Power steering box recommendation/opinions?

[Ambush]

Hey guys,

Another item I'm tackling is the Power steering gear-box on my 1965 Imperial CC. I've been researching and 2 names have come up for good re-builds; Firm Feel and Steer and Gear. I also found another online site that sells the gear box ( re-built ). They're called BAP (BuyAutoParts) and they have one for sale right now at cheap rate. They have the part # for the gear box as 82-00565R ( short collar ). Anyone heard of this place or done business w/ them? What's the opinion on getting a re-manufactured gear box w/ them?

Also if anyone already has a power steering box for my cars make/model, in good working condition, let me know ...if you're in the mood to sell, I may be your man.

Thx

​

 

[mrfury68]

I'd be careful with a cheap rebuilt steering gear. There is a real good chance it is a Cardone brand rebuild which are pretty much junk anymore. They basically clean and paint cores and call it rebuilt. Firm Feel and Steer & Gear are companies that are exclusively steering and suspension related so their quality control would be of a higher caliber. BAP is just selling parts so they go for the cheapest available, just to sell parts. I would contact both FF & S and G and inquire about the rebuild process and if they rebuild them in house or outsource.

 

[Big_John]

I've had Firm Feel do a steering box for me and I was very satisfied. I would use them again without hesitation.

I've never used Steer and Gear, but they seem to be decent, based on what I've read here.

Everything else is a crap shoot. From what I've seen, some vendors are offering a new box and I've read of fitment issues with them.

 

[HOT FURY]

Hey guys,

Another item I'm tackling is the Power steering gear-box on my 1965 Imperial CC. I've been researching and 2 names have come up for good re-builds; Firm Feel and Steer and Gear. I also found another online site that sells the gear box ( re-built ). They're called BAP (BuyAutoParts) and they have one for sale right now at cheap rate. They have the part # for the gear box as 82-00565R ( short collar ). Anyone heard of this place or done business w/ them? What's the opinion on getting a re-manufactured gear box w/ them?

Also if anyone already has a power steering box for my cars make/model, in good working condition, let me know ...if you're in the mood to sell, I may be your man.

Thx

​

I put a firm feel level two and love the improved feel but the different levels are going to be individual preference. As for the produce they do a great job with their rebuilds

 

[HOT FURY]

Hey guys,

Another item I'm tackling is the Power steering gear-box on my 1965 Imperial CC. I've been researching and 2 names have come up for good re-builds; Firm Feel and Steer and Gear. I also found another online site that sells the gear box ( re-built ). They're called BAP (BuyAutoParts) and they have one for sale right now at cheap rate. They have the part # for the gear box as 82-00565R ( short collar ). Anyone heard of this place or done business w/ them? What's the opinion on getting a re-manufactured gear box w/ them?

Also if anyone already has a power steering box for my cars make/model, in good working condition, let me know ...if you're in the mood to sell, I may be your man.

Thx

​

I would also recommend swapping the rag joint with a borgeson u joint style coupler while you're at it. I rebuilt my whole front end and replaced the gear box but still wasn't quite satisfied with the feel until addressing the rag joint.

 

[Trace 300 Hurst]

Firm Feel would be a bargain at twice the price. Why? You'll never have to think about that steering box again, and you won't be removing a leaking Cardone that you paid for, only to have to sent IT to Firm Feel to be fixed correctly, like you should have done in the first place.

But you WILL have to paint it, because FF doesn't drench it in the gooey black paint that Cardone does when they falsely claim that their goods are "rebuilt".

[As for the battery charger leads, I was charging up the new steering box before installation. @david hill told me to. ]

 

[garyh]

Lares did my Gear and a P/S Pump on my 66' Imp years ago.They did a Great Job.
BAP did a Steering Gear for my Dodge A-100 and i was not happy,It Had more play in it after they "rebuilt it " I got refunded from my CC company.

 

[Dan Scully]

I used a firm feel stage 2 in the wagon. It sat on the shelf for few years before I installed it, worked perfect still.

