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From: Daven Anderson
email: [email protected]
Date: July 29, 2000
Time: 22:31:58
My '60 wagon with a big block is manual steering (still). I drive it weekends in the summer. You need to use a lot of muscle to steer it if the car is dead still,but even a 1-2 mph crawl will help noticeably in the effort dept. [parallel parking and such]. You learn this trick when you drive a manual steering car with any regularity! The crate engines weigh less than the 301-318 polys and my big block,this will help,too! I have been told by my mechanic [who HATES the manual steering!] that the '63-64 Chrysler [power] steering column would be the choice to use for the conversion to power steering that he may eventually browbeat me into getting. I DO find that the on-center feel is suoperior to my '61 Fury with power steering. The '57-61 Mopar manual steering is actually made by Saginaw [GM],and it's 26.4 to 1 and I have no idea who if anybody sells faster ratios,even talks with 59-60 Chevy fans have been a dead end there. Original 57-61 power steering units were 20:1,as were the '63-4 Chry. units. Quick and obvious test for yours: turn the wheel from left-most to right-most (lock to lock). Jack the front end off the ground if possible! If it turns smoothly from lock to lock,you have a good start. If it binds anywhere along,problem! P.S. The '67 Imperial rearend is fairly likely to have Sure-Grip due to the higher price of the car [when new] ,the Imp buyers could afford more options,and the Posi-Traction was popular on Cadillacs of that vintage so dealers would order it to compete with Cadillacs also. A good '67 Imperial rearend would be worth using for sure,but I would change to the 4 1/2" bolt spacing axle shafts as outlined in my reply to your 'Sure-Grip' posting. DAVEN
