Steering box build date?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,029
Likes: 94
From: meraux LA
Thanks Alan
The only reason i asked was because I was reading a post on rebuilding steering boxes on the other forum, and Gary posted on someone's steering box's build date. I didn't know they had build dates on the steering boxes.
The number is on the side of the box where the "s" is located. I didn't see any other numbers on the box, that's why i asked.
Robert
The only reason i asked was because I was reading a post on rebuilding steering boxes on the other forum, and Gary posted on someone's steering box's build date. I didn't know they had build dates on the steering boxes.
The number is on the side of the box where the "s" is located. I didn't see any other numbers on the box, that's why i asked.
Robert
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 112
From: Saginaw Michigan
MANUAL STEERING GEAR
I have a very poor quality Saginaw corvette manual gear drawing that was created in 1974. The steering gear has a thin metal tag attached to the one side cover bolt that is located on the driver side of the gear. The 1974 metal tag would have the part number "7819668" and the standard GM date coding for the 1974 through 1982 gears:
MANUFACTURING DATE CODE TO BE STAMPED ON TAG IN THIS AREA - CODE 000 0
000 DAY OF THE YEAR (1 THRU 365)
LAST DIGIT OF THE YEAR (5 FOR 1975)
I do not know when the metal tag system was introduced on the Saginaw manual gears. It is possible that the metal tag was not used before 1974. The fact that you didn't mention a metal tag most likely means that yours was lost through the years, or that Saginaw didn't use the metal tag before 1974. I just don't know.
You might look closely at the aluminum top cover. Are there possibly some numbers stamped (NOT cast) on the cover that would roughly be the same as the above coding system?
The cast numbers on the side of the gear housing are exactly that -- housing casting numbers. They are NOT the final gear assembly number.
Jim
I have a very poor quality Saginaw corvette manual gear drawing that was created in 1974. The steering gear has a thin metal tag attached to the one side cover bolt that is located on the driver side of the gear. The 1974 metal tag would have the part number "7819668" and the standard GM date coding for the 1974 through 1982 gears:
MANUFACTURING DATE CODE TO BE STAMPED ON TAG IN THIS AREA - CODE 000 0
000 DAY OF THE YEAR (1 THRU 365)
LAST DIGIT OF THE YEAR (5 FOR 1975)
I do not know when the metal tag system was introduced on the Saginaw manual gears. It is possible that the metal tag was not used before 1974. The fact that you didn't mention a metal tag most likely means that yours was lost through the years, or that Saginaw didn't use the metal tag before 1974. I just don't know.
You might look closely at the aluminum top cover. Are there possibly some numbers stamped (NOT cast) on the cover that would roughly be the same as the above coding system?
The cast numbers on the side of the gear housing are exactly that -- housing casting numbers. They are NOT the final gear assembly number.
Jim
