My '64 Dart has a manual 24:1 steering box with a little bit of slop in it, and we're going road racing. Currently, the plan is to make those two adjustments to tighten it up, and cross our fingers that it can handle the abuse of endurance racing with huge wheels and tires that weigh about twice what the car came with. What would be nice, however, is to have a backup that we can take our time adjusting and possibly rebuilding to swap in if the original starts getting scary on the track.

Because this is a crapcan endurance race with a budget limit, I can't just go to FirmFeel and buy a brand new 20:1 steering box. What I'm wondering is what vehicles I should look for in the local junkyards, where A-bodies of any type are very scarce.

I read in this old thread that the steering boxes from F-bodies and certain vans can be used in an A-body, possibly with a different Pitman arm. If an F-body manual steering box will work, how about an M-body? Wikipedia calls the F and M platform "nearly identical," and M-bodies seem to be plentiful around here. One concern that comes to mind is that M-body cars are pretty likely to have power steering. I'd be fine with the much tighter ratio box without the actual power steering, but I understand that my column wouldn't work with that type of box.

I'm also open to the idea of breaking out the welder and reinforcing the K-member where the steering box and idler arm hook up, but haven't really thought out how I would go about it.

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Somehow I ended up owning three 1964 slant six A-bodies. I race one of them.
Escape Velocity Racing

You should be able to use any Mopar 1962-1980's manual steering box as an interchange, although the pitman arms changed for power and manual steering (as well as how they work with the centerlink (pre-73 vs. post-'73 there) are some differences in the splined steering box connection depnding on whether the box was from a truck or a car (and year).

That being said, you should be able to get a manual steering box from any F/M/J cars, but considering the era and the platform, most of those cars came as power steering (the bigger the car the less your chance it will be a manual steering car...). Dippys/Gran Fury's that I've seen in yards have all been power steering, and not many cop cars left to be able to score a cop-car/firm-feel power steering box either.

Most likely the box is going to be worn out and still have just as much play as the one you have already.

Good Luck on the parts hunt,

-D.Idiot

Have you taken a close look at Firm Feel's Sector Support Kit and Roller Bearing Idler Arm Kit?

Those or home-brew equivalents might help the steering hold up.

Please post pics here or on your Facebook page. Some of us need encouragement and ideas!

I'm in the (slow) process of swapping out the steering box for one with what I hope is less slop. Life keeps getting in the way of my projects ...

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

I've pulled a lot of K-members and in the last decade most I've found had insufficient or broken welds on them. Rather than the sector support shaft, it would be best to pull your K-member (or get a spare) clean it up good, blast it, and have a buddy with mig welder go to town on the seams...(Had a buddy weld up one of mine and that thing has no flex compared to the stocker with the same suspension set up). Gusseting the early idler arm bracket a bit more wouldn't hurt either.

Something to think about.

-D.Idiot