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Factory manual steering is not the horrible thing people like to make it out to be. In a parking lot,...yes, it’s a little stiff, above 10 mph it drives very very easy. Maybe a frail man, or a women, would possibly have trouble in a parking lot situation, otherwise.....the "heaviness" is about as much a commonly stated BS myth that Harley Davidsons leak.
My father used to have a ‘66 Nova that he completely rebuilt and left manual steering. You’re right, it’s not horrible, but it’s also not something I want for this car. I just want it to be easy and fun to drive.
My father used to have a ‘66 Nova that he completely rebuilt and left manual steering. You’re right, it’s not horrible, but it’s also not something I want for this car. I just want it to be easy and fun to drive.
Easy and fun to drive? Borgeson, hands down. If it will fit.
@GTR1999 can make the stock steering box into a work of art, but that doesn't fix the problems of the stock power-assist steering. Mine never stopped leaking, despite replacing everything, twice. The Borgeson system cuts the number of hoses from 4 to 2, the number of moving hoses from 2 to 0, and the number of complex mechanical components from 4 to 2.
And if you think the steering is too light, there's a fix for that now, too.
This is all very good information. I very much want my car to handle like a sports car - tight/heavy steering. If the Borgeson isn’t going to offer that, then I see no point in installing it. I’ll just rebuilt the stock box.
That said, the factory power steering being “sloppy” concerns me. I’m not thrilled with how my steering wheel feels right now; it’s pretty light and vague. I attributed that to old suspension parts that need repair, and a vague steering box from the time, but now I’m concerned it might actually be the power steering. Getting rid of powering steering is not an option for me, so I’ll either have to suck it up, or figure out a solution.
As mentioned by others adding caster
will make a big improvement
I just did the Borgeson swap during a SBC (not LS) swap to fix an old leaky power assist system and sloppy OEM box. I can't attest to how a properly set up (or amazingly set up, if done by @GTR1999 ) stock box feels, but I can say that the Borgeson box feels great and sporty. I had a lot of corrosion on my 68 column and, as a result, I destroyed the lower column bearing and mushroomed the end of the shaft. No worries, it was super easy to pull the column, replace the bearing and shorten the shaft, paint it while I had it apart, and put it back in. I'd do it all again!
FYI
The borgeson box is actually a Delphi 600 box.
They use 4 torrington needle bearings vs the 2 bushings and 2 ball bearings in the OEM C2/3 box.
And the control valve is the exact same type of valve that was used later in the rack-n-pinion systems.
It is a 35 year newer style part than the 1955 based gear box our cars came with. That PS design was old in '63.
A later model Jeep box is used as a core because one of them has the same long main shaft that a C3 needs.
Whether the feel is heavier or lighter than prior steering systems is still open to debate, and the reason several of us are doing some testing.
It now turns out the "heaviness" of the steering can be manipulated, if you so desire.
I would never convert a C3 to a rack-n-pinion system, until someone convinces me how it does not ruin the front suspension steering geometry.
Because just from a quick look at one, it is mounted too low, and the tie rod ends have the wrong angle,
The Delphi box is much newer steering technology. It doesn't leak. It's faster. It has as good of or can have better feel. It does not affect steering geometry.
What's not to like?
OK: It is 1/2" larger where the two cover bolts are, and that can cause interference with certain headers. The two cover bolts intrude more and can cause header interference. Most of the rest of the physical size difference is irrelevant.
OCB's latest with Hedman BB headers.
It hits a stock box. It would be the same with a Borgeson in that location.
Please post your BB / Header clearance pics!
I would put in Steeroids R/P . So much easier in my opinion
Easier to drive or install? I have had both.
I'll never waste money on a R/P for a street driven C3 corvette again as compared to a Borgenson which I now have . One thing I have seen is guys slap a R/P or Borgenson on a car with worn out suspension components and wonder why it still drives mediocre.
Manual feels good too along as a woman doesn't need to drive it. She will gripe. Yes I know , there are exceptions lol. I love the Borgenson feel and it's simplicity and now I see they can be tailored to ones desire but pricey.
On the Header issue probably R/P is best for fitment. But If it were me I would get the best headers raw ,cut and weld them to fit and have them ceramic coated. Thankfully my little 350 with headers isn't an issue...
I have the Borgenson box with my big block 1970 with Hooker super comps. The pipes are 1 7//8 ( good size for street car )
Headers slipped in without any issues, no bending, banging etc.
04-08-2024, 07:37 PM
