power steering adapter for a 68

[drivethechevy]

i have read a few places on the board about some 67-68's having a difference on the frame and that adapters are needed to acomodate a power steering gearbox, on my 68 powersteering box is shimmed out as a fix but is done really poorly, and whoever bolted it in got lazy and only botled half of it to the frame anyway


what i would like to know is there a kit or a method to give a 67-68 with a flat frame the ablity to have power steering safely, if there is where could i find such a kit or how would i make one?
thanks in advance
nate

[LockDoc]

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There are a couple of ways to do it. That certainly isn't one of them... I wouldn't drive the truck that way for a million bucks. One way is to cut the dimpled section out of a later frame and have it professionally welded in, or you can heat the frame cherry red in that area, lay a piece of pipe on it and hit it with a big hammer to make an indentation. I have used shims on them but I use the thinnest shims I possibly can and use grade 8 bolts in all holes. I am not suggesting you make any of these modifications as that will be your choice. I am just stating what has been done by different people in the past....

LockDoc

p.s. I would not cut the entire frame section out just the dimpled area...

[70C10Toejam]

That makes me cringe. I know you can make a shim out of plate steel, but not sure how thick, just enough to clear the bulge in the PS box. Alot of guys recommend using a torch to heat the frame and then beating a the frame to fit. That is really all the difference is from the factory. Just a little extra room is needed is all.

The concern over the shims is you are actually changing the PS box from its true location, may cause excess wear and some loss of turning radius. Don't know how true to life those are, but there is a concern.

There are some threads on the torch and hammer methods, might check FAQ.

eh...Lockdoc beat me.

[68C15]

interesting, my 68 has a dimpled area.
as for the shimming throwing off alignment; all it does is change the rotation of the wheel. you need to then adjust the , well, adjusting sleeves on the tie rods.

check in classic trucks mag, some vendors have a kit which consists of a plate with sleeves welded onto it.

[dan42]

IIRC, all '68 frames should be power steering ready (dimpled). Even on some of the '67 frames you can mount the ps box - mine mounted up fine. There is also a plate you can buy from GMC Paul's or Brother's that allows you to mount a ps box.

[drivethechevy]

[QUOTE=68C15;3174586]interesting, my 68 has a dimpled area.QUOTE]

not all 68 had the flat frame i have a 68 c20 that has factory power steering and has the dimple, its just some weird thing gm did

[msgross]

Here is what you need..

http://www.brotherstrucks.com/prodin...number=PSC6066

and not all 68's had the dimple.. mine didn't so I used a similar plate like this one...

[pritch]

You know, if you look close you'll see that not only are the later frames dimpled in, the mounting holes are dimpled out some.

[kgt]

I installed a reman strg box from a 78 z-28 on my 68 c-10, bolted it up and all seems ok??...., must not have a dimple....lol...

[SHOWDOG]

I just dimpled mine. It took about 30 min. I heard shimming the box can lead to steering quirks, so I pounded mine in. It was an easy fix! Good Luck!
Showdog

[vectorit]

I wish my burb had power steering... That PS conversion kit being sold is for 2wd models only, so it don't work in my case

I have wondered if a skilled person with a plazma cutter could cut out the dimple area the PS box requires, then weld in a backing plate to enclose and strengthen the cut out? I just don't feel good about "pounding out" a dimple in my frame, so until then I am still running the manual box.

Sucks to, because I have to buy another manual box since mine is bad. Instead I'd rather spend that money on getting a PS set up.

[msgross]

Originally Posted by vectorit

I wish my burb had power steering... That PS conversion kit being sold is for 2wd models only, so it don't work in my case

The case to a 4wd box and 2WD are the same.. so why would it matter?

If you wanted to do it "near stock" then you could replace that portion of your frame with the same area from a 69 and up truck.