTO is a very late Pontiac build (July 27).

[1_Wild_Cat]

I got to the shop today for a couple of hours...

The stabilizer part number is the 929 number and the date code is 161-64. I guess that is June 10th. Which makes sense for my late July build.

[bill ryder]

At least we have learned they weren't all built on 38-64. Wonder if we will see them earlier than 64??? Might build a timeline!!! "Bill"!

[1_Wild_Cat]

Wonder if we will see them earlier than 64??

On page 1 of this thread a '63 Tempest with one is mentioned...

At least we have learned they weren't all built on 38-64

What were the build dates on the cars with the 38-64 date code?

[bill ryder]

Mine is April 64. I was wondering about the date code on the shock. Not necessarily the car date. "Bill"!

[1_Wild_Cat]

I was wondering about the date code on the shock. Not necessarily the car date.

I understood...I was thinking about the possibility of "batches" of stabilizers. Maybe only 3 or 4 dates would cover the entire year of production.

[johns]

Mine was built Nov. 63 in Pontiac. It has the standard manual steering (no quick ratio or handling package) without a stabilizer.

[G20]

My car came from the factory without PS and has that stabilizer on it. At some point the car was converted to PS, but the stabilizer is still on. So it has both PS and that stabilizer at the same time.

How would this affect the steering of the car? My car is actually very hard to turn at a dead stop, even with PS. Should I take the stabilizer off?

I always thought it was supposed to be on there, until I read this post. I am always learning things on here!

[dld]

Originally Posted by G20

My car came from the factory without PS and has that stabilizer on it. At some point the car was converted to PS, but the stabilizer is still on. So it has both PS and that stabilizer at the same time.

How would this affect the steering of the car? My car is actually very hard to turn at a dead stop, even with PS. Should I take the stabilizer off?

I always thought it was supposed to be on there, until I read this post. I am always learning things on here!

when i got my car before i restored it. someone had put p/s on it and left the stabilizer on. car did fine. they were put on to stop a shimming . when i work at a Ford dealer years ago they would put them on all the time . Ford actually would pay (warranty) to put them on some cases. i heard Pontiac did the same . i don't think they supposed to be on the cars at all. it was a fix. the manual steering cars when you adjust the caster to ease the steering effort you can cause this issue. power steering cars they can put more caster in. i auto-crossed a corvette years ago with manual steering. we would put more caster and camber in the car . the caster was to get wheel return faster in the car. this will make the car want to go straight but it made car harder to (effort) steer.

[Scarebird]

IIRC Olds had the same thing with their early Cutlass and 442's; order manual steering - you get the shock.

[JAKE 64]

Originally Posted by bill ryder

Mine is April 64. I was wondering about the date code on the shock. Not necessarily the car date. "Bill"!

Fremont, April 20, 1964.

"929" 67-64

[1_Wild_Cat]

Interesting...a third date for a stabilizer.

So far, (n=3) the dates of the stabilizers each date a few/several weeks prior to the production of the car. I am guessing these probably were not "warranty" installations.

[dld]

went back and looked in the reto guide. Here is what info was given there.This device has the look of a add on part. As I stated before it was a fix for a issue related to design of linkage and wheel alignment. The tires were a major contributing factor also to what the resto. guide calls road shock. I absolutely know it dampens the shake that can present itself after a few miles and some tire wear. Ford trucks 4x4 and straight axle suffered with this problem BAD in many cases. We would bend the axle to put more caster in. to help solve the issue. The damper helped a lot also.

http://www.ehow.com/info_7753307_fun...tabilizer.html

[Old Man Taylor]

In the process of replacing my steering box, I removed my original steering stabilizer. Surprisingly it still worked a little, but not much. Info on the shock listed below.

PLIACELL
3186929
8-64 (car is a March build)
Delco Products Dayton Ohio USA