This is page 6 by Jerry Kaiser from our issue of our newsletter.
Member Contributions and Call for Nominations .
Vega Steering Box in a C Cab Pickup By Jerry Kaiser
Our SAC SDC member Lou Fencl remarked that he installed a Chevrolet Vega steering gear box in his CCab truck approximately 30 years ago. His Studebaker became more pleasurable to steer. After injuring my right shoulder, I decided it was time to take Lou's suggestions and bite the bullet. From Amazon, I purchased a new Vega steering gear box in a kit that contained the gear box, the pitman arm, two steering U-joints, mounting bracket, and the steering shaft. Getting rid of the old steering gear box required removing the original steering wheel and the four bolts from the box. It's handy to have the vehicle front end raised to accommodate the removal of the 3' long steering shaft. I used the front lower bolt hole from the original steering box and temporarily bolted the Vega steering box to the new mounting bracket. Then I adjusted the angle of the steering box to pivot it to the angle that I wanted which held it in that position to drill the other holes for the bracket that mounted the new steering box. To make sure that the pitman arm was able to move freely without any interference from hitting the bottom of the engine or the leaf springs. The pitman arm now faces the front of the vehicle instead of the rear of the vehicle. I welded the top hole of the bracket to the top of the truck's frame. It was to my advantage to use my original steering shaft which I shortened 2" and welded a piece of new "double D" steering shaft to the end of my original steering shaft. The "double D" end needs to fit into the universal joint which is connected to the Vega steering box. The column needs to be shortened to match the new steering shaft. At the end of the project, my steering wheel is currently angled upwards and is 2" closer to the dashboard which eliminates the steering wheel from rubbing my belly. The truck steers more pleasurably with the new Vega steering box and I wished that I had replaced the steering gear box years ago. If you plan to tackle this project and need advice, please contact me
I tried to copy and paste the picture of the installation but it would only download the 12 pages of our newsletter. I have contacted our newsletter editor to see if just the one page with with the picture can be provided. If not, I am sure no one would be interested in the complete newsletter.
This is for a C Cab truck: I am not sure how this would work on a passenger car; I would hope it would because my 57 Golden Hawk would be benefit from easier steering
Member Contributions and Call for Nominations .
Vega Steering Box in a C Cab Pickup By Jerry Kaiser
Our SAC SDC member Lou Fencl remarked that he installed a Chevrolet Vega steering gear box in his CCab truck approximately 30 years ago. His Studebaker became more pleasurable to steer. After injuring my right shoulder, I decided it was time to take Lou's suggestions and bite the bullet. From Amazon, I purchased a new Vega steering gear box in a kit that contained the gear box, the pitman arm, two steering U-joints, mounting bracket, and the steering shaft. Getting rid of the old steering gear box required removing the original steering wheel and the four bolts from the box. It's handy to have the vehicle front end raised to accommodate the removal of the 3' long steering shaft. I used the front lower bolt hole from the original steering box and temporarily bolted the Vega steering box to the new mounting bracket. Then I adjusted the angle of the steering box to pivot it to the angle that I wanted which held it in that position to drill the other holes for the bracket that mounted the new steering box. To make sure that the pitman arm was able to move freely without any interference from hitting the bottom of the engine or the leaf springs. The pitman arm now faces the front of the vehicle instead of the rear of the vehicle. I welded the top hole of the bracket to the top of the truck's frame. It was to my advantage to use my original steering shaft which I shortened 2" and welded a piece of new "double D" steering shaft to the end of my original steering shaft. The "double D" end needs to fit into the universal joint which is connected to the Vega steering box. The column needs to be shortened to match the new steering shaft. At the end of the project, my steering wheel is currently angled upwards and is 2" closer to the dashboard which eliminates the steering wheel from rubbing my belly. The truck steers more pleasurably with the new Vega steering box and I wished that I had replaced the steering gear box years ago. If you plan to tackle this project and need advice, please contact me
I tried to copy and paste the picture of the installation but it would only download the 12 pages of our newsletter. I have contacted our newsletter editor to see if just the one page with with the picture can be provided. If not, I am sure no one would be interested in the complete newsletter.
This is for a C Cab truck: I am not sure how this would work on a passenger car; I would hope it would because my 57 Golden Hawk would be benefit from easier steering
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