[trshman]

Did anyone see the upgrade of the steering box/column on Car Fix? I only caught part of the show and missed the name of the manufacturer and much of the detail of the installation.

I've replaced most of my original suspension in my '66 LeMans but still have some slop in the steering that's ticking me off. I've got Hotchkiss anti-sway bars front and rear plus their rear lower control arms. All PST parts up front with KYB shocks and a close ratio steering box I got from Ames. All this adds up to a BIG improvement over stock but there's still a little "give" in the steering I'd like to get rid of.

Anyway if any knows the name of the product they used or if anyone has recommendations for something I should consider, please let me know.

That's it. You all have a great day. trshman

[HWYSTR455]

You say 'most' of the original suspension, what hasn't been replaced?

Did you replace the idler arm?

What's the rag joint look like?

You can look at the shaft with the hood open, reach into the open driver window, and lightly turn the wheel back and forth. You will be able to tell if the rag joint is bad that way.

laying under the car, you can have a helper turn the wheel slowly in either direction while looking at the idler arm. Any slop will show up if the centerlink or idler arm move and the tires/wheels don't.

What do your control arm bushing look like? Have you ever replaced them? How about ball joints?

What's the alignment set at? Have you had a performance alignment done on it?

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[HWYSTR455]

Grab the steering wheel, and see if it moves in and out, or side to side. That would tell you if the column is a problem/worn out.

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[trshman]

Thanks for the replies guys,

The front end including ball joints; idler arm; tie rod ends; bushings etc., etc. were all replaced with Performance Suspension Technologies Super Front End kit. Items their kit did not include was looked at and replaced if necessary. The shop that I go to their specialty is alignments and are highly thought of in the area. The car runs straight as an arrow although I've never discussed a "performance" alignment with them.

[JLMounce]

That dead spot is what's known as "on center feel" and with the older box designs, it's pretty prominent. One of the more common upgrades that isn't price intensive is the mid 90's Jeep Grand Cherokee steering box. It has more modern valving in it and as a result has a better on center feel without as large of a dead spot.

If there's no real budget, the Lee 600 box is your best bet without doing a complete conversion to a rack and pinion steering system.

In a stock setup, the Lee box basically can't be beat. You can get a bit better by going rack and pinion, but there's some packaging issues and getting the steering angles setup with the factory frame and mounts can lead to necessarily modifications if you want to keep bump steer in check.

[trshman]

Hey Jason,
I missed your response . Thanks for posting it. I replaced the steering box some time ago with a close ratio unit from Ames. I don't know if that would make a difference in your response but I thought I'd mention it. A search for the "Lee 600" box you mention produces results with widely varying pricing. Could you please provide a link to the one you're talking about. I'd appreciate it.

You have a good day, bob

[Geoff]

If you already have a tight[er] ratio box, not much point in getting another one. They can be adjusted due to high mileage wear, if that is the problem.

I would check other things that can cause steering vagueness such as worn tie rod ends, worn ball joints, as well as the other parts noted by another poster.

[OG68]

I don't put much faith into 'Rebuilt' steering boxes anymore. It seems to be hit and miss as to whether they were assembled correctly or are actually what they are advertised to be.
There are plenty of performance rebuilders out there that will upgrade your stock box to modern specifications. And you don't have to worry about metric adapters either.
I had my stock box rebuilt by LEE Steering. They would call during the various stages of the rebuild process to confirm arrival , preliminary inspection and to verify your requested settings. Expensive? Yes, but its EXACTLY what I wanted and performs EXACTLY as it should.

[abefromen]

Originally Posted by OG68

I don't put much faith into 'Rebuilt' steering boxes anymore. It seems to be hit and miss as to whether they were assembled correctly or are actually what they are advertised to be.
There are plenty of performance rebuilders out there that will upgrade your stock box to modern specifications. And you don't have to worry about metric adapters either.

Like this guy...good reviews too. I went with a couple JGC boxes over the years bur wish I knew about this vendor first.....no adapters or different rag joint needed.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/QUICK-RATIO...53.m1438.l2649