ZQ8 box, first gen...

[The Enemy]

hey everyone,
luckily, i have access to parts catalogs, but i couldn't find my answer, can i get a second gen ZQ8 steering box and just bolt it onto m 89? or is there any other box that just bolts onto the truck??

Lee

[87wildside]

yes

[The Enemy]

sweet! i gotta good buy then!

Lee

[87wildside]

Did you get one?

[87wildside]

I lied, it won't fit.



btw, I'll buy it.

[The Enemy]

i'm sure u did lie...

and i got the deal all sealed with the junkyard, work the counter there for about 4 hours, get the box....

i'm a stud like that..

Lee

[T Man]

what you really want is a manual steering box. Speaking of which, ive got one for sale, but i think we could work out some sort of a trade

[Hammer Head]

You can also use a steering box from an '82-'92 F body.. same quick ratio box the ZQ8 pkg has. IDK for sure but you may need the one from a Z28.. but I can't confirm or deny that.

[Mikz86TA]

X2. It is the same unit exactly. Most Irocs and TransAms and Formulas had them. They are a 12.1:1 ratio. They are referred to also as the Saginaw Quick Ratio. There are a bunch of aftermarket ones like AGX that reproduce, modify and sell them. Best bet is from a WS6 equipped TA/Formula or Iroc/Z28 F41 with factory 16" wheels. My TA had the 15x7s stock but still had the 12.1:1 box. What is your budget? New/UsedYou can also use a steering box from an '82-'92 F body.. same quick ratio box the ZQ8 pkg has. IDK for sure but you may need the one from a Z28.. but I can't confirm or deny that.

[Maximus]

There were several different style of GM cars that used the quick ratio power assisted steering box.The 3rd gen F bodies had some with them.The RPO code for most was N41 for variable quick ratio.It differs from vehicle to vehicle I think.But Several Z28/IROC's came with them.Some of the RWD SS Monte Carlos came with them.Of course the ZQ8 S10's came with them.But there are several F bodies that came with them.The Fbody would be the easier to find or a wrecked Xtreme or ZQ8 S10 would be a good truck to get one from.The quick ratio does make a difference in steering,cornering,and over all feel for the road.

[The Enemy]

so does the z28 box bolt on as well?? if so, i got about 3 of those sitting around as well..
you see, ford occasionally use saginaw boxes on thier cars, so i swap the guts out of the camaro steering boxes and put them into the ford bolt pattern sag boxes. it's how i get a 78 tbird handle....

Lee

[Mikz86TA]

Yes...If it has the domed end, and 4 bolt top cover it is a Saginaw 800 series I believe it is

[White-V-6-S-Ten]

How hard is it to swap out the sterring box from mine?
03 non zq8
For one of those nice quick ratio deals!

[White-V-6-S-Ten]

Oh yea and do you know the ratio for the just standard boxes?

[Mikz86TA]

Not too hard. Start by aquiring a pitman arm puller and/or a pickle fork, some new PS fluid and tools. Then slide the steeing shaft cover up to expose the bolt at the bottom of it where it connects to the box. 14mm I believe to unbolt and slide the shaft toward the firewall enough to clear it off the splines. Some slines are keyed...mark the splines and steering shaft....to match it up with the new unit in case there is a keyway. Then, depending if your new box had a pitman arm attached or not, remove the linkage. If no pitman, use a pitman puller. If there is a piman on the new box and you are keeping it on the new box, then ust the pickle fork in the pitman to drag link joint...to seperate them. Remive any needed bolts/pins. Once box is free from the adjacent parts, unbolt the 3 bolts that hold the box in place. They are on the outside of the frame rail just above the sway bar mount/bushing. Have someone holt the old box while unbolting. Its pretty stout in weight. Reverse the new one on. Try to pre align the keyed shaft if it has it. Put steering on 1st IMO so its easier to re-center it all. A alignment is most likely needed anyway after install. 14.7:1 I think is the std ratio. If different Ill ping in again.

[T Man]

a couple of things. first its an 11mm for the steering shaft bolt, 2nd, make sure you secure the steering wheel so it doesnt trun and break the clock spring

[Mikz86TA]

Ahh...11mm. I stand corrected. I knew that 14 sounded a little large. hahaha My bad

[Hammer Head]

Ok, tonight I was cross-referencing parts & I found that a '90 IROC uses the same rebuild kit (complete) as an '85-94 astro/safari so long as the steering box is an FE2 or F41 firm ride & handling pkg on the camaro. I believe that was a 3 turn lock to lock box... so here's my question.. is the astro steering box able to be swapped between G bodies/F bodies/S trucks? I read something about WS & XH boxes & wondered if there's only a few choices of boxes. BTW what is the astro/safari's steering ratio anyway? I ask this because, again, it uses the same PN kit as the F body box.

