Steering box help and advice needed please I am stuck ,1965 V8 Valiant power steering

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Jay Rosen

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Hi Everyone
Jay here.I need some helpful information if it is out there.I had a local shop install a new steering box in my V8 1965 Valiant with power steering. The part was available
here at a good auto parts store and was installed as usual.I drove the car 65 miles to where I was going.When it was time to drive back home, the car would not steer.
I am glad this did not happen on the freeway.I think that would have been dangerous.I had the car towed back here to Oakland.

Much to my surprise the shop installed a steering box that attaches with only three bolts.The one I gave the parts store as exchange had four. They can not find my old one it is
somewhere now in another country with hundreds of others to be re built.

HOW can I now find the correct part?When I look on line I do not see anything that would indicate four bolt attachment.Is there any parts dealer that would stock this or be able to supply this item?

I can not feel safe installing the three bolt box after what I experienced so I hope someone here can help.
Thank you to this community.
Jay
 
Did the 3 bolts make it so it would not steer?

What does would not steer mean?
  • Too much effort
  • Would not turn
  • Would turn freely but wheels would not move
 
We are going to need pictures! Factory mopar power steering boxes only have 3 bolts. So, it sounds like your car has been modified for a non-factory box.

And as long as the box is still held tightly to the K frame by the 3 bolts, the issue you had with steering is likely something else entirely.
 
Later boxes had larger bolt holes, early k-members had small bolts. Make sure you have a good fit between the box and mounting bolts.
 
C130 Chief said:
Later boxes had larger bolt holes, early k-members had small bolts. Make sure you have a good fit between the box and mounting bolts.
Click to expand...

Thing is, even if the box moves around it doesn't stop the car from steering. It just manifests as play in the steering, so even if the mounting holes in the steering box are larger than the bolts in the K the box would just move back and forth a pretty small amount.

The steering mount on my K frame broke free of about half its welds, the entire steering box would move back and forth a good 1/2" or so with all the flex in the broken mount. The car would still steer, although there was a fair amount of play in the steering and responsiveness.

The issue the OP is having is probably not related at all to how the steering box is mounted unless something is directly interfering with the pitman or the coupler isn't working, which could be a result of modifications used to fit his previous non-factory box. Beyond that, it's more likely there's a hydraulic issue, which could be from the install or again modifications from the last box.

But we don't have any idea what was done to his car to fit the last box.
 
Let me get this straight-
You had a shop install a new steering box.
For some reason you think the old box had four bolts, but you were not the one who removed it or installed the new one. So how do you "know" it was four bolt?
All stock Mopar steering boxes (at least of the era we normally deal with here on FABO) are three bolt, no matter if they are power or manual.
And as stated by others previously, if it suddenly "would not steer", it has nothing to do with three bolt mounting (unless all three bolts are missing entirely). And what exactly does that mean, anyhow?
 
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