C1 Steering Box Restoration - Restoring The C-1 Steering Gear

If there is too much adjuster-to-sector play, Chevrolet's fix is the rare NOS assorted-thickness washer kit, part #605142. New adjuster screws are available in the aftermarket or as NOS part #7802482. Back off the adjuster screw and tighten side cover bolts with lock washers, evenly and securely.

Working on a variety of gears, the fabricated tool is handy. The stock Corvette steering wheel measures approximately 18" diameter. The lever hole is equal to the rim of the wheel. Pull the spring scale perpendicular to the arm or a steering wheel spoke. Over-center, a "high point" increases drag and should read a total pull of 7/8- to 1-7/8 pounds. Once correct, hold the adjuster screw and tighten the lash nut to 15-20 ft. lbs. Again, check the full left-to-right range pull.

Fully adjusted, the entire gear gets a primer sealer coat. Mask off the sector splines and threads. Also, mask the upper steering shaft threads, splines and the brass horn ring. This is an epoxy primer, and it will act as a quality base and sealer for the catalyzed commercial enamel color coat.

Color coat is a semi-gloss black as per the owner's preference. Factory match would be a flatter black mast, a gloss upper turn signal cup and silver gear housing. The cover coat should be paint with excellent adhesion and resistance to oils, heat and grease. Once cured, you can protect the mast for installation with a wrap of masking paper.

Ball stud masked, the glass-beaded and clean pitman arm gets its coat of primer-sealer and color. Avoid painting the splines, as this can cause a false torque setting during installation. The pitman must fit tightly on the sector splines. You will install the pitman arm after the gear is in the chassis.

Here, the masked column tube protects the gear during assembly. Getting the gear in and out of the car is not easy. This job requires two people and care. Suspend the upper column temporarily with tie straps while aligning and attaching the gear to the frame. The firewall plate, loosened during installation, should hang loosely on the column.

Cast frame spacer and factory hardware now have the gear positioned on the frame. Torque the nuts to 35 ft. lbs. with new, properly graded lock washers. Use Loctite 242 on bolt threads for added safety. Allow hardware and parts to settle. After loading the gear, re-torque these nuts.

Pitman arm has been installed with the gear in the chassis. The nut torque should be 120-125 ft.-lbs. Use Loctite 242 and a fresh, graded lockwasher to secure the pitman arm. Replace any worn draglink parts. Install and adjust the draglink plug to factory specifications. Secure with a fresh cotter pin. New dust seal holds grease in the joint.

This plate must hang on the column tube during installation! After the gear is fully in place, install the plate and caulk the seam. Use the original dust-hole cover seal if intact. If not, replace the seal. Here, air conditioning caulk assures that engine bay fumes and heat will not enter the driver's compartment. Caulk the inside floorboard, too.

Prior to operating the gear, fill the housing with lube. For a moderate climate, use a 90W-120 or similar EP gear lubricant. The factory fill was "SG" (steering gear) lubricant, similar to 90W gear lube. Multi-viscosity lube provides better protection when the engine heats up the steering gear. After driving the Corvette briefly, check and top off the lube to the bottom of the fill hole threads. While chassis grease is often added to offset a leak problem, the modern sector seal should retain gear lube for many years.