I'm planing to put a power steering setup on the '64.... I know the length and thickness of the steering shaft on the '64 is shorter & thinner than a setup on say a '76 A Body.

Question is, instead of pulling the old steering column and everything, would it be feasable to cout off say 6-8" of the column from the donor car, and MIG weld it to the existing '64 column and mate it to the steering box without having to pull everything out of the '64?

Or is it just as easy to just swap out the steering column? I really don't want an automatic column staring back at me... Is there an easier solution? Not too sure how to proceed on this one...

BTW, were signals self-canceling for '64? Mine don't (170 trim level) but I thought they should... or are mine just buggered up?

Thanks for any info on this... Planning to pull parts on Friday.... is there anything specific I need to snag as far as the center link or idler arm? Probably will be the setup from the '76 Dart Special Edition I got the discs from?

Mike

i am now doing this swap(but in reverse). i went from p/s to manual. i traded a guy his complete manual setup for my complete p/s. including columns. hint, get the box WITH the pittman attatched....you will also need the doulble pulley for p/s pump.

"64 Signals were self cancelling. The plastic hooks on your switch under the steering wheel are broken.

_________________
"Former Owner" of '65 Barracuda, 225, Auto, MP 2bbl intake, MP cam, Dutra Duals. Presently Moparless.

The PS box from the 76 will physically bolt to your K Frame; however the 76 pitman arm is totally different from the 63-66. The later steering column (67 - 76) is also different from the early A Bodies. Your 64 would also have had pushbuttons to shift the trans. Were you planning on them or a column shift? Finally, not very safe and probably against your motor vehicle code to splice and weld the steering shaft.

So if the steering box will bolt up to the K-frame, what is the proper pittman arm to use? will the one from the manual gearbox fit the power unit, or is there another solution?

I'm trying not to have to use a later steering column, because I am keeping the pushbutton setup, but if that's the only solution to convert to PS, then I may have to..... The only reason I need PS is because my daughter is going to be driving the car almost daily, and she can't handle the manual setup...

If I have to use a later column I may do some modifications to lose the column shifter..... There's nothing in the yard that's earlier with a manual tranny....

Thanks for all the help on this.... BTW, is there a source for the plastic clips for the turn signals, or am I hosed?

Thanks!

Mike

The easiest way to do this swap is to swap a shorter power steering shaft into your existing column. It's not difficult, and that way everything hooks up correctly, looks correct, paint's correct, etc. It is not safe to weld the steering shaft; don't do it.

Yes, the signals should self-cancel; if they don't, it's because the cancelling cam is broken. They are available from many sources, but the best and least-likely-to-break ones come from David Koldos (see the parts database on this board).

Also, as others have mentioned, it'll save you a great deal of hassle to use a '62-'72 power steering box, which is drop-in compatible with your existing steering linkage. The '73-up A-body steering boxes use the large-spline pitman shaft, which requires a pitman arm that doesn't exist (large spline, '62-'66 A-body). Will a '73-'76 A-body pitman work? Don't know for sure, never tried. Probably not.

Thanks guys! This will make parts hunting a LOT easier tomorrow....

Early start to the weekend... Electronic Ignition & alternator tomorrow!


Mike