1964 Chrysler 300 letter steering box

[Drew-Pritchett]

Ive banged my head against the wall trying to figure this out. Like the title says I need a new steering gear/box. and its extremely hard to find one for this model. Does anyone know if any other model Mopar has an interchangeable one with the 300 letter cars?

This car is so hard to find OEM parts for. ugh, any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[mikedrini]

Hey Drew,

I ran into similar issues with my 64 NY, can you attach a photo of which box you have? Mine is attached to the frame rail, but right around this time is when they went to attaching them to the crossmember, which the majority of C bodies have. If yours is the older version like mine, you can send it away to Rockauto-who sends it to Lares for a rebuild. Not cheap, but it's an option. The other alternative is Redhead Steering or Steer and Gear, where again, you'll have to send it off to get it rebuilt I believe.

If your box is one of the newer ones, you could look into the Borgeson package, but I am sure there are many refurbished ones on eBay or other sites that will have those options at a cheaper cost. It all depends which box you have.

 

[Dan Scully]

It is the old style box, Firm Feel is another source .

 

[413]

I believe ALL 1960-1964 Chrysler’s have the same box location that bolts to the frame rail. Pitman arm points forward. Which makes the internals different than newer boxes.

The 1965 changed the whole car and moved the box to crossmember.

Why do you need rock auto to send it to Lares for you? You can do it yourself.

 

[mikedrini]

I believe ALL 1960-1964 Chrysler’s have the same box location that bolts to the frame rail. Pitman arm points forward. Which makes the internals different than newer boxes.

The 1965 changed the whole car and moved the box to crossmember.

Why do you need rock auto to send it to Lares for you? You can do it yourself.

You may not need to, it's just something I've heard.

 

[Drew-Pritchett]

thanks for all the help guys, and yeah its the older version which is mounted to the frame rail, but say i come across a mopar from 1960-1964 and it had a decent steering box, it should be the same?

 

[mikedrini]

thanks for all the help guys, and yeah its the older version which is mounted to the frame rail, but say i come across a mopar from 1960-1964 and it had a decent steering box, it should be the same?

Just to give you an idea, I used the original one on my 64 and have a back up from a 64 Imperial and they were the same. Definitely take a look at whichever one you're thinking about buying before hand and be sure the bolt holes line up with the frame rail. Here is what you should be looking for:

This is what you DON'T want:

I am not certain about all 60-64 Mopar's (Plymouth, Dodge, etc.), so just be sure you look closely before purchasing.

 

[Drew-Pritchett]

Does anyone know if I can upgrade to a bit newer gear box that mounts to a k member as opposed to the frame rail? Like, basically retrofitting a whole different steering system with column and all?

This is becoming extremely frustrating trying to find a new oem gear.

 

[mikedrini]

Does anyone know if I can upgrade to a bit newer gear box that mounts to a k member as opposed to the frame rail? Like, basically retrofitting a whole different steering system with column and all?

This is becoming extremely frustrating trying to find a new oem gear.

Honestly Drew, with that specific part, your best bet is to get it rebuilt by either Lares, Firm Feel, Steer and Gear, Red Head, etc. You'll have to ship it out obviously and it won't be cheap, but it may be your only option.

As far as adding something newer to your existing frame, not too sure about that. Sounds like possible suspension mods, fabrication and then you're really at the mercy of whoever is doing the work. I personally would not suggest this having dealt with the exact issue you're talking about with this same steering box. Just my two cents.

Mike

 

[Drew-Pritchett]

Thanks Mike, yeah. Guess that's what I'm going to have to do. Really starting to regret purchasing this car and not a typical A/C body. Parts are so hard to find.

 

[mikedrini]

Thanks Mike, yeah. Guess that's what I'm going to have to do. Really starting to regret purchasing this car and not a typical A/C body. Parts are so hard to find.

I hear ya, but honestly that's half the "fun" is what someone first told me when joining this site. The parts and options can be found, it just takes some give and take and lots of research. Typically the older the car, the harder the parts are to find. This hobby/love definitely costs time and money, no way around that, just don't give up because in the end it's worth it.