Power steering problems - Part 3 - Revenge of the Pitman Arm

[Choptop32]

Ok... so I got the Capt.Fab plate put on as per directions, measured everything 3 times, then drilled the new holes. All 4 holes through the frame. Mounted up my old power steering box to see if adjusting the lash would take care of the dead spot....

but now my pitman arm is too long.

anyone have a part # for a shorter one that will work?

is it a stock GM thing? or do I have to order aftermarket (CPP or the like)?

[Oklahoma]

I put a PS gear box off of a 78 and it was'nt to long, it was for a 2wd, I dont know if a 4wd makes any difference or not. I would check and make sure you have the right pitman arm.

[Choptop32]

now with pics!!!

in this pic the drag link is up against the cross member... it cant go towards the back of the truck any further.

[63sbssbbw]

The box has definitely moved back compared to where it was
A shorter pitman arm won't do you any favors as your turning radius will increase by a bunch,you would also need a matching idler arm.
The box is gonna have to be moved forward.
I don't see any other solution that won't cause other issues along the linkages(hmm is that even a word).
I'm sensing that your frustrations are mounting(no pun intended),Hang in there,walk away from it for a while,go get a hummer(hey,at least it's a GM),or whatever you do to lower you blood pressure,then come back with a fresh mind.
Yes, oversights suck,but we all have 'em.
4th measurement,pitman arm/drag link relationship
T

[Oklahoma]

Here is a pic of mine, it is on a 62, the angle of your gear box looks off to me. the top bolt towards the cab sits higher than the frame on mine. I cut a notch out of my frame and welded in a section of pipe.

[padresag]

62 frame is different that the later one, but he has jiggled the mounting around so that the frame accommodates all 4 bolts. with the aftermarket mounting brkts doesn't the lower frt bolt become a stud on the brkt and hang lower than the frame
ron
If I can remember the orig post(he keeps starting new posts on this ) there were an abundance of holes in the frame. perhaps a few could be filled otherwise it will look like swiss cheese there after a while

[63sbssbbw]

The REZ kit does,but CaptFabs doesn't.
He is using the CaptFab kit.
It looks like he's out by about 1 1/2" so even moving it back should make for complete holes(no half holes)
Also might want to double check the idler arm position after the box is correctly located,it may need moving to mirror the new box locale
T

[Choptop32]

Well, i'll move the box forward (towards the front of the truck)... and try to make it so that the drag link is parallel with the crossmember without having to move the idler arm mount as well. Hopefully when I get this lined up the box will end up in a spot where all 4 bolts can go through the frame...


so as far as I can tell... the suburban/panel OR the 65 frame is different than the frame used by Capt.Fab to generate the instructions.\

but first off I have to weld up all of the holes... as of now I have the original holes, the holes that were made for the mounting when I bought the panel and the holes I drilled for the Cpt.Fab plate... its starting to look like swiss cheese.

[63sbssbbw]

Awesome,Glad to see
T