[BVR421]

Friend has 10sec bracket TA. Never removed the power steering box. Obviously very difficult to turn the steering wheel now. Hes big and strong so he can muscle the steering ok but the car is being passed on to his 100lb wife and she WILL have a problem with turning that wheel so he wants to find a manual box. Power steering pump not possible on that motor. We didnt think any disco era birds had manual boxes so any ideas what year manual box will fit? Would it have to be early 2nd gen? Will the pitman arm be different as well?
thanks

[bobzdar]

I asked for a '74 manual steering box from a base firebird at the parts store, you also need to get the correct pitman arm. Other boxes will work, but the firebird boxes have the correct input shaft so a new rag joint isn't needed...

Steering box was around $185 at advanced auto, pitman arm (new) was $70 on ebay.

[Brian Baker]

Go to your local junkyard and find a manual box from a late 80's to early 90's Chevy S-10 truck. Earlier years will work as well, I think. I found one for a GMC Sonoma (1991 I think) and it was a direct bolt in for my 79 T/A. Cost was under $100.

You'll have to reuse the pitman arm off of the old P/S box, so don't chuck it.

[BVR421]

Thanks Bobzdar and thanks Brian for the options, I'll pass the info to Seth. (8-)

[RAIV55]

Agree with what was posted but I think you might run into another problem that wasn't mentioned. The center link taper don't match the manual pitman arm. Our fix was a tapered reamer from Speedway Motors.

[Brian Baker]

Originally Posted by RAIV55

Agree with what was posted but I think you might run into another problem that wasn't mentioned. The center link taper don't match the manual pitman arm. Our fix was a tapered reamer from Speedway Motors.

That's why I had to reuse the pitman arm from my P/S box, which in my case even the reamer wouldn't have helped, as the i.d. difference between the two arms was too great.

[BDHABT]

Try Borgeson in Torrington CT.They make all sorts of steering shafts,universals,and other stuff for hot rods and trucks.I talked to them at a trade show in Jersey,and told me that they stock new steering boxes,and pitman arms.I was told that they have a quick ratio box also.

[Brian Baker]

A quick ratio box is not what you want in a drag car.

[gobrdgo]

60man has one for sale possibly. I wanted to buy it but don't have the dough or energy. Try him first!

[bobzdar]

I 'think' the s-10 box may have the metric rag joint which wouldn't work on a '78 without a new one...Not positive though. It's either a rag joint or pitman arm I guess, you choose whichever is easiest to get ahold of...

[russ467]

I have done the exact change on my car. Use an S-10 manual box, but use the original pitman arm off of your car. You will also have to separate your steering shaft and use the lower section off the S-10. The Lower section will slide onto the upper stock shaft but still slide onto the S-10 box, thus retaining the rag joint assembly for the S-10 box.

[Brian Baker]

Well, my experience on my '79 T/A was that I used the S-10 rag joint with the T/A steering shaft and the T/A pitman arm. It was truly a bolt-on deal.

[marks73ta]

I used the S-10 manual box (from swap meet, not sure of actual year of box) on my '73 TA. I reused the '73 Pittman arm. The manual box, once mounted wass lined up so the centerline of the turning radius was centered. The pittman is splined to register the shaft and it caused the center point to be off about 180 degrees from center on the steering wheel. The rag joint was different also. I bought a rag joint off one of those universal parts boards (door lock pulls, clips, bolts etc) and it worked fine. To line up the steering wheel so it was centered and the blinker cancel was centered I dismantled the wheel and removed the ingition lock plate, drilled and cut out the centering pin location on the plate (again about 180 degrees from the original cut out), turned everything back to center and bolted it back up. Works fine. Mark L

[TTAJay]

Just like the others said about the s10 box but make sure it's the heavy duty one. I've heard that the light duty doesn't work but I've personally never tried it. The number on the top of the heavy duty steering box is 7843962. You want to make sure that you take the rag joint out of the pickup with the steering box. It comes out real easy just take a hammer and smack lightly on the steering shaft (the shaft just slides apart) and take the lower half of the steering shaft to use with your upper half on the car so this way you will have the correct rag joint to work with the steering box. The only other thing you have to do is change the pitman arms, so that you end up using the stock one for your car. Just like the others have said.

[Thumpin455_GTO]

Im running a 66 El Camino box in my 79 Formula. Used the Elks pitman arm and the alignment was easy. Any 64-72 A body, 78-87 G body, 1,2,3 gen F body, 75 up X body(Nova Ventura, Omega, Apollo) and the S10 will fit. Plenty of them out there, just needs some lookin.

[dean cummins]

Do what I did, get one from flaming river,some welding.