Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

[Pete B.]

I am in process of doing a body off resto on a small block coupe.

I would like some opinions on the difficulty level of rebuilding the following parts myself or spend the $$ and getting them rebuilt or buying rebuilt/new parts. Please list from 1 to 5 (5 being most difficult) based on your experiances. All items worked and did not leak prior to resto start.

Power steering pump
Power steering control valve
Power steering cylinder
Steering box

My my goal right now is top flight... maybe higher down the road. The car has limited upside so I can't be throwing money at things that I may be able to do myself. The car is a one owner 60k mile car 90% original but well worn.

Thanks in advance!
Pete

[Bill C.]

Re: Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

Power steering pump
if you are good with mechanical stuff and have a decent supply of
tools, it is not to bad. Othrewise send it out for a rebuild. Check the
DriveLine for NCRS service.

Power steering control valve
Buy a new one. Keep the old one. Change out all the bolts and the end
dust cap to the new one.

Power steering cylinder
Buy a new one and resuse the dust/grease boot.

Steering box
I would personally buy a new one, I did for my car and it was really a
smart idea. They are a real bitch to take back out after the car is
assembled. The rebuilt ones are a crap shoot depending on who did the
rebuild. You could also send yours to a NCRS vendor for a rebuild.


My 2 cents ....

[Harmon C.]

Re: Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

The only part you have listed I repair is the steering gear box. I took a class at Bloomington years ago which made the job easy. Maybe you can find some good files on the internet with pictures on the rebuild. Bair's Corvette has the new seals. I did buy them from GM but the price went out of sight and they may be out of stock for good.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

...All items worked and did not leak prior to resto start.

Power steering pump
Power steering control valve
Power steering cylinder
Steering box

...The car is a one owner 60k mile car 90% original but well worn.

I'm assuming by "well worn", you mean the exterior and interior of the car were neglected...the mechanical condition of the components you've listed is pretty much unaffected by it's neglected appearance.

Considering that the car only had 60K miles on it, and that you want to reduce the cost of the restoration, here's a novel idea: Do a cosmetic restoration to each component and call it good. Frankly, you can probably do the same for the transmission and differential; change the gear oil (or not) and do a cosmetic restoration of those as well. Sixty thousand is pretty low mileage for a frame off resto; my car had over 100K miles, and in retrospect, I wasted a lot of money going through everything.

If those components weren't leaking, that says they still have the original lubricant inside. If they were well sealed, that lubricant is clean. Save yourself the money; without outside tampering, the parts will probably last longer too. Of course, you'll want to cap and seal the power steering components to keep dirt and debris out of the system until you reinstall with fresh power steering fluid. I would not change the lubricant in the steering gear.

[Edward S.]

Re: Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

I am in process of doing a body off resto on a small block coupe.

I would like some opinions on the difficulty level of rebuilding the following parts myself or spend the $$ and getting them rebuilt or buying rebuilt/new parts. Please list from 1 to 5 (5 being most difficult) based on your experiances. All items worked and did not leak prior to resto start.

Power steering pump
Power steering control valve
Power steering cylinder
Steering box

My my goal right now is top flight... maybe higher down the road. The car has limited upside so I can't be throwing money at things that I may be able to do myself. The car is a one owner 60k mile car 90% original but well worn.

Thanks in advance!
Pete

Pete, I rebuilt all those components on my 70 with no problems, access to air tools and a well stocked tool cabinet is a must, but well within reach if you have some mechanical ability , I would rate the job a strong 3 Ed

[Pete B.]

Re: Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

I'm assuming by "well worn", you mean the exterior and interior of the car were neglected...the mechanical condition of the components you've listed is pretty much unaffected by it's neglected appearance.

Considering that the car only had 60K miles on it, and that you want to reduce the cost of the restoration, here's a novel idea: Do a cosmetic restoration to each component and call it good. Frankly, you can probably do the same for the transmission and differential; change the gear oil (or not) and do a cosmetic restoration of those as well. Sixty thousand is pretty low mileage for a frame off resto; my car had over 100K miles, and in retrospect, I wasted a lot of money going through everything.

If those components weren't leaking, that says they still have the original lubricant inside. If they were well sealed, that lubricant is clean. Save yourself the money; without outside tampering, the parts will probably last longer too. Of course, you'll want to cap and seal the power steering components to keep dirt and debris out of the system until you reinstall with fresh power steering fluid. I would not change the lubricant in the steering gear.

I get asked this a lot...60k why a frame off...we all know 60k miles on a 3 year old car vs 60k on a 38 year old completly different animal! ....the body took a small hit and was repainted poorly, exhaust system was changed but was falling off and wrong, rear bearings were replaced but must not have been done right as they can wobble 1/4 inch get the picture? It just seems everything I see needs some love, and since my labor is free, and I have no plan to sell, it will make me a better judge to do as much as I can. I hate sending things out bc nobody seems to take any pride...just got my block back with socket set screws in the block drains....the guy said oh we just throw that stuff away! At least he left my deck alone!

[Alan S.]

Re: Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

Hi Pete,
I dd a body-off restoration on a one owner, 46K, 71 small block coupe....
for many of the reasons you stated.
I spent WAY more HAPPY hours on the project than I thought I would, but was able to control the $$$.
It turned out to be the car I wanted it to be.
I think you're on the right track.
Regards,
Alan

[Chuck S.]

Re: Question/opinion needed 71 Chassis

I get asked this a lot...60k why a frame off...we all know 60k miles on a 3 year old car vs 60k on a 38 year old completly different animal!..

All too well do I know about the "animal"...no judgement of your decision was intended or any offense meant.

My only intent was to advise you at that mileage, many of the heavy duty, wear components will not need immediate overhaul so why spend the money and time to go through them based on the car's appearance. But, if you think it will be satisfying, you can probably do all that work if you're technically competent. A copy of the 69/70 Overhaul Manual would be a good addition to your library if you don't already own it.