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Original power steering is loose……I found it too loose even with completely rebuilt components and all new suspension. I fixed it by converting to factory manual steering. Other have chosen aftermarket solutions.
The stock steering is the same over all years of the C3. Some had manual and some had power steering. All have the same design. The power steering cars do have just a little play due to the power steering control valve.
loose? Sloppy?
I imagine a lot of people with a 40 year old car of any type might describe their steering this way.
have you driven any other C3 Corvette's to compare?
The stock steering is the same over all years of the C3. Some had manual and some had power steering. All have the same design. The power steering cars do have just a little play due to the power steering control valve.
loose? Sloppy?
I imagine a lot of people with a 40 year old car of any type might describe their steering this way.
have you driven any other C3 Corvette's to compare?
No I haven't yet. I just recently bought this car so I'm still learning. I'm planning on going to the next vette show in my area. Thanks for replying.
Anyone out there with a C3 (1982) Corvette find the steering to be a little loose (sloppy?)
Depends on what component is causing the sloppiness. With steering wheel centered, window and hood open, use two fingers to slightly move the wheel while watching the rag joint and shaft going into the box. There should be no play. That's a starting point. Other components in the linkage can also contribute.
Inspect your steering carefully. There are a lot of reasons for sloppy steering and some of them are dangerous. Rag joint, tie rods, even ball joints and control arm bushings. Not to mention the steering box itself, and the wheel alignment. And after all that, anyone who is used to modern steering might still find the C3 setup a little sloppy. I did a rack and pinion conversion years ago and it is much better.
so the steering in your 1982 corvette was developed around 1958 It was used on the c2 and c3 vettes that both used the same chassis and drivetrain setup for decades basically unchanged and not updated..(ford used a similair system in the old 60s mustangs and cougars but even they got upgrades decades earlier.)
When I bought my car the steering system leaked bad... I rebuilt the steering pump and ram and replaced the hoses... No more leaks but still had that vague 1950s car steering feel. I replaced the rag joint, adjusted the steering box adjustments and got all the play out of thesteering but still the steering feel is terrible too much assist when more assist is not wanted. Fast forward to today when my borgeson steering conversion kit arrived. I also have new control arms that will add caster to help make it handle and steer more like a modern car. If I had realized then what I know now I would have never wasted the time on the stock system.. I also rebuilt my uncles 76 steering (some components like the ram and hoses twice) and he still has leaks.
Last edited by augiedoggy; May 17, 2023 at 10:14 PM.
Original power steering is loose……I found it too loose even with completely rebuilt components and all new suspension. I fixed it by converting to factory manual steering. Other have chosen aftermarket solutions.
as well as GM solutions like the saganaw/ delphi 500 aka borgeson box many would say GM should have switched to themselves.
Inspecting all of the chassis components for wear is #1 on your to-do list. There is a last step after ensuring all of the other components are not to blame, and that's to adjust the steering gear lash. You need to use the Chevrolet service manual to follow all of the steps and not risk adjusting it too tightly and damaging the gear box.
The rag joint needs to be in good shape or you will get a lot of play in the wheel. Good rag joints seem to be getting very hard to find. Repros are supposed to be crap.
Check the ball joints and tie rods etc. Might be time for a gear box lash adjustment. Clean out the old grease in the gearbox and replace it before adjusting the lash if it is still the original lube.
If all else seems to be good, you can rebuild the steering gear box. Gary Ramadei just finished blueprinting mine. DEAD SEXY!! Lucky for me it was only a 4 day job in this case. There are less expensive ways to overhaul a gearbox, but none better.
Garys custom blueprinted steering box about to be shipped back to me.
Anyone out there with a C3 (1982) Corvette find the steering to be a little loose (sloppy?)
Even after I replaced inner and outer tie rods and sleeves, new idler arm, confirmed that the steering gear and rag joint were good and solid, along with new stock upper and lower control arm bushings I still had a "loose" or "twitchy" steering at 50 mph and above. The steering was better, but still had that twitchiness at speed. As long as you're using the stock steering system on your C3, the only way to eliminate that "twitchiness" is to increase the steering castor. Something in the neighborhood of at least 4*. More is better. Some people slot the stock upper control arm shafts. Some use aftermarket upper control arms made with increased castor. I myself modified 58 - 62 Impala tubular upper control arms that already had 4* castor built into them.
Even after I replaced inner and outer tie rods and sleeves, new idler arm, confirmed that the steering gear and rag joint were good and solid, along with new stock upper and lower control arm bushings I still had a "loose" or "twitchy" steering at 50 mph and above. The steering was better, but still had that twitchiness at speed. As long as you're using the stock steering system on your C3, the only way to eliminate that "twitchiness" is to increase the steering castor. Something in the neighborhood of at least 4*. More is better. Some people slot the stock upper control arm shafts. Some use aftermarket upper control arms made with increased castor. I myself modified 58 - 62 Impala tubular upper control arms that already had 4* castor built into them.
My research has led me to the same conclusions.
I have the "improved" pol control arms with the 4 degrees built in AND the offset soon to be slotted control arms on order and a borgeson conversion to tackle this well know problem head on.
My research has led me to the same conclusions.
I have the "improved" pol control arms with the 4 degrees built in AND the offset soon to be slotted control arms on order and a borgeson conversion to tackle this well know problem head on.
corvettes were billed to be America’s first sports car . But Dontov failed miserably. The first thing one would think about if you drove a vette would be handling . Sadly not the case among other things
corvettes were billed to be America’s first sports car . But Dontov failed miserably. The first thing one would think about if you drove a vette would be handling . Sadly not the case among other things
corvettes were billed to be America’s first sports car . But Dontov failed miserably. The first thing one would think about if you drove a vette would be handling . Sadly not the case among other things
Really? Read this 1963 comparison between Cobra and Corvette. The Cobra had a better power to weight ratio but the Corvette had better handing due to a better suspension design. https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsp...on-track-1963/
Good grief.... Im on my 10th Corvette.... I cant believe I keep buying cars that have failed miserably at handling among other things.... Im such an idiot!!
I simply switched to a Rack and Pinion steering system and the looseness went away. I had my steering box rebuilt (Blueprinted) and it was still like my grandfather's Buick so then I did the Rack and pinion and that solved the issue. Today it is very similar to the steering in my 1988 C4, nice and tight!
