Corvette Steering Box

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

How good are the rebuilding kits offered by some of the Vette Parts houses? Are they worth the money and effort to get and install?

Stu Fox

p.s. Don't need one yet, but keeping them in mind for the future.

Stu----


These kits usually only contain bearings, bushings, seals and gaskets. Most of these parts are still available from GM and that may very well be where the parts come from to make up the kits.

[Jim S.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

There is a company in New York that has manufactured the flexible coupling disc for the last 40 years! They now want to get out of the business. They want to manufacture an "all-time buy" of coupling discs for Saginaw. "With Corvettes - how do you calculate an "all-time buy"?

Please note! Those OEM discs have always been die cut out of flat slabs of laminated material. The slabs are manufactured as alternating layers of neoprene rubber and cotton cloth. They are not made from old tire carcasses or "rags".

The "softer" more noise insulating discs are made from four layers of cloth and rubber. The higher performance "stiffer" discs have 7 layers of cloth and rubber. All of the discs are 3/8 inch thick. So the stiffer discs have more cloth and less rubber. The Corvette flex coupling assembly has always utilized a 7 layer disc regardless if the system is manual or power steering.

Jim

[Timothy B.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

Jim,
Is the coupling still available or is it reproduction. I always thought these things were GM discountinued long ago.

[Jim S.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

I think that Saginaw may have contracted out the manufacture of the flexible coupling assembly service parts using Saginaw tooling. Or they may still have a small area reserved at Saginaw making them. There are definately flex coupling copies being sold for about half the OEM price. The following picture is definately NOT a Saginaw manufactured flex coupling assembly.

This the the infamous flex coupling that results in your steering wheel ending upsidedown. Note that the flat was machined on the wrong side of the flange. I wrote several letters and eMails to quite a few suppliers outling the problem. No one ever got back to me about correcting the problem. So I don't know if the machining of the flange has been corrected or not.
Jim

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

Jim,
Is the coupling still available or is it reproduction. I always thought these things were GM discountinued long ago.

Tim-----

The 63-66 couplings, both tele column and standard, are GM-discontinued. The 67-69 and 69-82 couplings remain available from GM.

[Jim S.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

The pictures that I have seen in various catalogues would seem to indicate that the 1963-66 flexible couplings were NOS or at least Saginaw produced flex couplings with later components.

I have been able to obtain some of the early Saginaw flex coupling assembly drawings. They were originally released in 1962. As Saginaw service assemblies the brass ground stips were removed and replaced by screen ground coupling discs in 1971.

Jim

[Gary R.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

Maybe this will help? This is the last NOS service rag I have for the 63-66 std. There is no copper strap with it and I believe the bolt head marking is different. It will work but is slightly different then the originals. The material is the same stiff combo the new GM rags are made from. This one was never used but is about 20? years old. I'll have it at carlisle on the table with everything else if you want to take a look.

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

Maybe this will help? This is the last NOS service rag I have for the 63-66 std. There is no copper strap with it and I believe the bolt head marking is different. It will work but is slightly different then the originals. The material is the same stiff combo the new GM rags are made from. This one was never used but is about 20? years old. I'll have it at carlisle on the table with everything else if you want to take a look.

Gary-----


I've got a few of these 63-66 NOS couplings around here to look at (assuming I decide to dig them out) but I won't need to now; your photos are outstanding. Thanks for saving me that "ordeal". They are probably in the same age range as the one you have. I have an NOS 65-66 tele column coupling, too, GM #5692974. I'm curious to refresh my memory on the configuration of that one, but not curious enough to go through digging it out.

Your photo of the side of the joint clearly shows the 7 layer cord construction that Jim was describing.

[Gary R.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

Joe,
I believe the tele joint used a coupling similar or the same as the later joints. It was shorter. I don't have one, the one in the picture is the last 63-66 I have and doubt I'll find anymore. Since I no longer have a C2 it will go on the table next week.

[Joe L.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

Joe,
I believe the tele joint used a coupling similar or the same as the later joints. It was shorter. I don't have one, the one in the picture is the last 63-66 I have and doubt I'll find anymore. Since I no longer have a C2 it will go on the table next week.

Gary----


Yes, my vague recollection of the 65-66 tele column coupler is that it's similar in configuration to the 67-VL69.

[Jim S.]

Re: Corvette Steering Box

I am leaving on a cruise for about the next 10 days. I probably won't be making any comments until I return. I recently did receive some of the original Saginaw drawings on the 63-66 flexible coupling assemblies. I will try to make sense of them when I return.

Jim