Well I picked up my old 73 in Pleasanton Calif on Thursday, and drove it back to Austin Texas.  All went well, except the steering is really bad.  There is about 2-3inches of steering wheel play at highway speeds.  At times it was borderline dangerous trying to stay in the lane with trucks passing.  The car was origionally built with manual steering.  At sometime someone converted it to power steering.  I cannot tell right off if the play is due to the power steering, steering box, or steering joints.  The previous owner brought it to a shop and complained about the steering, so I have records of what they did (tighten steering wheel, replace flex joint, adjust steering box).  I am thinking of converting it back to manual steering but have not been able to find anyone selling a manual steering relay rod (it looks from my shop manual that is all I need to convert back).  The other option is to replace all the steering components(ball joints, ect.), rebuild the steering box, and replace the power control valve.  Thats kind of a shotgun approach though.  I need advice on trouble shooting the play in the steering, and where to find a manual steering relay rod.

Thanks,

try :http://docrebuild.com/dr-r-web/SUSP63B.PDF

this is a complete diagram of manual steering as well as parts numbers - Doc's prices are outdated but will give you an idea of costs and necessary components . Glad to hear you made it home safely

Big Al

That was quick!  Thanks Al!  This site is awsome!  The 4 day road trip was fun, but a bit exhausting.  I forgot how harsh the ride was.  Of course the non-original tires didn't help much.

John

Harsh ride yes, but that wheel play will wear you down in a hurry.  It will be a lot more fun when the steering is fixed.

Very glad to hear the trip went well.   Now the real journey begins!

To start your trouble shooting process I would get the front end off the ground and start checking for play in the tie rods, ball joints, idler arm, wheel bearings and don't forget the jag joint. Also make sure the rubber is in the A arm bushings. I would also check the rear suspension to make sure it is tight as well.

You got that right!  I now have a preliminary list of things to fix:

Thermostat 180deg (someone put a 160 in it)

Steering (convert back to manual, and make tight)

Connecting rod bearings (has bad big end knock)

Oil pump (this is a puzzler, the oil pressure sits at 70 up to about 3000 rpm then decreases to about 55-60 at about 80mpg fluctuating about +-5)  I suspect maybe an aftermarket oil pump, or stuck bypass valve?

Wheels and Tires (PO put wire wheels and oversize rear tire with some kind of lift kit on rear raising rear about 4 inches to clear rear tire)  I want std rally wheels with std size radials probably michlen.

Fan (PO put oversize fan which causes belt squeal at rpms over 4000)

Seat belts (pass belt won't come out, and shoulder belt missing)

After that just minor cosmetic detail stuff

John

Don't give up on the power steering, find the play in the system, be it balljoints, tierods, idler arm, pitman arm, center link, control valve, rag joint or steering box.

I think it would be cheaper and better to fix it then to change it to manual steering "By Armstrong".

    
    Denny

 Also

 Check out the power steering control valve and  piston. If one or both are worn out the car will wander.

 Jim

Aaaaahhhh, welcome back to the wonderful world of 'Vette-topia!!!
I think I'd want to keep the P/S, too. To change back, you would need to change the gearbox, as well as the relay-bar, but you can leave the tie-rod ends in the front position for quicker steering, but more muscle!

Here's a "Clickable" link for Dr. Rebuild from above post. Adams' Apple38817.8225231481

Well I picked up a used manual steering relay rod and pitman arm from Corvettesonly in Denver for $150.  I also purchased his 73 rally wheel set for $600.  I may have paid a bit too much for the rally wheels depending on there condition (he said they were in great condition).  So I will have the option of going manual or fixing the power steering.  In any case I will find where all that play is coming from.  Being 33 years old with almost everything original, I suspect I will wind up replacing all the ball joints, bushings, wheel bearings, ect.  Also the brakes are incredibly stiff.  I plan on rebuilding them.  Since all my parts are mostly original, I plan on rebuilding mostly instead of replacing with new.

As far as tires go, my owners manual calls for GR7015's which equals 225 70R15 now.  The car had Firestone 500s on it when it was new, and they were great.  When I wore them out, I went to BF Goodrich T/A radials.  I hated them, the car cornered well, and looked good, but wandered on the freeway with those tires.  I noticed Firestone makes the firehawk indy 500 in 22570SR15 and tirerack has them for $68 each.  Anyone used these tires?  I don't care about wear, since I will probably drive the car only a couple thousand miles per year.  I am interested in good tracking at highway speeds, good cornering, and road noise.

Thanks,

John