Vega Steering Box?

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   Hey So i Have a 66 American, And i would like to get rid of the "impaler"steering System i.e. the solid shaft from box to Steering wheel. I know the stock box is a saginaw 525 Stock Which is the "big brother" to the the vega box... So now my thoughts are rambler light car, Vega light Car why not right? Wondering if any one has tried this & if so was it worth it? 

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Rampar Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Apprentice Joined: Feb/23/2013 Location: Arizona Status: Offline Points: 133	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rampar Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Vega Steering Box? Posted: Dec/04/2016 at 1:01am
	Hey So i Have a 66 American, And i would like to get rid of the "impaler"steering System i.e. the solid shaft from box to Steering wheel. I know the stock box is a saginaw 525 Stock Which is the "big brother" to the the vega box... So now my thoughts are rambler light car, Vega light Car why not right? Wondering if any one has tried this & if so was it worth it?
	1966 Rampar American

mitchs66 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Nut Joined: Sep/22/2007 Location: Iowa Status: Offline Points: 368	Post Options Post Reply Quote mitchs66 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/05/2016 at 9:17pm
	Not sure about the Vega box but the stock power steering box is the same box used on several GM model vehicles from the 60's into the 70's. I don't know if it would weigh any less but a lot of people upgrade from a GM box to a Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee box. This will get you tighter steering ratios. I bought a steering box off of a 2000 Cherokee and it is 14:1 and I believe a lot of the Grand Cherokee's are 12:1. There is an adapter plate that bolts to the p/s box and changes to the bolt pattern of the car. When my car gets home from the frame machine I hope to convert mine and will post more about it.

tyrodtom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/14/2007 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 6213	Post Options Post Reply Quote tyrodtom Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/05/2016 at 11:12pm
	About as light as i've ever seen a American listed is 2650 lbs, and I think real world is closer to 2800-2900 lbs. The Vega was a 2100-2200 lbs car, with 13 inch tires, when it had the quick ratio 16-1 box, it was a little less than 4 turns lock to lock. The Vega steering boxes are popular with rod builders, but we are talking about really lightweight cars. I think the max car weight recommended for the Vega box is around 2800, most recommend no more than 2500 lbs.
	66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va.

tomslik Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Mar/07/2008 Location: Colorado Status: Offline Points: 680	Post Options Post Reply Quote tomslik Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/06/2016 at 9:30am
	why not go to a 68-69 American Saginaw box? i'd suggest a ross box but..... btw, the later (70-up) boxes off gremlins and hornets would take some adapting whereas a 68-9 box would be a bolt-on (I think)
	67 american 290/4speed

RamblinMan Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/26/2007 Location: Port Charlotte Status: Offline Points: 1237	Post Options Post Reply Quote RamblinMan Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/06/2016 at 4:11pm
	The Flaming River Vega box is considerably stronger than a factory Vega box. I have run factory Vega boxes on cars up to 2800# with no problems, BUT these were drag cars, NOT street cars. If I converted back to manual steering in my 65 Classic (2750#), I would go with a Flaming River box and I think it would do fine for my weekend warrior.
	The Right Reverend of Blessed Acceleration

Class Guy Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jul/02/2007 Location: Arkansas Status: Offline Points: 969	Post Options Post Reply Quote Class Guy Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/07/2016 at 7:15am
	My 1978 Monza factory V8 car weighted 3120 empty and had the same steering box as a Vega. Most Vegas were shipping weights in the 2500-2800 lb range with a 4-cylinder. Actual on the street weight would be considerably more.

shelbycoleman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Jun/18/2011 Location: ohio Status: Offline Points: 731	Post Options Post Reply Quote shelbycoleman Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/07/2016 at 8:07am
	Standard weight for most Vega's is 2600#. With a V8 it gets pushed to 2800#. My 77 is tubed and caged and comes in just slightly over 2800#. The bx works well and has never been a concern at all. Keep in mind that a GT box is not the same as a standard box. It has a shorter stop to stop count than a standard vega.

tyrodtom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/14/2007 Location: Virginia Status: Offline Points: 6213	Post Options Post Reply Quote tyrodtom Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/07/2016 at 11:00am
	I got those Vega weights from Wiki. But when I just went out to my garage upstairs library, where i've got auto magazines that go back to the 50's. I found a Motor Trend road test , and Road and Track road test, MT says 2230, on the tested model, 71 GT, and as tested , full fuel, driver and test equipment, 2520 lbs. The Road and Track test says curb weight 2268 lbs. I remember when I helped a guy build a 75 Vega for circle track Mini Stock in the early 90's , we had to add a bit of lead to the car to get it up to it's 2300lbs required weight. Of course that was a stripped car, but with a pretty substantial roll cage, fuel cell, and the driver. Without the fuel, lead, and driver it was somewhere in 1900 lbs region.
	66 American SW, 66 American 2dr, 82 J10, 70 Hornet, Pound, Va.

Ollie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Addicted Joined: Sep/17/2012 Location: Brandon, MS Status: Offline Points: 2803	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ollie Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/14/2016 at 9:53am
	How about this box from Borgeson? http://www.borgeson.com/xcart/product.php?productid=1373&cat=147&page=1 This is what I am planning on putting in my 66 American. If in fact the shorten input shaft is a issue I think it can be compensated with a coupler. I have a Christmas parade this Saturday and next week I plan on pulling the box, take pictures and compare my measurements with the real deal. I am speaking with Dan at Borgeson. This "new" unit is cheaper than a rebuild on mine. Hope it's a direct bolt in. Anyone used this unit? Having AMC Fun, Ollie

1968X Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List AMC Fan Joined: Nov/29/2016 Location: Florence, SC Status: Offline Points: 10	Post Options Post Reply Quote 1968X Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Dec/14/2016 at 1:28pm
	I used a similar Borgeson Saginaw 525 16:1 quick ratio steering box on a Buick GN drag car. It's still a hand full turning at rest even with skinny drag front tires. But I liked it. Don't know if you need that short shaft or not on the one your looking at. That one is for street rods. If your changing out the intermediate steering shaft it wouldn't be a problem. A coupler is only going to slide a little bit forward or backward and won't make up much distance. Does your current steering box have a 4 bolt mounting flange or a 3 bolt flange? That one is a 3 bolt. The tech folks at Borgeson are great to work with. http://www.borgeson.com/xcart/product.php?productid=1732&cat=147&page=1 Edited by 1968X - Dec/14/2016 at 2:33pm