[Mikz86TA]

F-body and ZQ8 box is 2 1/4 turns lock to lock. Which is the quick-ratio

[Hammer Head]

http://www.autozone.com/N,14600599/shopping/partTypeResultSet.htm There's the 3.5 & the 2.5 lock to lock..

[Mikz86TA]

From what Ive read, the term quick-ratio doesnt exactly mean a certain ratio number. On a 2nd gen F-body, the standard slow box had 4-4.5 turns. The quick-ratio box was a 12:1 and had 3 turns or less. On the 3rd gen F-bodies, there were 2 upgrade/Z28 boxes. One had a 2.5 turn and the other a 2.25 turn lock-to-lock. The later is the sought after one and what I thought 2B the ZQ8 box. If you find a F-Body in the salvage yard, and are looking for a q-r box, then look for the RPO code N44, WS6 or 1LE. I believe 1985 was the 1st years of it and it was thought to be only on 16" wheel cars.

[Mikz86TA]

OK, I found some better info and part numbers. At least on the F-body boxes. I may be correcting myself from some before mentioned info. The 1982-up F-body with 15" wheels has a Q-R box and was stamped WS (which is what my TA has. The GM part number is 7839897 and has 35* of travel. On 1985-up F-bodies with the 16" wheels, the box has a HX stamp and the part number is 7843512. The 16" box has internal stops to keep the 16s from hitting the inner fender and have a reduced 32* of travel. These are 800-series Saginaw units. 1984-up G-body is a YA code, GM number 7843135 and is a 39* travel. All are considered a 14.1:1 ratio. My S-10 factory ZQ8 has a YJ stamped on it, a yellow mark and GM part number is 7838350. I assume this is degreed for the 16s and our offset.

[Hammer Head]

Some info I just got today is.. F body/G body/B body/ S trucks/ Astro& safari vans boxes are all interchangible you just need to swap out the stops on the boxes themselves to work w/ whatever application you're using them for. Like, an F body q/r box could be used in an astro/safari application but you'd need to change the stops &, obviously, the pitman arm.

[The Enemy]

do F body boxes need the stops changed to fit our S10's?

Lee

[Hammer Head]

I don't believe they do.

[Mikz86TA]

Jason...you got a guide to sross-the OEM GM part numbers? If so, what is a 7800715? THX

[Hammer Head]

Sorry, Mike, I don't.. I do it all through various parts places. One is autozone.com ... I problably use that the most. The rest is in my head.. haha.

[Mikz86TA]

OK. I found out a little more. Apparently the end number dates back to the 70s. That number I gave was on my TA. Suposedly you cant tell by that which ratio it is. But Im still digging on it. BTW, there is a post on Hydroboost on ThirdGen.Org and they are looking to adapt them in more F-bodies. Suposedly there are some kits. One I saw was kinda ghetto. Im a member over there and stumbled onto it.

[Hammer Head]

I found your post over there, Mike. Unfortunately I can't see any of their pix but I did find that link to hydratech & saw their F body setup.. http://hydratechbraking.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48 Is that piece on the rod end OEM to F bodies? As far as the rod length, I'm thinkin a mid-late 80s C/K truck/suburban or even a G van should have that long rod design that'd be needed.

[Mikz86TA]

IDK...Lemme investigate

[The Enemy]

ok, here's what i have....

first off, i just went and checked the s10 out about 30 seconds ago... lock to lock is 3 1/4. the box i have from the junkyard is a FE2 (firm suspension) box off of a 86 firebird, 305 automatic. is this an upgrade or do i need to keep looking??

Lee

[Mikz86TA]

Ill check some info and get back

[Mikz86TA]

I found a ZQ8 in the yard today. Its a new arrival and its not ready for picking yet. Its a 2nd Gen (forgot which year) GMC, SLE, 2WD, Auto, Pewter Ext, Graphite Int,4.3W, Power Accys. It was used apparently by a cable company. It was beat all to hell and had a bunch of cable install fittings in the bed. I looked under it and notices a 7.5 with a hop shock bracket and no hop shock attached. I checked the glove box and what do you know....a ZQ8! It had the wheels already gone..so it wasnt obvious. But it has Bilstiens, 7.5/3.42/hop-bracket diff, NO HOP SHOCK or the frame bracket it attaches to, ZQ8 Frame Brace, front and rear sways and I assume still the steering box. Ill try to get some parts in a week or so. People arent suposed to be getting any stuff off of it yet, but it looks as if they did. Any request??

[The Enemy]

ok, the box i have has a 92 cast on the side of it, it appaears to have a 2.5 lock to lock spin on it... will it work?

Lee