Multiple questions

[yellow210]

Greetings! Just got this old girl home, and started investigating. Mystery 350 Suffix CLY, topped with 305 heads. Saginaw 4 speed. 7.5" rear with factory disc brakes. manual steering box with a 90's Camero column.
Torched front springs, nary a bushing to be found in the front and so forth... but what the hey! I wasn't expecting a 65 year old virgin.
So its safety first, all new front end parts on the way, that's easy... The steering column to box connection is scary, to say the least. It looks like I need to replace both. Any thoughts on which parts and pieces work, would be appreciated. This car is intended to be a driver.
The motor mounts are in the stock position, If I add P/S and AC, am I going to have clearance issues?
Last question for today, we have a MSD6 ignition installed (no vacuum advance). Is that appropriate for a mild street car?
Thanks all!

[Rick_L]

On your steering column connection, can you post a photo or say in more detail what's scary? In general, you want a spline or double D joint. If you don't have that or if it's a double D with no precision fit, then that's scary. If you elect to go with power steering, the solution might be quite different, as a power steering box will be much closer to the firewall. For the p/s conversion, you can buy a column and rag joint commercially, but also you can use a cut down stock column or perhaps even that Camaro column, thought it may have to be shortened.

Adding a/c and power steering doesn't create issues with the engine in the stock location.

No vacuum advance is for race engines. Street driven stuff (especially if mild) always benefits from vacuum advance, it increases part throttle response and fuel economy.

[yellow210]

Rick L, a picture is worth a thousand words...10383

[Tabasco]

You are correct. That connection looks scary. The shaft is only about 1 inch in diameter. The bolt hole removed a lot of the shaft. I would be afraid the shaft could break at the hole and cause a wreck.

Danchuck sells a bracket that is combination motor mount/power steering pump mount so you can use the stock front motor mounts. https://www.danchuk.com/ItemForm.aspx?Item=2684

10384

[yellow210]

Thank you, appreciate the input!

[Rick_L]

I agree with Tabasco, if that bolt goes all the way through the steering box input shaft, drilling that hole makes the shaft very weak. Not only that, there's not much way of converting that box to a different type of connection, because they drilled the hole so close to the steering box housing.

[Custer55]

Rick L, a picture is worth a thousand words...10383

That looks like a good excuse to upgrade to a new steering box!!

[Rick_L]

That bolt appears to be bent! I wouldn't drive the car much if at all until that was fixed.

[yellow210]

It's not going anywhere like that. So the question is, If I need to redo the whole thing, is it rack and pinion with an aftermarket column? Manual box and original column? Aftermarket column and power steering?
And by the way Rick L, I took it apart, to see what was what. The bolt isn't bent, but the nut was finger tight!? Any thoughts, comments appreciated.

[Rick_L]

Opinions will vary, but my position on power steering is that unless you have an aftermarket frame that was designed/engineered from the ground up for R&P, or front frame clip from a car that had R&P (such as a late Corvette), that a power steering box is the best way. There are several reasons for this. A rack and pinion conversion with the stock frame and suspension geometry can end up with geometry problems, the most common is bump steer. Second reason is that it's often hard to route the rack's steering shaft past the exhaust headers or manifolds. Third reason is that an R&P conversion for the stock frame/suspension costs quite a bit more. Fourth reason is that unless you have that aftermarket frame or front frame clip, the performance of a power steering box is comparable to the R&P.

A power steering box such as a CPP500 or a Borgeson is a pretty straightforward installation for the most part. I would tend toward the Borgeson box because even though the 500 box has a fairly good reputation, CPP as a company does not have a good reputation. There have been complaints about CPP500 boxes leaking - not all do, there is a fix, but this has been a problem for a long time that CPP doesn't seem to want to completely solve.

Another choice you have is to get another stock manual steering box and fix the column issue with a good connection between column and steering box. This could be a stock column, an aftermarket column, or a column from another car. But that's a lot of trouble, and a power steering box will be roughly the same amount of physical work.

[kbuhagiar]

It's not going anywhere like that. So the question is, If I need to redo the whole thing, is it rack and pinion with an aftermarket column? Manual box and original column? Aftermarket column and power steering?
And by the way Rick L, I took it apart, to see what was what. The bolt isn't bent, but the nut was finger tight!? Any thoughts, comments appreciated.

Yellow210,

Congratulations on your new 55!

I upgraded to power steering (CPP500) and a new Ididit tilt column, and I haven't looked back. The Borgeson PS box is very popular also. Definitely one of the best mods I have made.

My greater concern is that your current steering 'solution' may be indicative of the craftmanship (or lack thereof) on the rest of the car. I would make it a priority to put it up on a lift (or at least jackstands) and do a visual inspection of all of the car's critical systems, especially the remainder of the steering system and the brakes.

Good luck!

[yellow210]

Ok, thank you Rick L, I appreciate your input. I was inclined the same way.

[yellow210]

kbuhagiar, Thank you. You are totally correct in assuming there might be other "engineering" issues. She is currently on 4 jacks, and not going anywhere, until I am satisfied.

[busterwivell]

I got my car as a roller, but it had a 605 box that was new. If it didn't, I would have put in a 500 box. I, too, have an Ididit column and love it.