steering boxes revisited

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Gearworks

Gearworks

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2001
Messages
200
Location
Rockford, Illinois USA
Hey guys,

I have FINALLY found the guys that can upgrade our steering boxes like we've been talking about!!!!!!!

What you'll need is a SAGINAW STYLE steering box (77 - 79 tbird/cougar) AND a donor 82 to 92 LE1 IROC -or- WS6 Trans Am box.

ship them both to them, and they'll rebuild the box and convert it for you for $150!!!!

the name of the place is:

Billy Hayes
Arc Remanufacturing Inc
19-40 42nd Street
Astoria NY 11105

tell him The Gearworks sent you.

paul
 
Hey, that's the coolest thing ever!

Do you have to have a complete donor box from a WS6 firebird, or could you just send along the important bits, like the gears and the input shaft?
It seems to me it'd be easier to find these parts like out of a rebuild kit for a WS6 steering box rather than finding a whole steering box in the junkyard and hoping it is in good condition... :)

Either way, they're sure to have my business soon enough!

Mike
 
no i dont have any extra. i just bought one from a guy in searcy arkansas "Camaro motorsports" on ebay for $60.

i'll turn around and send both boxes to the rebuilder and get the quick box in return. (Him keeping the spare parts as incentive!)

keep your eyes on ebay, there seems to always be at least one of these boxes on there...

paul
 
Interesting. Thanx for the Post Paul. I gotta get me some T/A steering! Curious that he is calling for a box from a WS6 car. WS6 was a suspension option that got you rear disc brakes. I would think a rear drum WS4 car would also work because I never drove or owned a T/A with anything but quick steering. There are a whole lot more rear drum T/As out there than rear disc cars! If he gives the WS4 the nod, I will let us all know!
 
guys,

im trying to work out a deal with the guys that helped me get this steering box conversion going. They both know that most of you guys are waiting to see how this all plays out.

I'm shipping the units to the rebuilder tomarrow, friday the 5th,
so when i can them back i'll put it in and tell you how it works!

by the way, if you guys are interested i can powder coat the housing for you before hand!!

:D a little shameless self promotion!

paul
 
I'm looking forward to your report! Quickening the steering on my Cougar is definitely right on top of the list of things to do, right behind the AOD transmission and the 3.25 posi axle.

By the way, Paul, Happy birthday! :hurray
I just happened to notice that your 'age' under your name next to your posts changed from 39 to 40 today.

Congrats! :cheers

Mike
 
Paul, Happy Belated Birthday!!! Wish I were still 40. Thanx for all the legwork on the steering box. This weekend I will remove mine after the engine/trans is out.
You know, when it is easy to get to. Good time to do the rag joint as well. After the car sat for 8 years, it only took a few hundred miles for the seals to fail. Right now the engine and trans are more like a sieve than a container. Anyways, thanx again for your effort!
 
hehehehe thanks for the bday wishes guys. it kinda helps.

anyway the email address of the gentleman that has the IROC/WS6 steering boxes we need to do this job is:

[email protected]

Camaro Motorsports
1962 North Main
Searcy, Arkansas
72143

he is expecting a flood of emails from us so to keep him straight please tell him the gearworks sent you.

Anyway i shipped the boxes off today. i'll let you know when i get it back and in!

*Note* please remember this conversion ONLY works with the saginaw (4 bolt cover) steering boxes for our birds/cougars.
 
Happy birthday paul! I'm guessing that since you said the boxes were being shipped out, that means you found a sag box. That's good,cuz I can't anywhere. Either way, I'd like to hear the outcome. With my 17's, I need a little extra cornering quickness.

Lee
 
B.B.Bird, ( :) )

If you go to your local junkyard that has a parts locating service, you should be able to find a saginaw box for our birds for fairly cheap. I found one listed at a junkyard when I was in Michigan for $25. Since in this swap your replacing all of the parts that might wear, it doesn't matter how beat on the box you get from the yard might be.
But if you want to look in U-Pull-It yards, in my experience you were more likely to find the saginaw boxes in Ranchero's (like Ranchero GT's or 500's) than anything else on our chassis.

Just FYI

Mike
 
thanks for the bday wished guys. now im just "the ole' man"
:mad

anyway i just thought id keep ya up to date on this steering box mayhem. If i understood the guy at ARC correctly all you need to do is send him an IROC/WS6 box and they'll make the swap over for you out of his stock. his problem is he doesnt have the iroc/ws6 boxes for the extra parts.

he built another box along side mine at the same time, as sort of a shipping buffer. so he'll have one in stock when the next one of you guys calls.

as of tuesday march 9th, mine was headed back my way, so it should be knocking at my door tomarrow.

i'll let you know how it progresses...

paul
 
Gearworks said:
thanks for the bday wished guys. now im just "the ole' man"
:mad

anyway i just thought id keep ya up to date on this steering box mayhem. If i understood the guy at ARC correctly all you need to do is send him an IROC/WS6 box and they'll make the swap over for you out of his stock. his problem is he doesnt have the iroc/ws6 boxes for the extra parts.

he built another box along side mine at the same time, as sort of a shipping buffer. so he'll have one in stock when the next one of you guys calls.

as of tuesday march 9th, mine was headed back my way, so it should be knocking at my door tomarrow.

i'll let you know how it progresses...

paul
Click to expand...

OOOOOOOOoooh, So what you're saying is that you don't have to send him the Saginaw box for our birds, just a WS6/IROC quick ratio box, and he'll send you back a converted steering box for our cars?
That is most, most, most excellent. That makes things a lot easier for folks like yours truly that doesn't have a saginaw box to begin with!

Mike
 
well it would be cheaper if you sent him a sag box as well. you'll have to contact him to work that out.

anyway i received mine and have installed it. :party

i havent started the car yet (still programming the efi) but with it up in the air it is a GLORIOUS 2 1/8 turns lock to lock and smooth as silk!!!!!!!
just remember that the sag box's hydraulic lines are a different size on the box. so you'll have to change hoses.
since my monster is what it is, i opted to go with braided stainless 1500 psi line and earls fittings.....

its much easier to get the lines in this way.

gads i cant wait...

paul
 
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