1982 Camaro Steering Box - Super Chevy Magazine

With the Camaro safely up on jack stands, the crew at Hollywood Hot Rods tackled the steering box installation in about 4 hours.

With the Camaro safely up on jack stands, the crew at Hollywood Hot Rods tackled the steer

In most forms of motorsports, light equals might. Anytime you can lighten up your car it will usually result in lower elapsed times and/or quicker lap times. Steering components, due to the roll they the play in the overall safety of you car, were typically taboo when it came to reducing weight. Sure you could spend tons of dollars and have a rack-and-pinion setup welded in to save a few pounds. And of course there's always been the manual steering route, which entailed going to the scrap yard, finding a steering box that was in good shape and would fit your car, then yanking it out and hauling it home. Those boxes were usually grimy and still pretty heavy. So what's a guy on a budget supposed to do?

The new and affordable answer is to install a new box and steering shaft like the one we got from Flaming River. The advantages of a new versus old steering box are clear. The new box is going to be safer, without a doubt, and it'll come to your door clean and ready to bolt in. The steering shaft is also safer than reusing your old shaft and it will firm up the steering response of your old ride, too.

We thought so well about this idea that we got our hands on a solid '82 Camaro and went about swapping out the old power box for the lighter Flaming River unit. The whole installation took the experienced crew at Hollywood Hot Rods in Burbank, California, about 4 hours and the only trick tools required were a Pitman arm puller and a chop saw, (a hack saw would have worked just as well, but no doubt taken longer). After the installation was complete, this F-body racer not only was lighter by about 25 pounds, it was so much easier to steer, even grandma could drive it now

The Flaming River steering kit we ordered came complete with a light manual steering box, collapsible steering shaft, stainless steel U-joints, and a new Pitman arm.
The Flaming River steering kit we ordered came complete with a light manual steering box,
Things began with removing the stock steering box, which the Camaro's previous owners had chosen to run without the power steering pump for several years. They must've had very strong forearms.
Things began with removing the stock steering box, which the Camaro's previous owners had
Not only is the stock GM steering shaft ugly, it's cumbersome and blocks access to items on the engine.
Not only is the stock GM steering shaft ugly, it's cumbersome and blocks access to items o

We loosened the locking bolt on the stock steering box using a Chicago Pneumatic (CP) cordless electric impact gun.
We loosened the locking bolt on the stock steering box using a Chicago Pneumatic (CP) cord
The CP cordless impact gun also made quick work of removing the upper retaining bolt on the GM steering shaft.
The CP cordless impact gun also made quick work of removing the upper retaining bolt on th
The lower portion of the stock shaft easily slipped off the steering box and few taps from a hammer knocked the top of the shaft off the steering column stub.
The lower portion of the stock shaft easily slipped off the steering box and few taps from

We tackled removing the Pitman arm next by pulling out the cotter pin from its castle nut.
For this whole install, we never even used a ratchet. The CP impact gun fit all of our needs and with a 12-inch extension attached, was used next to remove the castle nut from the Pitman arm. A pickle-fork then made quick work of separating the it from the steering center link.
For this whole install, we never even used a ratchet. The CP impact gun fit all of our nee
The crew at Hollywood Hot Rods then used a puller to yank the Pitman arm off the steering box, after busting the large socket loose.
The crew at Hollywood Hot Rods then used a puller to yank the Pitman arm off the steering