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Manual steering gearbox?


zactek
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Hey all, just wondering if anyone knows of a place/source(or a member here selling one) where I can get a manual steering gearbox from a dd50 or a mighty max?

I tried to get one from ProfessorQuest, and after me sending out the M.O., he told me that his boss won't let him sell just the box itself, it only comes with the column. Since I don't need the column, and plan on extending/welding the stock coupler, I see getting the column as a waste of time and money.

I searched all over for days now and can't locate that damn box anywhere. I've searched on this site and others, and know about the box's interchange with other models, it didn't help any.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

Zack K.

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Zack,

 

When you find one let me know. I want to do the exchange as well. The ones from PQ are really expensive. I spoke with someone in the past that did the swap and said he found one in a local junkyard and paid $50 for it. He welded the rubber joint (if you don't, it will break down in a month or two) and said it was the best mod he ever did. So if you find a source, go ahead and post it. I would like to do the same.

 

Thanks,

 

Lance

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because that doesnt change the steering gear ratios and it would be like driving a quest with the PS belt off?

 

Exactly, plus I don't feel like rebuilding/messing around with the stock box, it's leaking. I want a bolt-in manual box with minimal time off the road and I'm welding/extending the stock coupler. Having a really hard time finding a manual box, exhausted all my sources.

 

Thanks, Zack K.

Edited by zactek
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I wouldn't throw away the oem parts ,, I can't for the life of me understand why any one would want manual steering , esp one from a D50,, i've own'd several older D50's and MM and all but one i swap'd over to power steering so i could drive them confortably

 

in fact almost every drag car i have ran i had power steering in , except for the gas class cars

my 88 S10 takes 4 turns end to end and is a real pain to drive,,turning corners makes you work your tail off turning the wheel

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because that doesnt change the steering gear ratios and it would be like driving a quest with the PS belt off?

 

Actually, once you remove the seals for the valve and piston assembly, you won't be fighting a hydrolocked system as you are when the power steering belt snaps off. Yes, manual steering will be harder, but not as hard as a busted power steering system. I'll have an answer... someday. I plan on doing this with the Lemons car, but it could be another year before it rolls at the rate I'm going. :lol:

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I wouldn't throw away the oem parts ,, I can't for the life of me understand why any one would want manual steering , esp one from a D50,, i've own'd several older D50's and MM and all but one i swap'd over to power steering so i could drive them confortably

 

in fact almost every drag car i have ran i had power steering in , except for the gas class cars

my 88 S10 takes 4 turns end to end and is a real pain to drive,,turning corners makes you work your tail off turning the wheel

 

I agree. If you drive it much at all, power is the way to go. That's why the manual steering cars had such a big steering wheel. To really get it comfortable to drive, it needs a bigger wheel too. Of course the bigger wheel is hard to corner much with too.

 

Yes, you will need some type of solid coupler and the manual box with better ratio. I wonder if that ratio is possible to put into a power box.

 

I drove a '66 Nova daily with manual steering for 12 years. I put a small wheel on it to look cool, and turn less distance for the desired result. I had to grab it with all I had if tried to corner hard. It was a bit dangerous and I wouldn't do it again.

 

I have a StarQuest that the PO sealed the stock box on and called it an 'upgrade'! It is very dangerous.

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Why is it that every thread on looking for manual boxes turns into a thread on why someone shouldn't change a car over to manual steering????

 

There are many reasons to change a car over:

1. Loss of weight

2. Gain of Horsepower

3. One less thing to go wrong and potentially leave you stranded

4. No more Leaks on my driveway

5. Cleans up the engine compartment

6. No more having to buy fluid

7. Getting rid of another belt that can break and leave you stranded

8. Welding the darn steering coupler that always goes bad over time and is expensive to replace. Also leading to sloppy steering.

9. But most importantly is steering feel and feedback. There is a fair amount of play in our steering. Some of it is due to the coupler, some of it is due to the box and how tight the screw is, but the steering is relatively loose. The feedback through the wheel is also poor. Drive and M3 and you will see what I am talking about. The coupler reduces steering feedback and unless yours is brand new, it is also making your steering sloppy. The fact is, the manual conversion will give answers to the above nine reasons to swap.

 

Now for the objection. In this case, it does increase the steering load on the wheel. But this is not linear load. The slower you go, the harder it is to turn. So yes, in parking lots, its a pain. But I don't spend most of my time in parking lots. I spend it on the road looking for a car that handles well and goes where you point it.

 

I spoke to a guy who did this swap and he said over everything that he had done to his car, and he had done quite a bit, that it was the best thing he had done. He said he was surprised that the effort wasn't as bad as he expected and that he loved the feel. He said it was kinda hard in parking lots but that it was a small price to pay for all of the advantages.

 

So take it for what its worth. If I can find one in the junk yard for 50 bucks, worst case if I hate it, it can always be swapped back but I have a feeling that i won't.

 

Lance

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There are many reasons to change a car over:

1. Loss of weight

2. Gain of Horsepower

3. One less thing to go wrong and potentially leave you stranded

4. No more Leaks on my driveway

5. Cleans up the engine compartment

6. No more having to buy fluid

7. Getting rid of another belt that can break and leave you stranded

8. Welding the darn steering coupler that always goes bad over time and is expensive to replace. Also leading to sloppy steering.

9. But most importantly is steering feel and feedback. There is a fair amount of play in our steering. Some of it is due to the coupler, some of it is due to the box and how tight the screw is, but the steering is relatively loose.


