Hey all Just to establish some framework, I like my front end. I like how it corners and how it stops. It was good enough for corvette until 1963... meaning the 62 Corvette was using my king-pin front end with upgraded idler and drag link 8 years after the passenger car was "upgraded." I dont want a Mustang II, Camaro, Nova, Jaguar, Miata, or any other front end swap. Please dont waste your time trying to change my mind. I like my old car, it just needs a little work. AstroVan rwd steering gear, Camaro (1970 manual steering) Pitman, and a Model A 1" Ball come together in a $1,200 kit with some brakets. I am a fabricator, and I can get all of the parts to build that for $200 or less. I would LOVE to hear from someone here that has this on their 1949-54 Chev, or has a buddy that does. We all know hearing from opinions against the idea is just a waste of everyone's time, so please don't Also, might want to chat out some idea and questions along the way. I HOPE this is HAMB friendly as it is within the spirit of keeping this car old. It's just miserable for both myself and my wife on radials with the factory gear. Thanks
I suppose you could put a ball bearing corvette 3rd arm (idler arm) to your car. here is a thread on another forum that talks about it. My corvette steers great but has proper bias ply tires on it. why do you want radials?? https://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/310285/
Im running a stock front end on my 53 Bel Air with Mike Garcia disc brakes. Still gotta rebuild the idler arm and get sway bar links but otherwise happy with it. Fitting sbc exhaust around the steering was fun though lol
Thats when I did mine. backwoods style but it works great Moriarity - Radials made this car way smoother, it drives way straights, is far more confident in curves, and just all around more pleasant. It is haevier than your vette, and was, i imagine, harder to steer even with its bias plies. Even if I went back to bias, I still want nice easy old school power steering As for the bolt on corvette upgrades, I am well aware. If they fell on my lap, I'd be very happy and install them right away, but in my case, better to just keep reaming in brass bushings every decade or so. Maybe nex time I go to do it i'll have some extra cash Just to reiterate, I love my car other than some things I need to change. The steering effort is one of those things
do you still have a large diameter steering wheel on it? I built a 52 chev back in the eighties with a stock front end and steering box. 54 uprights stepped a arms and my car steered fine, again I ran bias ply tires. My car drove great at all speeds, I never saw a reason to use radials
Chevy Pope sorry I missed your comment on the exhaust. Yea I wish I had my youtube channel (or at least active in it) back then cause that would have been good content lol it was brutal. I used a box full of mandel bent u bends and straight pipe to make my exhaust. It sucked. I am actually going from a 350/th350/3.08:1 to a 250(i6)/th200-4r/3.73 or 4.11:1. This car is fast and fun but lacks refinement and comfort - much of which it had when it was stock, so I am going to take what I liked about stock (quiet, smooth, no vibrations or rattles, no fighting heat) and what I want (marginally more power than stock, automatic, overdrive, power steering) and put them together. That is how I arrived at the 250/th200/3.73:1 combo. Its EXACTLY what I want from this car. I am so excited! Probly more than i was when i built it the first time. Arm out the window and cruise. and if 350/th350/3.08 got 18mph driving like I dont car, i wonder what the new combo will get? NOT my motivating factor, but a nice bonus
With that engine and transmission I'd go 3.73. Every 250 ci C10 I ever worked on had 3.73 and seemed happy with them. And on a 49-54 you'll likely have a lil smaller tires so it'll be like having closer to 3.90 gears in comparison. Which is where the od will be nice. I had a lil more fun with the exhaust because I'm running 55 Chevy exhaust manifolds..... meaning the driver side one dumped right in front of the pitman arm lol
Also I'm running a 13.5 AZ special steering wheel on a 51 Chevy steering column/box. Basically I converted from factory power steering to manual steering and I had access to a banged up 51 styleline four door so that's what I used. Anything above 2 mph I can steer with two fingers. Never understood guys going on about needing a giant bus wheel for manual steering
A couple anecdotes: 62 Corvette with a stock front end and original big steering wheel and skinny tires up front, no power steering needed. 58 Chevy wagon with stock front end, original big steering wheel, and 215 wide tires, sure could use power steering. The wagon has the engine over the front axle centerline, Vette is behind. I can see why power steering is something you'd want in that car. Not for going down the road, but for maneuvering in parking lots. I think the drivetrain should work out OK. The only recent experience I have with a 250 was in an OT car that was stock, with the PG and 2.73 rear gears. It was a slug off the line, but cruised fine on the highway, and didn't have any trouble going up grades. Similar overall weight to your car. The .67 OD of the 200-4R will knock the gearing down to 2.49, which will probably be ok, and helpful over 70 mph...but if you intend to stay below that, 4.11 might be better?
