Manual steering (need anything else?)

[Myles]

Hi everyone,

Want to go manual steering with my 81 Malibu drag car only.

Everyone says '82-9*-ish S10 manual box works, and might need the s10 pitman arm too.

Is there ANYTHING else needed? Finding slot of mixed info online.

Do I just need the box and arm?

Will my stock steering shaft be ok?

Thanks in advance,
Myles

 

[MC96]

Its not a might, you will need the pitman

 

[Bonnewagon]

Pretty much any Saginaw manual steering box will bolt right up. I was using a '67 Firebird box for years in my '81 Malibu wagon. The Pitman arm shaft diameter is different between manual and 800 series power boxes. Very hard to find a "G" body with manual steering for the arm but guess what? The common crummy 600 series power box used the same smaller diameter Pitman arm as the manual box. You can identify it by the snap ring cover vs the 4 bolt cover on the good 800 series power boxes. That way you can use a correct Pitman arm designed for your car. The only other change may be at the rag joint. Earlier boxes used a different joint than later cars. I got around that by taking the joints apart and rebuilding my own to fit an earlier box to a later shaft. S-10 guys can chime in on their method.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Remember the pitman and idler need to be the same length center to center to maintain correct geometry

 

[Ribbedroof]

[QUOTE="Bonnewagon, post: 672998, member: 4748". Very hard to find a "G" body with manual steering for the arm[/QUOTE]

I'd have to look again, but as I recall, on Malibu the V8s required power steering as a mandatory option

 

[Bonnewagon]

My '81 Malibu wagon had the 229 V-6 and a 3 speed Saginaw manual trans. No AC but full gauges minus the tach. It had power steering but the crummy 600 series box that leaked like crazy and made noises. I popped the manual box right in because it had the same diameter Pitman shaft and left it there for many years. Nothing wrong with ,manual steering as long as you understand that the wheels must be turning before you try to turn the steering wheel. At speed I think manual is better. More stable and better feel.

 

[Myles]

Thanks everyone,

Bonnewagon,

This is what I'm running right now on my stock 81 coupe in pic below.

Non of the auto parts stores here can get me anything so I'm hoping to figure something out.

I want to find a box that will let me use the pitman arm i have, and not change a bunch of other parts.
I didn't know Saginaw made boxes,

Current box:

 

[Myles]

my current power box ..

 

[Bonnewagon]

OK that is an 800 series box, the good heavy duty kind. It has the thicker Pitman arm shaft. Since you want to use a manual box you need the thinner sized 600 box shaft that is the same size. The problem is that since it is not considered a "wear" part it is not very available. Maybe a top notch Chevy dealer may have one. You can either scour the junkyards for an A/G body 600 series box and grab the arm or haunt Fleabay for same, or looky here. RockAuto shows a Pitman arm for an '81 Malibu w/229 V-6. That is how my car came and it had the 600 series box. But is this the correct Pitman arm? Because RockAuto shows 4 bolt cover boxes as well as snap ring cover boxes available. They don't give any specs so I can't be sure if it will fit. I guess you could order it and if not just send it back, but shipping would be on you. It is this one: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=8725496&cc=1055281&jsn=439&jsn=439 This what the 600 series box with snap ring cover looks like.

 

[denny]

been running a s-10 box for years. was a bolt on