I have a 50 shoveitorleaveit that I'm trying to put a sbc into with ram horn manifolds using mounts from chasis engineering but of course the stock steering box is in the way. I thought that maybe a 57-59 box would work but it also gets in the way. any suggestions or information would be appriciated.
Pat Ganahl had an article in Street Rodder years ago. He moved the stock steering box to the left like 1 1/2 inches and then bent the pitman arm inward to compensate. The article is online somewhere...
Try a mid 70's & up exhaust manifold instead. There is a dent in the side that might give enough clearance.
Hi nukelhead, try posting this in the A-D Truckers sub-forum or visit this site. http://www.stovebolt.com/ They have a hi-po section that may help. I've done the SBC swap and it is tight but I used block huggers and an MII rack.
here's a couple http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46232&highlight=ad http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174096&highlight=ad
I looked into it but was told that the box is too light for the truck. I myself ended up piecing together my own version of the CPP power steering kit. The box ends up on the outside of the frame rail in the fender well.
The corvair box probably is too light for trucks, but really, how many of these old trucks are really used as a truck? Chances are you'd be fine. When I got my 52, it had a sbc in it already, the PO had welded a big chunk of angle iron on the side of the frame and moved the stock box over a couple inches.
If I can just offer up my opinion on the whole shibang, I put a small block in mine and left the stock front in mostly because I didn't have access to 220 to weld in a frt clip. To a lesser degree, I really like the look off the leaf springs over a modern clip. The down side is that the truck still suffers from bump steer and when a wheel bearing seized and I needed to replace a spindle it was a pain in the nuts to locate one.
Well, I like the stock front end also, and I think I'm going to try the corvair box and see what happens. The truck's just going to be a daily driver anyway. I appriciate all the good info.
The Corvair box would be too light weight for the AD trucks. Some people don't consider them adequate for T buckets. When I swapped the 283 into my 48 in 1974 I moved the box out with the inch an a half angle iron which was the norm at the time but a long way from the best plan, It involves bending the pitman arm back in and cutting out a bit of a notch in the floorboard to let the steering column slide over. I went out an looked at a 77 K10 front axle that I have and it steers with a steering arm off the left spindle so a guy might look into running a later truck steering box up front with a drag link running back instead of forward. I'm not sure what would be involved except building a bracket to mount the box to the frame and creating a drag link. There would be the usual universal joints to get the steering linkage hooked up an one would have to trim the inner fender to clear the steering shaft. It might work and it might create the most dramatic bump steer situation known to man. With a modified tie rod a guy could probably rig a cross steering setup that tucked the steering box down in front of the left motor mount bracket. That would also require a panhard rod though. I've fought the I beam with it's always worn out kingpin bushings and ball bearing wheel bearings that are made out of unobtanieum and often impossible to get at any price in some locations. Plus the thing steers hard enough to give me chest pains if I haven't driven it on a regualar basis. That's run a 250 6 with stock suspension missing a couple of leaves to get it in the weeds. I'm going to a Welder series cross member with stock MII pieces and 11 inch disks. My truck sits low enough that no one will see the suspension anyhow unless they lay on the ground next to the truck. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
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