I have a 62 Convertible with the original manual steering. Never driven this one or any other 61-63 F85 with manual steering and I am wondering what it is like. I have a 64 Chevelle that had a manual box (now a 12:1 AGR power box) and it was quite heavy in a tight turnaround back and fill situation at 6.5 turns lock to lock. Hoping the lighter Cutlass will be better and good on the road as I like the manual feel going up a windy road.
Can anyone enlighten me as to the manual steering performance and are there any quicker ratios available for the box-I think its either 22:1 or 24:1. I will say that little aluminum box sure looks good.
i doubt there are any boxes made for them. I had a 62 with manual steering and it steered perfectly fine for me even at a stop or low speed. i daily drove a 62 nova with manual steering for a while and actually like manual so i may be biased.
Thanks for the feedback. I too like the manual steering, especially vs. the old over boosted pwr boxes. I do have a local rebuilder that will freshen it up if needed. Hope the gears are tight.
The steering box is unique to the 1961-63 cars and nothing else interchanges, so there are no aftermarket close ratio boxes. I have manual steering in my 62 wagon and other than the fact that it takes about a million turns lock-to-lock, I have no problems with it. I’ve installed an aftermarket wood steering wheel that is actually slightly larger in diameter than stock, so that helps a little, too.
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