 

[saforwardlook]

I replaced the original steering box on one of my fuselage Chrysler 300s with a Master Pro remanufactured unit shown in this link:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...1971-chrysler-300?q=power+steering+gear&pos=0

I was very surprised in that it actually had better on-center feel than the original Chrysler units - no more continuous steering corrections just trying to go down the road in a straight line even though the steering effort was just slightly higher than the original Chrysler gears. They are all new remanufactured units (with some original parts from their cores that must go along with the purchased ones) that do not look exactly like the original cases, but close. The only fitment issue I had was that I had to enlarge one of the three mounting holes in the gear to get it to mount to the front stub frame properly. I have driven that car quite a bit over that last couple of years now and it is still maintaining its very good tracking capability. The price is also really quite low compared to the 2 rebuild companies mentioned in this thread.

I did also have one of my boxes rebuilt by Firm Feel but have yet to install it since that car will be an all original restoration effort and for that gear I specified a stage II feel box calibration but since the restoration effort is far from done yet, I have not tried that one out. Firm Feel told me that if I really didn't like the slightly extra turning effort of stage II that I could return it and they would modify it to stage I at no cost to me aside from the shipping costs back and forth.

I also ordered new upper control arms from Firm Feel with the offset bushings in them to provide extra caster than the original ones that should also enhance directional stability.

 

[Ambush]

Great comments here gentlemen ... I think I know what I need to do regarding my rebuild. I have another thought however, I'll throw out there. The rebuild is a costly deal for my budget, but likely the best way to go for the long term money-wise ( and prob what I'll do ).
I can't help but keep wondering if it is feasible to try and stop the leak on my gear box instead. My leak is coming from around the adjusting screw outer "lock nut" and I was wondering should I try to just replace the seals ( O rings ) in that area? Can that be done while still "in the car", or would it need to come out regardless? So you understand, and can answer me better, here's a video showing where my leak is coming from. www.flickr.com/photos/25722625@N06/53546276450/in/album-72177720314990030/

IF replacing the seals is possible while in the car ...How in the heck do you get that lock nut off, what tool does that? Anyway I was just curious if a repair is doable .... but I think if I have to take it out of the car either to replace the seals or have it rebuilt ... then I'll just go for the rebuild. I will say that other than the leak, my cars steering has be fine, it has just a little play yes... but nothing odd otherwise.
Thoughts?

Again look at the video to see my leak in action, and I attached a blow-up schematic of the box and highlighted the area of my leak and the seals I would need ( where to find those seals would be another mission )

 

[1962 Crown Conv]

You can get a valve body o-ring kit. If you take the valve body off, it must be put back in the exact position, so scribe a line along the edge.

I have rebuilt one myself. You can get a rebuild kit from Rockauto. Get the kit with the bearings. You will need a spanner hook wrench, a clamshell pitman puller, and a gram fish scale. Only do it yourself if you have a service manual from Chrysler. Keep the iron rings on the piston, the Teflon rings in the kit may be too tight.

 

[Omni]

Good Evening
Didn't see any endorsements for Steer and Gear.
I delivered mine to them and picked it up about 3 weeks later.
Very satisfied. Different rebuild styles available depending the response your looking for.
Omni

 

[The_Eagles’_Nest]

I have used Steer n Gear many times and they have done a quality job.

 

[Retired auto tech]

If you look closely at the top of the sector shaft adjustment bolt it has an allen key provision to hold it so you can loosen the lock nut. It is probably full of accumulated gunk so hard to see. Easy to replace the seal then. In the old days of yore a wheel alignment always included a sector adjustment as the first step. You can't get a good alignment if the steering gear is flopping about. With the wheels pointing straight ahead turn the adjusting bolt in slowly until you can just feel the gears touching and the back it out about a quarter turn. turn the wheel lock to lock to make sure there is no binding. If there is, back out just a touch more and check again. With everything being rack and pinion these days this step is skipped because most techs have not been taught how to do this. If tie rod ends are good this will eliminate a good portion of your steering looseness. With todays radial tires you need way more caster than the original +- .7 degrees that the original upper bushings allow for. You can get aftermarket parts from several companies that allow for +- 1 1/2 degrees. Last time I looked Rock Auto had them for a very reasonable price. You need about double the original caster just to get radials to stop feeling squirmy on the road and if you can get a bit more the better. This will also firm up your steering feel just little bit as well. The alignment shop will probably argue about this but stick to your guns and you will be very happy with the results.

 

[66/440]

I can highly recommend Marty @ powersteering.com
He has rebuilt 3 boxes for me and they have all been outstanding!

