Hot Rods Gasser steering box / traditional steering

So I have secured a 52 GMC front I beam to use in my 50 Dodge gasser, and want to stay with traditional steering.

The corvair reversed steering box looks like an easy option, but I suspect that it will be too light weight as I will be running an all iron big block mopar and may see some wheels up time.

What steering boxes have people used in this application? I can locally pick up two used jeep cj manual boxes for cheap and think that I can make one work.

Has anyone ever used a cj box? Anyone ever reversed boxes other than the corvair?

 

GM 525 box,...with Speedway steering components for cross steer.

 

What I beam is that, are the speedway steering arms a bolt on for 52 GMC drum brakes?

 

Relocated Mopar a body manual box.

 

I like it, would love to stay with a mopar box.

 

Easy to find and cheap! I always like easy and cheap in the same sentence.......

 

since when are those Mopar manual boxes cheap and easy to find? Plus you have to build a really wild bracket to mount it to a frame rail.

The GM truck spindles look a lot like 49-54 chevy car spindles, at least how the backing plate bolts on. So I would not be surprised of those steering arms are a bolt on.

Wonder what the Jeep boxes are? perhaps they look a lot like the 525 box, when you set them side by side?

 

Squirrel is correct. They are not cheap or easy these days, and the bracket is a little ridiculous. It basically boils down to its what I had so I used it...... So I guess it was cheap and easy for me.

 

...that's a 37 Chevy coupe axle pictured above with 54 Chev pass. car brakes bolted onto the 37 spindle, all steering components are Speedway bolt on parts, should work on your truck axle as well with the car brakes.

 

Awesome, thanks. I will have my axle home in a few days and will do some measuring to see if the speedway arms will fit. I see they have a few different ones.

 

Here's your car vs truck spindle info.

https://static.speedwaymotors.com/images/charts/id-spindle.gif

SPark

 

When you swap the car backing plates and hubs to the truck spindles to get 5 lug hubs (trucks have 6 lug) you have to drill two holes in the car backing plate to bolt it to the truck spindle and use some spacers between the backing plate and spindle. I'm thinking that the top bolts bolt right in place without an issue as it was 1989 the last time I did one. I just used the bolt holes in the spindle as a guide to drill the holes in the backing plates after the backing plate was bolted on.
The arms bolt on This is what I found on the speedway page. https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Chevy-Spindle-Flat-Plate-Steering-Arms-Plain,3300.html
A Corvair box is just not strong enough for that full size car even though there are always some self styled "experts" that suggest them. There are a number of manual boxes that will bolt to the frame with a simple flat plate and fit and work great Some of the Ford ones put the actual gear box above the frame rail where it might give you more header clearance unless you are running fenderwells.

 

They are that hard to find, I guess my price should go up ten times then because I've been getting 20 bucks for them.
Thanks

 

Those flat plate arms limit you to Heim ends. If you use one of those tie rod ends with a tapered hole for the drag link; you could very well retain the stock steering arms. I don't know if the taper is different on the truck arms; but the car arms I had needed to be reamed out to the larger Ford taper.

Someone gave a 525 appearing box they said was Jeep; it had a short input shaft and a quicker ratio then a regular Chevy 525 box.

 

I use a Corvair box stock mounted in front of the axle. The spindles are 62 Corvette with bolt on arms facing rear(stock position) tied with 5/8” rod ends. There is a purchased arm (Speedway) mounted to the right spindle and the tie line is 1/2” pipe with 5/8” rod ends that steers in front, almost over the top of the axle. The stock box works great like this.
Brakes are also 62 Corvette. The photo is tough to see all of it since it’s all painted black. Engine is a 302 GMC 6 all iron and probably heavier than what you have.

 

Thank you for the info. Were all GMC trucks 6 bolt in 52-53? Yes, after some research I agree that the corvair box is just too lightweight. I will be running fenderwell headers.

 

I am getting all of the steering linkage from the truck and was hoping to use it. This is why I wanted a traditional horizontal shaft steering box to mate with the steering linkage on the drivers side via a fore and aft rod from the pitman arm, as the original gmc truck used.

 

Half tons were 6 lug, through 1970.

 

For side steer you would have to mount the box and pitman arm in almost the exact position in relationship to the springs and axle as it was in the truck to get the geometry right.
Cross steer would give much more latitude in mounting the box (and other stuff) and would be much more forgiving geometry wise.

 

I used the same axle as you have. I used the factory Pontiac box. Cross steer. Easy. It was getting the headers around the box that wasn't easy.

 

I’ll take all you got at $20

 

Apparently I've been giving them away.

 

Hell, if you are giving them away? I'll be nice enough to cover the shipping.

 

Awesome, what did you do for steering arms? Did you upgrade the brakes or use the stock truck drums?

 

About as traditional as you can get!!

 

I bought a Speedway drag link.

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Plain-Tie-Rod-Drag-Link-Kit-with-11-16-Tie-Rod-Ends,3306.html

As of right now I still have the stock truck drums.

 

Jeep used the Saginaw 525 steering box on quite a few models in the 70-80's . Probably worth picking up if the price is right .

 

"the tie line is 1/2” pipe with 5/8” rod ends that steers in front,"
I hope that "pipe" was just a loose term used in your description and that the tie rod is actually DOM or some suitable material.

 

Thanks. I picked up the axle tonight, it all looks good. This axle has a steering arm on each backing plate that are joined with a one piece center link, and the driver sside steering arm has a second arm that connects to the fore and aft steering rod i the stock truck. You say you are cross steer, what does the pitman arm to wheel tie rod fasten to on the passenger wheel?

 

So I picked up my axle tonight, I am pretty stoked. Here is what I got for $125 Canadian. It is complete with leaf springs and brake assemblies with five stud drums, they measure out to standard chev 5 on 4.75 bolt circle.

Tomorrow I will pick up the jeep steering box, mounting bracket and pitman arm for $50.

I cant wait to get to work on it!