2nd gen Firebird and Camaro do nut use same steering parts! wow

[BondoSpecial]

ok that's good to know. But the 1" shorter length is going to reduce steering quickness if I compare the same steering gear with the 6" long pontiac pitman arm vs the 7" chevy camaro pitman arm. I don't want to loose steering quickness else I would swap the entire firebird steering setup with the new tie rod ends onto the 79 Z28 I have. I am also building an 80 Firebird so the new tie rod ends won't go to waste either way, but the Z28 is what I am putting on the road first.

 

[DesmoEd]

If thats the case I have the longer Camaro pitman although the center link required the Pontiac inner tie rods.......

 

[BondoSpecial]

if thats the case you have some mismatchedness going on... you also have a camaro idler and not a pontiac idler. I did not want to create something like that

 

[70sbudget]

oh this gives me a headache

a few questions.......
Is the "bend" in the middle actually required for a bbc application in a 70? to me it looks like it lowers the center of the centerlink to allow for more clearnce. however, i cannot find this part as a replacement as the ones i find are much more "straight". moog replacement mentioned earlier in the thread. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MOG-DS829/?rtype=10
the hotchkis replacment is also straight with much less of a bend at the ideler arm. http://www.hotchkis.net/197074_camaro_w_power_steering_premium_steering_rebuild_kit.html

if i use the "straight" centerlinks, do i need a longer idler arm to match?

i need to do a complete rebuild of the steering components and am going to be running alot of rubber up front. i want to make sure this Beiotch turns when i tell her to!

If thats the case I have the longer Camaro pitman although the center link required the Pontiac inner tie rods.......

 

[70sbudget]

to add to the conundrum, classic, summit and moog all reference the ds829 in their part numbers but not all are the same as classics looks correct, summits/moog looks straight as a tooth pick.

http://www.classicindustries.com/co...etail&productId=2220&productSearchCatalogId=1
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/MOG-DS829/?rtype=10

sorry to hijack, just thought since we are talking stearing parts and part numbers.....

 

[DesmoEd]

I have had quite a few mismatched things on my car. The 829 on the RockAuto site looks like what I have though and mine is the quicker ratio steering

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=201587

Mine required the Pontiac tie rod inners though.........

.

 

[79T/Aman]

please please please, STOP looking at pictures we are not in kindergarden any more, many web builders will re-use the same pic for different applications that is why you MUST read, Summit is using what appears to be an A-body center link as a product picture.

On another note the idler is the same for the Camaro and the Firebird.

 

[blades67]

ok that's good to know. But the 1" shorter length is going to reduce steering quickness if I compare the same steering gear with the 6" long pontiac pitman arm vs the 7" chevy camaro pitman arm. I don't want to loose steering quickness else I would swap the entire firebird steering setup with the new tie rod ends onto the 79 Z28 I have. I am also building an 80 Firebird so the new tie rod ends won't go to waste either way, but the Z28 is what I am putting on the road first.

You won't lose steering "quickness" with a shorter pitman arm, that's determined by the steering box ratio. What you lose is total steering radius. Your turning circle will be larger.

 

[BondoSpecial]

^Hmm. The pitman arm to drag link connection converts the radial action of the steering gear into largely linear motion. A longer pitman arm will cause the drag link to move further given the same amount of angle displaced by the steering gear, than a shorter pitman arm. This will affect the angle resulting at each spindle - longer pitman arm, greater turn angle. No? If I won't lose steering quickness I might as well swap the whole new mess from the Firebird to the 'maro.

 

[70sbudget]

please please please, STOP looking at pictures we are not in kindergarden any more, many web builders will re-use the same pic for different applications that is why you MUST read, Summit is using what appears to be an A-body center link as a product picture.

On another note the idler is the same for the Camaro and the Firebird.

maybe it is just my kindergarden ignorance or my honesty because i am a vendor ( of an entirely different item with no relevance to this forum) but when the vendors put up "no pictue available" and then post a picture for another item, i expect the "picture of item xyz" to be a picture of item xyz. just my 2cents.



as far as the ratio and length of pitman arm, totally agree, the lenth will not effect ratio, only radius for the reasons described above.