 

[Carmine]

I replaced the original steering box on one of my fuselage Chrysler 300s with a Master Pro remanufactured unit shown in this link:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...1971-chrysler-300?q=power+steering+gear&pos=0

I was very surprised in that it actually had better on-center feel than the original Chrysler units - no more continuous steering corrections just trying to go down the road in a straight line even though the steering effort was just slightly higher than the original Chrysler gears. They are all new remanufactured units (with some original parts from their cores that must go along with the purchased ones) that do not look exactly like the original cases, but close. The only fitment issue I had was that I had to enlarge one of the three mounting holes in the gear to get it to mount to the front stub frame properly. I have driven that car quite a bit over that last couple of years now and it is still maintaining its very good tracking capability. The price is also really quite low compared to the 2 rebuild companies mentioned in this thread.

I did also have one of my boxes rebuilt by Firm Feel but have yet to install it since that car will be an all original restoration effort and for that gear I specified a stage II feel box calibration but since the restoration effort is far from done yet, I have not tried that one out. Firm Feel told me that if I really didn't like the slightly extra turning effort of stage II that I could return it and they would modify it to stage I at no cost to me aside from the shipping costs back and forth.

I also ordered new upper control arms from Firm Feel with the offset bushings in them to provide extra caster than the original ones that should also enhance directional stability.

Based largely on the strength of Steve's recommendation above, (which interestingly enough is also on the O'Reilly website) I had this box shipped to a store in my area.

Upon unpacking it in the store I noticed it is different in the sector shaft area. See the photos I attached. I'm wondering if this perhaps a slabside-era box which is functionally the same as a fuselage and formal steering box? It might account for the slight difference in mounting hole as well. On a hunch I also looked up Dodge truck steering boxes and to my relief the mounting is completely different. So has anyone seen the style before? It has been a while since I've owned a lovely slab side. And do you know if it will fit in a formal era Chrysler? Photos are from the O'Reilly website and "real life".

 

[Carmine]

Just thought I would follow up on this...

This box sold by O'Reilly's obviously intended for some other vehicle. That said, it does fit with about 3/16 of an inch removed from one of the mounting bolt bosses. Essentially ovaling one of the mount holes. No issues with the steering column attachment, power steering hose connections or the pitman arm. I think it's a good replacement considering the price. ($169, $40 core) Steering in the car feels good now, I wouldn't say better than new, but at least as good as new.

 

[HOT FURY]

Just thought I would follow up on this...

This box sold by O'Reilly's obviously intended for some other vehicle. That said, it does fit with about 3/16 of an inch removed from one of the mounting bolt bosses. Essentially ovaling one of the mount holes. No issues with the steering column attachment, power steering hose connections or the pitman arm. I think it's a good replacement considering the price. Steering in the car feels good now, I wouldn't say better than new, but at least as good as new.

Glad everything worked out! I'm the type who would rather spend a little more and know I won't have any headaches but that doesn't work for everyone in which case you gave another option for some

 

[saforwardlook]

I am unable to answer Carmine's question about mounting the gear to a slab side but I can say that this unit is made by BBB Industries. They also make remanufactured Federal power steering pumps for our C bodies and they also manufacture new mini high torque starters for our cars. I have bought several of each of these in the past and have had no issues but I don't have but a few thousand miles on most of them. I do trust them to go the distance since none of my mini starters has gone bad like the junk you find on Ebay. I have had a couple power steering pumps on a couple of my cars too and no issues over several years now (including no leaks).

Also a friend of mine has had one of these steering gears on his 1971 Chrysler 300 and drives that car everywhere and has accumulated 10's of thousands miles on that car and it is still going strong (he is also hard on his cars since he drives them roughly in my opinion - goes at high highway speeds and around corners and does burn outs all the time too). His AVS II carburetor also has instant carburetor response on any light or hard accelerations. So given how hard he drives and plenty of miles on his cars, I am confident that their products will go the distance and the AVSII carbs have also stood up well.

However, on my show/garage queens I stick with all original parts but for cars I can enjoy more often I see no drawback to the BBB or Carter's latest offerings. I bought some of the BBB Industry steering pumps from NAPA but I believe they also offer the BBB Industries mini starters and steering gears as well. I am not sure how to tell which of their items are for certain the BBB units based on looking at their on line offerings but maybe there is information available to the staff at NAPA as to who the real manufacturer is. That NAPA offers the BBB Industry parts as well suggests they are premium products in their eyes at least and O'reillys also may carry their other offerings as well besides their power steering gears and probably at lower prices than NAPA.