My 1987 Two Door Crown Victoria AKA THE BROWN BLOB

[Piece-it pete]

Woo hoo! Looks great.

Pete

[slack]

Cool!

What does the later steering box give you? Is it a firmer wheel feel?

[L1011tristar17]

Nice! I had a new steering box put in my car about a month ago. It's a huge improvement from the old leaky one.

[87gtVIC]

This is a 98-02 police steering box. Stiffest steering feel out of available boxes. Also has a quicker turning ratio.

[jaywish]

I am curious about the turning ratio part. Do you know the two ratios? At least you can check it before and after easily enough.

[Toploader]

For free?????? who do you know in Great Neck????????

Thats actually what i really wanted to do, but i am having all of the work done for free. I just pay for all the materials and such. I dont want to push my luck. A nice brown top will go back on. The car will still look good.

[gadget73]

Another option, instead of a coupler you could have a custom line made. Basically you'd cut the crimp off the pump end of the shiny new line and remove that piece of steel tube. Do the same thing with a box style line, but toss the rubber part of the box hose. Have a hydraulic shop assemble the piece that goes into a box power steering pump into the hose that goes into a whale steering box. It shouldn't be all that difficult a job for them, and I don't expect it would cost a ton either.

[chitownvic]

Is this a straight bolt on to the boxes?


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[gadget73]

not quite. You have to do a little cut and splice work for the input coupler, and you have to do some plumbing work for the lines. The steering box fittings changed on later models, and there is no steering hose that fits the late style box at one end and our early pump at the other. You have to make one. It bolts up to the frame, and our pitman arm fits it though. Its not a hugely involved swap, but its not just like installing a stock replacement steering gear for the same year car.



I'm actually half tempted to take a couple apart some time to see if I can stuff the later model guts inside of an original box case so it becomes a bolt-on item. It may actually be easier than the custom stuff.

[sly]

I'm actually half tempted to take a couple apart some time to see if I can stuff the later model guts inside of an original box case so it becomes a bolt-on item. It may actually be easier than the custom stuff.

I was thinking this myself.

[Mr Bean]

I am curious about the turning ratio part. Do you know the two ratios? At least you can check it before and after easily enough.

Police and civilian boxes have same steering ratio.

[L1011tristar17]

Police and civilian boxes have same steering ratio.

I think he was referring to the difference between a civilian box and whale police car.

[Mr Bean]

I think he was referring to the difference between a civilian box and whale police car.

Whale boxes also have same ratio.

[87gtVIC]

I am curious about the turning ratio part. Do you know the two ratios? At least you can check it before and after easily enough.

I could have sworn that this was a quicker turning ratio over stock box bodied panthers.

Another option, instead of a coupler you could have a custom line made. Basically you'd cut the crimp off the pump end of the shiny new line and remove that piece of steel tube. Do the same thing with a box style line, but toss the rubber part of the box hose. Have a hydraulic shop assemble the piece that goes into a box power steering pump into the hose that goes into a whale steering box. It shouldn't be all that difficult a job for them, and I don't expect it would cost a ton either.

I was thinking about it. Picked up the union part today though. If that proceeds to give me trouble I will look into that route as it would in the end be a hell of a lot cleaner looking.

[gadget73]

Most of the difference is in the torsion bar. I think the turn ratio and lock to lock travel is the same from 79-2002 though. The difference in feel between a sloppy box and one that works right is probably why it feels so much quicker.