Hi All,
Sorry for bringing this up again!

I am looking at buying the Steeroids kit, but came up with a post from Solid stating something about a Saginaw 12:1 box.

Give me some facts and opinions as to which would be the best upgrade
if you would, please!

I am doing it now as the engine and gearbox is out of the car after I hit a manhole cover with my bellhousing that broke the engine and transmission mounts, drove the engine backwards an inch or so cracking the firewall and driving the Richmond 6-speed upwards as the bellhousing twisted cracking the floor.....:-((

City was doing some road refinishing and took a good percentage off of the top of the road without marking it. Me cruising around down town around 9pm hit this protruding manhole at 40 or 50 km/h and brought the car to a sudden violent halt!

My insurance company is fixing the car and will go after the construction company afterwards.....C$10 000+ damage

I figured I could just as well do the steering upgrade now that the engine, transmission and all the interior is out for repairing the floor and firewall.

 

The company name is: Corvette Steering Service (I don't think there is a further explination required.) The steering box is a Saginaw 605 series intregal boost 12:1 ratio with a modified pitman shaft to accept the standard (non-power) Corvette pittman arm. These boxes are used in NASCAR and most late 70's early 80's cars were equipped with this type of steering box. I like to say, you are taking your car from the 1950's to the 60's (the intregal boost box appeared in the mid 1960's.) I lie the fact that the box is a proven technology while it still incorporates "tried and proven" engineering. You can make your desicion but, this is the best priced system on the market that eliminates the control valve of the Corvette steering system. Here is the link to CSS (the web layout could be improved but he is more of a product guy than a web designer)
http://www.corvettesteering.com/55-57%20chevy.htm

 

Thanks for the info Solid!

Two more questions:
1)Will the car steer feel the same with the Saginaw as with the Steeroids kit?

2)Can I use my hydrobosst brake system with both?

 

Comments with regard to your questions:

Rack & Pinion versus Recirculating Ball Steering
You will find a lot of supporters that will swear that a rack and pinion system will give you more road feel and better steering feedback than a recirculating ball steering gear. There is no question that the C2/C3 Corvette valve and adapter type power steering is a real antique.

However, I can remember back in the early 70s when Saginaw was trying to "sell" Chevrolet on using the Saginaw integral power recirculating ball steering gear (the same design power gear that is used in millions and millions of cars and trucks) in the current C3 Vette. Corvette engineers indicated that the valve and adapter system had better feel and feed back than the Saginaw integral power gear. So they weren't interested in the integral power gear. Now, maybe they really knew that the C4 was coming along and therefore they didn't have the time to develop the integral power gear with so much work and effort being placed on developing the C4.

You will note that the C4 has a rack and pinion system. R&P systems are lighter weight and less costly than a complete recirculating ball gear and linkage system. However, packaging a R&P system is quite a bit more complicated that a gear/linkage system.

It is very possible that the new Saginaw 600 gear that is being advertised for the C2/C3 Vette has better feel and feedback than the valve and adapter system. However, I would wait for some more feedback from owners that have made the conversion.

Hydroboost
You should be able to use a Hydroboost brake booster system with any of the above C2/C3 power steering systems.

 

I would not recommend anything I did not have "feedback" on. My "feedback" came from several vintage Corvette road racers (one who went from a "backmarker" to consistant "top 10" finisher.) The feedback on the Saginaw box is excellent and the "feel" of a 1970 era Z/28 or WS-6 Trans Am has to be expirienced to realize what the potential of this conversion is. I am going to do this conversion later this year and am only holding off because I am currently in the middle of winning a autocross chapionship and do not want to "screw around" with my "known" combination in the middle of a points race. My good friend at Corvette Repair (Mtn View, CA) is a very conservative mechanic and he now has nothing but great enthusiasm for this product.

 

Come guys,

I need some more discussion and input on this subject of
Steeroids vs. Saginaw

Strength, longevity, trustworthiness under pressure etc.