Which power steering box to use??

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MrMopar

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I needed to replace the power steering box in my 72 Swinger because of waaay too much play in it. I got a remanufactured one from "The Parts Counter" here in Alberta, Canada but it was crap too. It was remanufactured by Autoline and the quality control must be out the window. It too had way too much play but the steering was so hard that it would not return on any corners and was a real treat to drive on the highway as the wheel would stay in the direction you pointed it and when you tried to correct it, it would jump to the other side....not fun at all, very dangerous. I tried to adjust the center mesh but nothing changed, I could have taken the allen screw right out and there was no difference! So I took it out and asked if they had another supplier and they do, it is Cardone.... not so sure if I should get it. I just want a good steering car, nothing fancy, a little more road feel wouldn't hurt but now I don't have my core (I wished I would have kept it now), so I have to buy one outright. Funny thing is I quizzed the Parts Counter people about the quality of the Autoline product and they said they were good, as I was not going to be too impressed to take it all apart again, so here I am asking which company to get a power steering box from that is reliable as I for sure want this to be the last time I do this. Please HELP! Thanks in advance for your responses.
 
MrMopar said:
I needed to replace the power steering box in my 72 Swinger because of waaay too much play in it. I got a remanufactured one from "The Parts Counter" here in Alberta, Canada but it was crap too. It was remanufactured by Autoline and the quality control must be out the window. It too had way too much play but the steering was so hard that it would not return on any corners and was a real treat to drive on the highway as the wheel would stay in the direction you pointed it and when you tried to correct it, it would jump to the other side....not fun at all, very dangerous. I tried to adjust the center mesh but nothing changed, I could have taken the allen screw right out and there was no difference! So I took it out and asked if they had another supplier and they do, it is Cardone.... not so sure if I should get it. I just want a good steering car, nothing fancy, a little more road feel wouldn't hurt but now I don't have my core (I wished I would have kept it now), so I have to buy one outright. Funny thing is I quizzed the Parts Counter people about the quality of the Autoline product and they said they were good, as I was not going to be too impressed to take it all apart again, so here I am asking which company to get a power steering box from that is reliable as I for sure want this to be the last time I do this. Please HELP! Thanks in advance for your responses.
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I bought a rebuilt unit from Autozone for my `67 Barracuda and it was just as you described (stubborn on returning to straight). I`ve since sold the car and while it`s been over a year now the buyer said it still is tight but finally loosening up.

As 68formulas was saying it`s a good thing to check all of your tie rod ends, ball joints, idler/pitman arms and even wheel bearings. A little bit of play in those areas can transfer into a lot of play at the wheel.
 
All front end parts are new, the steering box is definately the problem. Anyone have any experience with Cardone boxes?
 
Some information from my experience. I purchased a Cardone unit from RockAuto and have found this anomaly. My car is a 1969 Barracuda 340 Formula S. Suspension is stock. Steering gear is supposed to have the smaller 1 1/8" sector shaft and associated pitman arm. In the process of chasing down alignment/steering feel issues, the alignment technician concluded I have the incorrect steering gear (as evidenced by the larger 1 1/4" sector shaft on the installed steering gear). I am aware that if you want to convert a pre '72 A-body to '73 and later steering gear, you must change all the associated links and arms to preserve steering geomtry. My inquiry to Cardone revealed that what I received from them is a "conversion" steering gear. Basically from what I can gather, they sourced and supplied a pitman arm that fits the large sector shaft and matches the geometry of the smaller stock pitman arm. They could not provide me a part number for said pitman arm but assured me the set up had passed in car testing. The service manual states the center link must be parallel to the ground. Due to the fact the larger sector shaft is also slightly longer than the smaller sector shaft, my center link sits 1/4" lower on the pitman arm side than the idler arm side. My plan is to replace my worn strut arm bushings, lower control arm bushings and idler arm, get the car aligned and then determine how much bearing this center link geometry issue has on my steering/feel before I decide what to do with this steering gear (rebuild quality seems fine).
Long story short, RockAuto has awesome prices but be aware that the vendors rebuilding some of these parts seem to be taking liberties as the core supply dwindles.
 
I sent a fresh Cardone remanned box to Firm Feel as my core.

....yes, it sucked that bad!

Don't waste your money being cheap like I did!

Stage 3 and love it!
 
Firm feel Stage 3 box and if you have a ps pump that's not a Saginaw one . Change the ps pump also .
 
MrMopar said:
I needed to replace the power steering box in my 72 Swinger because of waaay too much play in it. I got a remanufactured one from "The Parts Counter" here in Alberta, Canada but it was crap too. It was remanufactured by Autoline and the quality control must be out the window. It too had way too much play but the steering was so hard that it would not return on any corners and was a real treat to drive on the highway as the wheel would stay in the direction you pointed it and when you tried to correct it, it would jump to the other side....not fun at all, very dangerous. I tried to adjust the center mesh but nothing changed, I could have taken the allen screw right out and there was no difference! So I took it out and asked if they had another supplier and they do, it is Cardone.... not so sure if I should get it. I just want a good steering car, nothing fancy, a little more road feel wouldn't hurt but now I don't have my core (I wished I would have kept it now), so I have to buy one outright. Funny thing is I quizzed the Parts Counter people about the quality of the Autoline product and they said they were good, as I was not going to be too impressed to take it all apart again, so here I am asking which company to get a power steering box from that is reliable as I for sure want this to be the last time I do this. Please HELP! Thanks in advance for your responses.
Click to expand...

You do realize that there is an adjustment you can make to fix this problem.......right?
It does not have anything to do with the allen head set screw and locking nut on the top.
You need to loosen the bolts on top of the valve mechanism that the hoses attach to and move it one side or the other slightly until it doesn't steer on it's own.
It's best to do it with the front wheels in the air while the engine is running.
It is explained fully in the factory service manual.
Where in Alberta do you live?
I live in Lethbridge and if you are near here, i could come there and show you how to do it.
Or p.m. me your phone number and i will talk you through it on the phone.
Good luck,
Tom.
 
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