Can Most Any Steering Box Be Reversed? Can I do it myself? If not Who can, Examples, '57 Chevy truck, '61 Vette, 525. Thanks!
The 50's truck boxes and 49/54 Car and 53/62 Corvette boxes are more mirrored rather than what we as hot rodders view as reversed. Not a flipped casting though as there are differences. The Fun part is that those car boxes can be moved to the right hand side frame rail and be run with a push pull drag link and be right hand steering. Reversing that other box would be just like reversing a Corvair box. Take the box apart, put the worm gear in the block from the other end and drill/machine a hole for a bearing and seal in the end cap and plug the old hole for the shaft.
The way it gets reversed, is to turn the housing around, and have the shaft stick out the other end. So it won't work on the truck or car boxes that have the column as part of the housing. It would work on the other one, you have to drill a hole through the end plug, and make the shaft stick out the other end. But mounting the gearbox that way might prove challenging. This is a corvair box, and why it works so well with them
The 525 box is easily reversed and suitable for your intended application. A lathe helps, but it can be done on a drill press if you work carefully. The critical step in the reversing process is flipping the gear on the worm gear 180 degrees to correctly position the tapered gear so the box can be correctly adjusted. If you search Reversing a 122/525 steering box there is a tech article about the process.
My Dad put a Corvair box in a small block 40 Chevy back in the 60's, it's still in there with no issues. He also put a reversed Corvair box in a small block 54 Chevy truck in the 70's. It was still in it without ever having a problem when it was sold around 2015.
There were some big cube Mopar cars goin straight with aluminum steering boxes in the sixties . Don’t be afraid because it’s aluminum housing .
The Corvair box isn't weak because of the aluminum housing, it's more to do with that everything about it is 2/3 the size of the front engine design GM steering gears. Smaller shafts, gears, etc.
There are a few old threads about reversing the 525 box, but many have lost the pictures. This link is to a 2011 tech I did and the article is a PDF so you should be able to open it and the pictures should be intact, https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tech-week-reversing-a-122-525-steering-box.566576/
I am having a brain fart, can "reversing a steering box" mean 2 diff. things??? #1 being leaving the in & out in the same location & magickly changing things around on the inside? And #2 changing the in from one end to the other?
To magically change things on the inside, you need to turn the right hand thread of the ball nut assembly and shaft, into a left hand thread. Since that's pretty hard to do, we instead reverse the side that the ball nut contacts the pitman shaft, which means reversing the housing end to end, then having to deal with how the mounting of the gear is now reversed. There's nothing easy or magic about this.
Just a little dry humor Jim! I have thousands of dollars in "tools & machines" in the shop to try and make magic with!
The point of reversing is to have it fit the application. The first question is, "is there a box that will do the job as-is?" Considering the vast amount of choices, this is your first step. Less work, easier to replace or repair.
^^^^^^ Sound advice BUT if you grew up scrouging wrecking yards for parts they have all dried up in my area, hence the HAMB questions I post. I don't have time or money for " The wrong part or the Wrong way of doing things". I can't keep buying box's, like trying on shoes, to see best fit. This isn't reinviting the "wheel" been done over & over. The box is keeping me from moving forward in the rite direction. I can install the motor & trans & rear end faster than figuring out the front suspension!
The trick I used on Plan II was to use the stock steering box in the stock location, and use a straight axle with cross steer. The axle was moved forward 4" which helps with clearance. The big issue is the drag link has to go through the oil pan. I lucked out and was able to use a normal Moroso 55-57 BBC oil pan, with the big notch in it that clears the steering. I don't know if this would work for you, but you might look into it. Header clearance near the stock steering gear is a bitch on 55-57 cars, and you also would have to deal with getting a steering arm that works. I used the street rod arm that Speedway sells for the 49-54 spindles.
The simple A 2 Q,is there is always a way,,!, Just flip the streeing arm,from down to up=Now moves the other way*{ but often you need to move the box down in car,so you don't make too much bump steer.
Always appreciate everyone's detailed explanation! I like the look of nothing in front of the drilled axel so that's my first choice, second I am looking to build it like if it was in the '50's-'60's. The stock box won't work for me, I have a friend that has a '55 that used the stock box BUT he has a Speedway kit, Apple & Oranges! I am sitting high enough that the BBC pan is not an issue, in fact, latter I may go more " flattened Springs", dunno yet. Don't have stock truck steering arm yet to try out.
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