C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

steering box ratio???

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Nov 27, 2001 | 03:11 PM
  #1  
71roadster's Avatar
71roadster
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 1
Default steering box ratio???

Hey Jim
what is the ratio of the steering box in my car (71 of course). A while back I posted on an alternative to rack and pinion (I am leary of the linkage setup) and I just found this, which is exactly what I was refering to...
http://corvettesteering.com/55-57%20chevy.htm

It is 12:1 ratio and would utilize the manual steering relay rod. It would eliminate the ram and the control valve and perhaps the needle beering arrangement offers some advantages as well. A bit cheaper than the r&p too...


Chris
Reply
Old Nov 27, 2001 | 08:26 PM
  #2  
Jim Shea's Avatar
Jim Shea
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime Gold
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 112
From: Saginaw Michigan
Default Re: steering box ratio??? (71roadster)

The Corvette steering gear has a 16:1 ratio. The gear shown at corvettesteering .com is a Jeep Grand Cherokee power steering gear with a 12.7:1 ratio. I don't quite understand how they are going to bolt it onto a Corvette frame. The Corvette mounting has three bolts. The Jeep has four. The bolt holes don't line up. Some of the bolt holes are close. The picture seems to show four bolts and a plate on the gear.

I have overlaid the two mounting patterns and can eMail them to anyone that is interested.

One other problem is that the mounting face (three bolt pattern) on the Corvette gear is not exactly in line with the input shaft. The Corvette input centerline is skewed by about 1 1/2 degrees from the plane of the three bolt mounting face. The four mounting faces on the Jeep gear are in the same plane and are parallel with the input shaft centerline.
Reply
Old Nov 27, 2001 | 10:21 PM
  #3  
71roadster's Avatar
71roadster
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 1
Default Re: steering box ratio??? (Jim Shea)

Thanks for the good info Jim, as always. What years of jeep is that off of? The plate you see is part of a braket that they make. The box is bolted to the plate (taking care of the offset you mention) and the plate is bolted to the frame. I imagine for the corvette app (I'm sure the pic is for the tri-5 app)they just drill the correct pattern in the plate. I shot em off an email with a bunch of questions and hopefully they will get back soon. This looks like it could be just the thing for a steering upgrade!

Do you know if the pitman arm off of the vette will fit the pitman shaft of the stock jeep box (diameter, spline count)? It may be time to hit the junkyards!

Chris
Reply
Old Nov 27, 2001 | 10:32 PM
  #4  
tworottiedogs's Avatar
tworottiedogs
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 905
Likes: 1
From: New Bern NC
Default Re: steering box ratio??? (71roadster)

Looks pretty good. I would like to get some more info also so, if they reply to your emails, please forward the info on to me..... Mine needs lots of steering work and I would rather upgrade than just repair.

Thanks,
Reply
Old Nov 27, 2001 | 11:37 PM
  #5  
Jim Shea's Avatar
Jim Shea
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime Gold
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 112
From: Saginaw Michigan
Default Re: steering box ratio??? (71roadster)

The gear is from a 1999 - 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have the pitman shaft serration data for the Jeep gear. I just don't have the same information for the Corvette gear right now. I'll try to get it so we can compare the two.

The input shafts are not the same either. The Corvette input shaft has serrations and a flat, the Jeep gear input shaft is round with two flats.
Reply
Old Nov 28, 2001 | 08:29 AM
  #6  
ddecart's Avatar
ddecart
Team Owner
25 Year Member
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 42,487
Likes: 47
SPARTAN
CI 3-4-5-6-8-9-10 Vet
CI-9 AutoX Winner
CI-3 Go Kart Champ
St. Jude '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11
Default Re: steering box ratio??? (71roadster)

That is rather interesting. I'd like to see a pic of the installation in a car.

Jim,
I'll have to pull out those drawings I have and see what sense I can make out of doing that retrofit we talked about.

Dave
Reply
Old Nov 28, 2001 | 02:21 PM
  #7  
71roadster's Avatar
71roadster
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 1
Default Re: steering box ratio??? (ddecart)

Drawings? What drawings?

I don't think the input shaft differences are a big deal as it is just a matter of a custom rag joint. Corvettesteering seems to indicate that there is a custom pitman arm. That is one of the questions I asked them in my email. Still waiting on a response.

Chris
Reply
Old Nov 28, 2001 | 03:20 PM
  #8  
tworottiedogs's Avatar
tworottiedogs
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 905
Likes: 1
From: New Bern NC
Default Re: steering box ratio??? (71roadster)

I received a response from corvettesteering.com:

Corvette ratios 63-62 All are 16 to 1
we offer a totaly diferent steering box (Integeral)
you can see it at corvettesteering.com
then 55-57 Chevy.. Haven't had a chance to put them on the corvette page
yet.. call me with questions Tom Reina CV Steering 864-287-9990


If it fits, I am all over it. I'd like to see an installed picture. I already have zero clearance between the steering box and the header. With an extra adapter flange thrown in, it can't be better (unless the physical dimensions of the Jeep steering box are smaller).
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To steering box ratio???

Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:18 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-1
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE