Manual Steering Box
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FMJ Bob
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I could be wrong, but I think it uses the same box as an A or B body. And you have a choice of regular, aluminum (slower ratio) or steel fast ratio aftermarket. If so used & new ones are readily available.
All the factory manual boxes were aluminum starting with the 1960 A-bodies. They were available in 24:1 and 16:1, and Direct Connection released a 20:1 ratio during the '70s that was available well into the Mopar Performance era. The Flaming River gearbox is the 16:1 ratio, which is not surprisingly a pretty high-effort box at low speeds. It's great for tearing up back roads, but not so much your friend in a parallel parking situation. :icon_biggrin: The only reason theirs is cast iron is because it's cheaper to cast and machine. Aftermarket vendors do sell remanufactured factory aluminum gearboxes with the 20:1 ratio, ready to install. The only "body" difference is in the pitman arm itself; the sector shaft is the same amongst body styles--I had a '72 A-body manual steering gear in my '81 LeBaron, using the F-body pitman arm. It's a perfect fit.
If you want a good idea of how a 16:1 gear is to drive, just cut the belt off your power steering. The power steering gear is 14:1, which is not much of a leap from the fast-ratio manual. The 20:1 gear really is the "Goldilocks" choice for all-around use, but if you do most of your driving around town you may want to stick with the slow ratio.
Despite what you may have been told, all Mopar power steering boxes are 14:1 ratio, including the highly-desired "T/A" box optional on the '70 Challenger T/A and AAR, and all '71 E-bodies. The gear, clearly cast with "T/A" in the outside, has different internal stops to prevent tire contact on the inner fenders but is still 14:1. The difference in ratio was made with a longer pitman arm. A longer idler arm was not used, which resulted in two different steering ratios and turning radii depending on whether you were turning left or right. :eusa_doh:
The only difference in the "firm feel" or "police" steering box was the $2 reaction spring and supposedly hand-selected, but still production-line, parts for better tolerances. Everything else was identical to Grandma' Dart.
If you want a good idea of how a 16:1 gear is to drive, just cut the belt off your power steering. The power steering gear is 14:1, which is not much of a leap from the fast-ratio manual. The 20:1 gear really is the "Goldilocks" choice for all-around use, but if you do most of your driving around town you may want to stick with the slow ratio.
Despite what you may have been told, all Mopar power steering boxes are 14:1 ratio, including the highly-desired "T/A" box optional on the '70 Challenger T/A and AAR, and all '71 E-bodies. The gear, clearly cast with "T/A" in the outside, has different internal stops to prevent tire contact on the inner fenders but is still 14:1. The difference in ratio was made with a longer pitman arm. A longer idler arm was not used, which resulted in two different steering ratios and turning radii depending on whether you were turning left or right. :eusa_doh:
The only difference in the "firm feel" or "police" steering box was the $2 reaction spring and supposedly hand-selected, but still production-line, parts for better tolerances. Everything else was identical to Grandma' Dart.
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