smither

The steering gear box on my '75 needs to be replaced. The local shop wants $600 to do it. I can get the part myself for around $190, but I'm not the most mechanically inclined person. Anyone know how hard it is to replace this? I also need to replace the idler arm. Any idea how hard that is to do?

Thanks

GTR1999

$600 too much, you can do it or send it to me and I'll rebuild it for much less then that. Idler arms cost about $45,you'll need a puller for the ilder arm and the pitman arm on the box and control valve.
Gary

smither

Thanks Gary. Once the gear box is rebuilt. Does it take much to actually install it or is it just a few bolts?

Jasonty

Three bolts... Pretty simple job to do, just a bit time consuming if you're doing it by yourself, because that box is awkward and heavy.

carl a

while were on the gear box subject i took 2 bolts outta the cover on my 73 and pumped grease in,,, about 8 pumps- i was told by someone on the forum to do it this way until it almost comes out the 2nd bolt hole. i stoped at 8 pumps.. can the 3 screws be removed ,, and the cover lifted,,to inspect inside to see if theres enough grease in there???-------------

KenSny

You can, but then you'll need to readjust the center screw..... Read the Service manual for the procedure before you do it.

GTR1999

Smither,
The fact that someone wants to get $600 out of you for this job bothered me so much I wrote up rebuilding procedures for you and anyone else wanting to do this job. I'll post them on a separate post,then you can decide for yourself if you want to tackle this job. Feel free to ask any questions.
Gary

Paul Borowski

Bair's Corvettes in Linesville,Pa will rebuild "your" box for $165 and it'll look NOS if you're not up to rebuilding it yourself. You can rent or borrow a pitman arm remover from your local auto parts store. It's not a hard job, just maybe greasy & messy.

joe73vette

I had mine rebuilt, three bolts hold it to the frame, two bolts for the rag joint (that you should replace while you have it apart) and the tapered joint to the cross shaft or PS valve (that you'll need a puller to seperate). Took me an hour each time to take it out and put it in, including jacking the car up and down. Joe
PS mine was completely shot, because there was no grease left. Chip at powersteering.com did the rebuild for $289 including new gears and pitman shaft. I also got a GM rag joint from him.


[Modified by joe73vette, 2:11 PM 5/2/2004]