There are many reasons to change a car over:
1. maybe 5 pounds?
2. half a HP, maybe one? It's hardly runing at all once you get the RPM's up. the pump is speed sensitive
3. if it breaks you aren't stranded, it's just harder to turn
4. true
5. get an 83 style, does the same thing
6. 5 bucks every 5 years? when is the last time you changed yours?
7. if it breaks you aren't stranded, it's just harder to turn.
8. you have to do this for manual as well, the argument is moot.
9. use a solid coupler on the stock power steering. If you have to do that on the manual conversion, why not try it on the stock PS?


And the conversion costs money too and lots to time too, don't forget that part.
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There are many reasons to change a car over:

1. maybe 5 pounds?

2. half a HP, maybe one? It's hardly runing at all once you get the RPM's up. the pump is speed sensitive

3. if it breaks you aren't stranded, it's just harder to turn

4. true

5. get an 83 style, does the same thing

6. 5 bucks every 5 years? when is the last time you changed yours?

7. if it breaks you aren't stranded, it's just harder to turn.

8. you have to do this for manual as well, the argument is moot.

9. use a solid coupler on the stock power steering. If you have to do that on the manual conversion, why not try it on the stock PS?

 

 

And the conversion costs money too and lots to time too, don't forget that part.

 

 

LOL,

 

O.K. Let's argue about whether or not the original poster, who has decided and is looking for a manual steering box to do a conversion should or should not do the conversion. Like I said, why does every post on someone looking for a manual box turn into "he shouldn't do it because....". It's his car, he should do with it what he wants. And so should you. So keep your power steering, it came with the car. Hopefully there is someone on the board who can actually help this guy out in locating a manual steering box instead of telling him why he shouldn't do something he wants to do to his own car. If that were the case, then we should all sit around and argue about what mods are worthy to do which ones are not.

 

To the original poster, some of the larger junk yards have computer programs that link other yards. Hopefully you can find one of those locally. I keep my eye out on Ebay but they are all expensive. Good luck and let us know your impressions when you get it done.

 

Just checked Ebay, see if this matches up to the FAQ section which has all of the compatible boxes for change over. The price is right.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/79-80-DODGE-D50-STEERING-GEAR-RACK-MANUAL-STEERING-4X2-/390310637992?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AD50&vxp=mtr&hash=item5ae053b1a8

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remarks like these cars have a lot of steering looseness in them already,is false , man if your does you need to FIX it , cause these cars have very tight steering WHEN UP TO PAR ,, now any 20 some thing year old car may have wear in steering parts,,it's not the cars fault it's the owners for not doing regular maintiance
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For what it's worth, in 83 I bought a 74 SS Nova that had manual drum brakes on all 4, and manual steering. I drove it like that for a long time. It was JUST ok. After a few years I found a 73 parts car and swapped the front pieces to add power steering and disc brakes. It made a WORLD of difference in driveability and I swore I'd never own another car with manual steering. I haven't. I won't. For the rare maintenance the system may need and the minimal amount of next to nothing in power it takes from the motor, it makes no sense (at least to me) to not keep the PS setup.
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Truthfully, there are only two things I'd like to do to our stock system:

 

1. Tighten up the valve setting so that more feedback is given to the driver. If it didn't require removal and disassembly of the steering box, I'd have trialed and errored it out by now.

 

2. Replace the power steering pump with one that is electrically controlled because the "speed sensitive" factory pump cuts off power steering at 4000 rpm while you're doing 30 mph at an autocross. ;)

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I, at one time, had decided to convert my car to manual steering. After talking with people who had done it, i decided against it. IN FACT. all but 1 of the people i had talked to that had done it said they wouldnt do it again...

 

 

thats some food for thought and is relevant to the original post

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in our rhd cars, we can use a mitsubishi scorpion manual steering box, mitsu scorpion = late 70's early 80's dodge challenger in the usa..

 

might be worth looking at.

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when i threw the sbc355 in my s10, instead of making a bracket for my pump, i put a manual box in, never again, small light cars like hondas and miatas are nice without it, you can feel the road better, buy they are 1000lbs lighter
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LOL,

 

O.K. Let's argue about whether or not the original poster, who has decided and is looking for a manual steering box to do a conversion should or should not do the conversion. Like I said, why does every post on someone looking for a manual box turn into "he shouldn't do it because....". It's his car, he should do with it what he wants. And so should you. So keep your power steering, it came with the car. Hopefully there is someone on the board who can actually help this guy out in locating a manual steering box instead of telling him why he shouldn't do something he wants to do to his own car. If that were the case, then we should all sit around and argue about what mods are worthy to do which ones are not.

 

To the original poster, some of the larger junk yards have computer programs that link other yards. Hopefully you can find one of those locally. I keep my eye out on Ebay but they are all expensive. Good luck and let us know your impressions when you get it done.

 

Just checked Ebay, see if this matches up to the FAQ section which has all of the compatible boxes for change over. The price is right.

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=item5ae053b1a8

Yea, I really don't care for all the "why NOT to do it" posts, I'm aware of all the reasons, and have decided to do it. I've talked to a few people, and seen videos of driving with manual steering, seems great. Fixing the stock system is too expensive and the coupler is NLA. Unless you have a good source for a manual box, stop posting about convincing me of all the reasons NOT to do it.

I'm sure you guys mean well, but I've seen it all before. When this is done properly by me, I will gladly post the results.

 

Thanks, Zack K.

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Stop posting serious questions in the bs section ;)

 

Didn't seem like that serious of a question, and I didn't feel like waiting weeks for a reply if posted in the "right" section, we all know posts in the BS forum get noticed faster. :P

 

Zack K.

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yah, more traffic, but what kind? Did you get any answers you wanted here either? You want lots of replies? or good ones? LOL

 

Don't the manual conversions use the same coupler? I seem to recall PQ saying they do in a long winded argument. You are SOL on that if it is.

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