Steering Box Rebuild. Lots of Pics!!!
07-31-2007, 11:04 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Steering Box Rebuild. Lots of Pics!!!
I sent my '68 steering box off to Gary in Connecticut for a very much needed rebuild. Gary is a well known corvette steering gear box and differential rebuilder, and for good reason. The entire process was probably the most painless and hassle-free experience I've had to date while rebuilding my corvette. He was very professional and asked a lot of questions before tearing into my box. During the build, he took pictures of the status and e-mailed them to me to keep me updated. I thought that was above and beyond. In the end, pretty much all of the internals needed replacing which wasn't suprising after 40 years of service. I received my better than new box yesterday and am extremely pleased with the results. Total build time - 2 days!
Here are a few pictures:
Thanks Gary. You're the man! 
Note to Mods. Gary is not a supporting vendor and nor should he be. He is just a normal guy like the rest of us that will extend his knowledge and skill to any vette-head in need.
Here are a few pictures:
Originally Posted by Gary
Hi Scott,
I took your box apart tonight. Here are some pictures before I cleaned and blasted it.
Gary
Here I cleaned the box and then glass beaded them, washed and etched with POR15 Metal Ready. The 1/2 of the rag is all you're going to need. The new rag will be the other half.
Hi Scott,
Here I cleaned up the internal housing. I washed, blasted, rinsed, and used a wire wheel to clean up.
Here are all the new parts going into the box. The teeth are thicker with
the new gears and that will give better contact. The bushings are the ones I use in the std job.
Gary
Here I have the sealant used on the threads, the new gear mesh, and Mobil 1 grease. There is room for the grease to expand above the teeth.
Box is done and will ship today DHL.
I took your box apart tonight. Here are some pictures before I cleaned and blasted it.
Gary
Here I cleaned the box and then glass beaded them, washed and etched with POR15 Metal Ready. The 1/2 of the rag is all you're going to need. The new rag will be the other half.
Hi Scott,
Here I cleaned up the internal housing. I washed, blasted, rinsed, and used a wire wheel to clean up.
Here are all the new parts going into the box. The teeth are thicker with
the new gears and that will give better contact. The bushings are the ones I use in the std job.
Gary
Here I have the sealant used on the threads, the new gear mesh, and Mobil 1 grease. There is room for the grease to expand above the teeth.
Box is done and will ship today DHL.
Note to Mods. Gary is not a supporting vendor and nor should he be. He is just a normal guy like the rest of us that will extend his knowledge and skill to any vette-head in need.
08-01-2007, 12:26 AM
#4
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Here's the e-mail from Gary when we discussed pricing. He's really a great guy to work with. PM for contact info if needed.
Hi Scott,
Lead time is about 2 weeks. Cost depends on how you want it rebuilt. A std rebuild is $175 and Bluepritned box is $275. The Blueprinted boxes have custom fit bushings in them to cut the sideplay down to about .002" along with a POR15 base coat and cast blast top coat finish. This is the best built box on the market.
The big concern is the condition of the gears. If they are still good then I replace the 54 ***** in the worm nut but if they are bad they cost and extra $245 to replace.
Look at the lash screw in the cover. Is it buried in the nut? If so that's not good.
If you want to ship it to me to inspect then let you know what it needs you can.
Thanks,
Gary
Hi Scott,
Lead time is about 2 weeks. Cost depends on how you want it rebuilt. A std rebuild is $175 and Bluepritned box is $275. The Blueprinted boxes have custom fit bushings in them to cut the sideplay down to about .002" along with a POR15 base coat and cast blast top coat finish. This is the best built box on the market.
The big concern is the condition of the gears. If they are still good then I replace the 54 ***** in the worm nut but if they are bad they cost and extra $245 to replace.
Look at the lash screw in the cover. Is it buried in the nut? If so that's not good.
If you want to ship it to me to inspect then let you know what it needs you can.
Thanks,
Gary
08-01-2007, 08:16 AM
#8
Instructor
Steering box
Gary did mine also and I now have the 1000 miles on the car. Its great!! His work is second to none and his service with follow-up pictueres and project status is unbelieveable. Well worth his price for the quality received. He'll be doing the differential for me.
08-01-2007, 08:37 AM
#9
Melting Slicks
I have the pleasure of living about 3 miles from Gary. Brought my steering box to him a few months back and he tore into it while I was there.
Still have yet to leave my two "thank you" strips of rubber in front of his house..
08-01-2007, 11:58 AM
#11
Very nice work!
08-03-2007, 07:46 AM
#12
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
08-03-2007, 08:52 AM
#13
Burning Brakes
Gary did my steering box as well and I got the same service. The pics were a great surprise and they came on an almost daily basis. Awesome work, I can't wait to send him the rear diff.
