I just want it gone....

[heviarti]

So, I worked over my power steering pump, because I was having issues. Apparently it has some sort of unlocatable leak because it is still losing fluid. The flare fitting is also some kind of BS that is neither 5/8 and 11/16, and being a 1979 it's too old to be metric. I am sick of power steering. I don't like it at all. Is there a manual box I can install and be rid of all this unnecessary, unreliable cruft? Also, can I do something to be rid of these power boosted brakes? I just want straight hydraulic brakes like my other pickups. No booster, no BS... I just want it gone. NAPA can't tell me what parts are compatible and workable. I know manual steering and non-boosted brakes exist; both my dodges and my ford have them. I like the way they handle better. And I like the fact that they are not as failure prone.

 

[cmull]

I'm not sure on the parts you would need, but be careful if you do decide to get rid of power steering. The frame by the steering box is prone to cracking WITH power steering and its much more stressed without power steering. There are brace plates you can get to prevent/fix that and I would look into that if you go through with it.

 

[Rule_So_Hard]

16 and 17 mm are both in between 5/8ths and 11/16. Also 21/32 is in between there. So one of those wrenches I just mentioned will definitely fit. Some times old work hardware can be worked out with a little smaller wrench.

 

[bucket]

'79 used some things metric, and the power steering hoses could be one of them. It changed over right around '79 and '80. If the line has an o-ring (or a spot for one), it is metric.

A manual steering box was standard on 2wd, but 4x4 came with power steering.

What power assist brakes do you currently have? Hydroboost or vacuum boost? And I can't imagine going to the trouble of deleting power assist brakes. It's not a failure prone area at all, and non-power brakes quite frankly suck.

 

[towjoe]

Have you tried a bottle of Lucas power steering fluid in it? I had one hard steering and leaking and it solved my problems

 

[PrairieDrifter]

I would definitely keep your brake booster, there should just be a vacuum hose to the intake? As long as your brake lines are good and there's no air in the system you shouldn't really ever have a problem with them, unless something breaks of course.

Do you have a power steering cooler? Is your steering sector leaking? I would just get brand new hoses for the system. Not very expensive, and it is a ****** job but that makes it feel way better at the end haha plus chevy power steering when it's in good condition is probably the nicest power steering I've ever felt!

 

[heviarti]

I really like the road feel of manual everything. The power brakes are vacuum, and fouled up. In my model there is a JB6 and JB7 brake system, and apparently no way to tell them apart. The leading chevy dealership can't even seem to tell me how to determine what I have. I imagine that no crapola hooked into my intake would be great, and save me $100 replacing a vacuum booster that is just bound to fail again anyway. I really hate vacuum boost brakes. One minute they are normal, next minute they're bark-the-tires touchy.
As to power steering, something is always weird about that. Every outfit I have driven with it has much less road feel. Sometimes it is easy to oversteer trying to hit the steering gears like you do with a manual. Pump to fail, box to fail, hoses to fail... So much to fail.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showpost.php?p=107357&postcount=2

Manual steering interchange.

 

[MadOgre]

I would go with Hydroboost over vacuum bost any day infact when I retire the cuurent carcass im driving I plan on stripping the hydroboost out of it.

You need everything from a hydro boost system.

Power steering pump and reservoir
Lines
Booster
Master cylinder
brake pedal and all linkage

 

[heviarti]

http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showpost.php?p=107357&postcount=2

Manual steering interchange.

I guess I don't understand what I'm seeing? The links all lead to places like Amazon. If I'm going to change the box it would be better if I knew for sure what box I was looking for, and how to positively identify it. I'll likely have to find it in a junkyard. I can likely make a heavy plate to go in the frame to prevent breakage.

As to the hydroboost, yes, I am fond of those. I have only really driven two rigs installed with them though. No, three rigs. I recently test drove a 2000 Chevy 3/4 ton with a hydroboost that was peeing in the cab. Floormat was all wrinkly, had a 6.0 in it with a miss, and as much trouble as I have with the fleet of GMT400s I oversee... I opted against it. too many problems. Whatever I do, I have to figure out what the significance of this JB6 vs. JB7 brake system is to what parts will interchange. Hydroboost adds a third hydraulic line to fail, and I surely don't need that. It was bad enough cobbing myself a pump together and installing it in the freezing cold. I had to boil the line in a pot of water to make it soft enough to do anything.

 

[RetroC10Sport]

I guess I don't understand what I'm seeing? The links all lead to places like Amazon. If I'm going to change the box it would be better if I knew for sure what box I was looking for, and how to positively identify it. I'll likely have to find it in a junkyard. I can likely make a heavy plate to go in the frame to prevent breakage.

Don't pay attention to the links, just some crap added after I posted the list.

The list itself is what you need, that list is what what fits. You can pretty much use a manual truck box from 1967-87 2WD.

Here's the entire thread. http://www.gmsquarebody.com/forum/showthread.php?p=107357#post107357