Corvair Steering

[gfigms]

I have the reverse Corvair steering box and have an\some issues. It has always been a "chore" to steer the T-Bucket ... both hands and a lot of cranking. I see guys with the same steering box turning their wheels with the plam of their hand or even their fingers ... almost like power steering!

I have not attempted to adjust the box in any way and wonder if stop to stop turning with your finger or just the plam of your hand is realistic.

The frame, steering, front end, everything is 100% CCR.

Where to start?

 

[409T]

My T-bucket with a CCR front end and a Chevy 327 drives like it has power steering so I would expect yours to be able to do the same. The one with the 409 steers slightly harder, but it also has an extra 200 lbs. of engine.

Lots of caster will make the steering harder.

 

[fordsbyjay]

I have the reverse Corvair steering box and have an\some issues. It has always been a "chore" to steer the T-Bucket ... both hands and a lot of cranking. I see guys with the same steering box turning their wheels with the plam of their hand or even their fingers ... almost like power steering!

I have not attempted to adjust the box in any way and wonder if stop to stop turning with your finger or just the plam of your hand is realistic.

The frame, steering, front end, everything is 100% CCR.

Where to start?

I have a Total kit and it is exactly like you mention. It had a brand new Flaming river box in it and I calculate 24* of play in it. I sent it back to them all they did was tighten it up which made it harder to steer. Overall I am not happy how my car steers for the most part.

 

[blyndgesser]

How much tire do you have on the front, and what's your tire pressure?

 

[donsrods]

Wow, we have used 3 of the flaming River reversed Corvair boxes and they steer almost too easy. The one in my Son's bucket is the lightest steering of all of them, when I drive his car it is almost like the front tires aren't connected at all. My other Son has one in a very heavy roadster pickup that is overbuilt and has a 468 Olds up front, and his steers easy too.

Either something is too tight in your steering box or in the kingpins, or the geometry is wrong somehow (wrong ratio).

Don

 

[ba60]

I have one on my early 80s built TP. It has alot of caster and no front shocks. It actually steers very easy. I usually drive it one handed even at speed on the freeway. I never have any shimmy and it tracks really straight. It has old Moon dragster wheels on front with no brakes on the front.

 

[fordsbyjay]

Mine was somewhat easier with less camber (as expected) and I personally don't mind the effort but I wouldn' t compare it to p/s. I have 165 tires on the front IIRC. To me the box feels to sloppy though .

 

[roadmonster]

Sounds like it's adjusted too tight. Set the endplay (big nut) very light and the lash (screw with locknut) just till it bottoms and back out 1/4 turn. Then go from there. A tight box will never work correctly.

 

["The Bat" out of hell]

Beside what has been said about adjusting box right[this must only be done when box is at dead center of swing with no rod hooked to it at all,never when in any other spot!;
Caster of as high as 7* can work fine,but there are a few things I see screwed up on some "T"s; wrong off set of front rims=there out side of were they should be and make steering hard plus offten makes wobble,also wide front tires do some bad stuff on "T"s.
The size[langth] of steering arms on box and spindle do not match close enough=steering is fast but very hard.
Never run any tire PSI so low that you see more then about 1/4in. of swell in side wall near ground.

 

[RPM]

Here is the correct way to adjust a Corvair box. It is pretty blurry, but it is a copy from a GM Corvair manual! Try saving the pictures to your computer and then you can enlarge them.

 

[fordsbyjay]

Thanks Ron. I had looked on the www and adjusted it myself before sending it off to Flaming River. From my experiences that is how I could tell they just cranked it down to make it tighter.