I'm wondering if a 49-54 Chevy car steering box would bolt in/work in a 40-48 Chevy coupe? I have a 47 Pontiac(Canadian Pontiac so frame is the same as a Chevy), SBC, stock front suspension, stock steering, stock steering box, spindles off a 49-54 Chevy for 5 Lug. Car drives pretty decent all things considering. My box is shot with the adjustment screw maxed out. Yes I realize there's mustang ll's, Saginaw conversion etc but trying to keep the period theme going. If it has the same frame and guys have bolted the whole front crossmember/suspension from a 49-54 in 40-48's, maybe there's a chance. If anyone has close up pictures of either that would help. Thanks.
@47 poncho The ‘48 and earlier Chevy steering box is setup for cross steering linkage. The pitman arm is at the bottom of the box and swings sideways. Whereas the ‘49/‘54 has a a horizontal sector shaft coming out the side of the steering box, next to the engine, with a drag link going fore and aft up to a bell crank on the crossmember. Totally different steering box/linkage. If using a ‘49/‘54 complete front suspension/crosssmember conversion, then ‘yes’, it would be necessary to use the matching steering box and linkages.....otherwise, it’s totally incompatible. Ray
This greasy bugger is a 53 Car box that I bought to get the steering wheel for my 48. Box bolts to the outside of the frame and the sector shaft points in and the Pitman arm goes forward and back. As nasty as it looks that one works real smooth and will go in my swapmeet stash. Served as a reminder that I need to pull that wheel off and stash it away safely though as it is pretty nice for a used wheel. I drug the box out yesterday to try to figure out if a guy could cut the brackets off and mount it Ford style though the frame with the pitman arm going up but I don't think that will work.
@Mr48chev ....... just speculating here, but I think you may have intended your post for that thread where the guy wants to swap his side steer box for a reverse rotation model so he can have his pitman arm point up rather than down. The OP on this thread was asking about using the next generation steering box (‘49/‘54) on his ‘48 Canadian Pontiac (Chevy chassis) to replace a badly worn box. Maybe I have missed something here and am, once again, ‘all wet’.... Ray
Not doubting your box is shot but want to be sure you realize there is more to the adjustment than just the pitman adjustment screw. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1942_47/4247csm901.htm
I have looked at the same thing for my '47, and the answer is no. I just sold the '53 box I had and was looking at for the same thing.
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