Hey guys, i have a 605 box on my 55 and am trying to find a newer style drag link that will fit so i can get away from the cork screw factory style drag link. I can not see the point in paying all that money for a new one will it will still have the ball on it, i want to use a newer sector shaft with the standard pitman arm. Thanks for any help.
huh, the stock manual steering on my 55 is just fine, nice and tight, and I have the original ball on the drag link. Only problem I have is with the idler bushing, but that's because the headers on my big block are very close to it. The bearing type bushing seems to be the cure for that.
I'm not aware of one. My '57 was an original power steering car, switched to manual at some point (same box), and its still running the factory link, though I beleive we took the factory guts out of it and went with manual stuff (its been a LONG time since that was done, so fiorgive me for few details). This wasn't your question, but if you haven't run the 605 before you may want to rethink it. That is the worst mod I ever did to my car (after the manual bix came apart while driving down the road!), and when the car gets redone it is coming off. Worst road feel ever.
I put the 605 on it 10 years ago and it was fine but since i need to replace or rebuild the box anyway i was looking at all my options other than a rack. I thought about sticking the manual box from my 57 on my 55 since i prefer manual steering but now i am unsure if the tilt column i yanked from the junk yard with the 605 box will work with the stock box. I suppose it should since its just a ragjoint hooking them together.
The stock box has one a one piece shaft/gear...goes from the front bearing of the steering box, all the way up/back to the nut that holds on the steering wheel...so if you want to use the stock box with a tilt column, you'll need to cut off and spline or flat (double-D) the shaft.