I don't know where you live, but I'm in North Texas and I 've got a 39-48 front end I'm getting ready to throw in the trash because I'm tired of tripping over it and nobody seems to want it. It's in the classifieds but you can have it. It has Corvette disc brakes and maybe some other parts you can use. There were parts that were used from 39 all the way to 54 on this front end. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/39-48-chevy-front-suspension.1310381/
ot To be frankly honest in any way attempting to offend. Many of us drive our cars a lot further than the daily 2-3 miles to the coffee shop or the occasional car show. I can't afford a thousand dollar plus of tires that will only last 20K on a rig that will see 15/20K a year. Most of the events that I go to are a minimum of 60 miles away, Many are 160+ one way for an over and back one day event. If you Add up the total milage for all of the rigs with bias tires that you actually drive or drove in the last 12 months I doubt seriously that the total for all of them is 10K. Think about how others use their cars and their actual needs rather than just show car looks.
not that it matters but I put 7500 miles on my corvette last year, many of the drives were hundreds of miles in a day. why is that you seem to think that you know how far I drive my cars?
If you want to enjoy the 1950s driving experience, here is a power steering unit from that era. I understand that you have your own idea of what you want, and actually hope that when you get it done it meets your expectations. I respect it when someone has their idea of what they want to build and sticks to it.
Tires are expensive for sure. Bias or Not. Aside from looking better, these cars from the 30's, 40's and 50's were designed to run Bias tires, and if you are running a stock type front suspension, they do steer better with bias plys than radials. The side wall of a Bias ply is much stiffer than the side wall of a radial and it does make a difference. As far as milage and cost, I have a set of Coker Classic bias plys on my 39 and have almost 40,000 miles on and they are not half worn out. I don't know why, but so many people under inflate their bias ply tires...maybe to make it a softer ride on their car with 2 inches of suspension travel. But I'm convinced that's why they wear out. I don't know....I run my bias plys with 32 psi in them and they wear like iron. Besides price tires in general, you cant get a set of tires for hot rod any more for less that 7 to 800 bucks. gone are the days of 60 dollar littles for the front and 150 dollar bigs for the back. on 275 60 15 costs over 200 bucks now. the Bias plys are not that much more these days.
Not to mention, radials can look perfect but might explode if they're too old. Bias plys if they look good and hold air are fine regardless of age.
wow, I got a lot less than that out of the first set of bias ply tires on Plan II. On a positive note, like you say, they can get worn out before they come unglued, unlike radials
I credit a lot of the tire life on my car to Jack Fuller for his super tune on the front axle when he dropped it, the camber is dead on perfect, that and i really took my time getting the castor right on set up with the wishbone. thing drives like a dream.
For reference since everyone is talking about requirements to keep the stock steering livable lol. As I said 53 Bel Air with a 51 Chevy box and column. Sbc. 215/70/15 radial tires. And this steering wheel. I also have carpal tunnel and a damaged rotator cuff. Yet again I can steer with ease one handed anything above 2 mph.....and honestly anything below that still isn't bad. Last time I drove the car I was holding the wheel with two fingers while groping my wife's leather clad legs lol. If it's a chore to steer one of these cars it's because the tires are too wide or you have the drag link and/or steering box adjusted wrong. And there is a different alignment spec for radials on these cars vs bias ply
Guys I appreciate that chat and advice. Lots of "whys" so I will explain some. I dont like bias ply tires, same as how some folks don't like indian food or outboard motors on boats... I know they work for some. They look better. Shoot i might put them on my truck just cuase they are the size I want and that thing is NOT getting power steering. BUT BUT BUT, my sedan is a driver and I like radials. I like, also, $50 radials haha. i WANT the power steering. I want to parallel park with tooth-brush effort. Dan Hay much appreciated sir! I would take you up on that (i'd grab the uprights incase I decide not to be so low) but you're 20+ hours away =( Sadly there are things I scrapped that now I need, but the reality is that we cant keep everything. It sucks but its part of not being the owner of a 60x240 barn lol. So as for my steering, I REALLY hope someone on here has done it and can speak to its feel. Worse case, I will learn when I drive the one I am about to do haha
So are you using an Astro steering box with the stock front end? Id be careful that geometry is correct.
Pope, Yea. Its the same general shape and puts the shaft in the same place as stock. The Camaro+Model A pitman set up is just about identical tot he factory pitman. So no worries. I am wanting to hear from someone that has it to know how the feel is. Old Cadillac? Equinox? 3-Series? curious how the effort and feedback is So i feel you on the electric - I was into the Prius columns WAYYYY back. Stood up all excited about it in a local hotrod club like 10 years ago and you'd think I said I hated America. But I beleive in it, 1,000%. Saturn Vue works to if I remember but since I have like 7 second gen prius at work at all times and know them well, thats what i'd use. BUT i dont want electric. If you're wondering why, I dont want to cut my 54 column to use its gear. That will be set aside. Even if I did, the factory gear in these cars is virtually extinct. Astrovan is not, so its an update that makes keeping the car on the road longer more feasible Fast Carl, what is it in!?!!? Thanks all
@drew1987 It was in a 53 chevy I had a few years ago. sorry no pics. I saved another box for the future. My current 54 has a stock box.
Am curious if the Astro box would be easier to fit with a factory power steering specific inner fender like this lol
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