steering

ok i was driving my moms new M**stang today and the steering is nice and stiff and you barely have to turn the wheel on turns and you can go smooth around corners. so i guess my question is how can i make my streering better and better control? and does anyolne have any part recommendations

She has a rack and pinion setup. You would need to do the same for your car or does it already have it?

whats a rack and pinion set up and how much does it cost

whats a rack and pinion set up and how much does it cost

http://www.stevesnovasite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49574&highlight=rack+pinion+works

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/steering2.htm

You may want to try using the search function on the site. There are many threads that have been started about this very subject. The first link I posted was found using this very thing and took me all of 10 seconds!

John

thanks novanutcase and sorry for being inconsiderate and lazy

No No....just thought I would make you aware of the treasure trove at your finger tips! Trust me.....I'm probably the laziest one on the site! Somehow they tolerate me though!:p :D

Oh Well! Back to spanking my monkey.....................http://www.thegamehomepage.com/play/spank-the-monkey/

i know i was just joking around i do feel bad when i ask all of these questions but i just rescently got into the nova world.... and i just tried that game and the highest i got was 391 which is probably bad but it played music lol

Don't feel bad! That's what this site is for! Ask away but before you do search around and you may find what your looking for and more! Many times I will be searching for something and find something else that is even better than what I was looking for!:)

John

There are upgrades you can do to your suspension/steering to tighten things up...and if you look around good and hard, you can do it for pretty cheap!

Do you have power or manual steering? Most manual steering boxes are pretty slow.

For power steering:
A common box in 3rd gens was a variable ratio gear box that starts at about 16:1 (when you're going straight) and as you start to turn, it gets quicker up to 13:1. This makes the steering less touchy while doing higher speed lane changes, but easy to manuever through parking lots.
These boxes are usually around 3 turns from lock to lock.

There are definitely boxes available that are even slower than this. The p/s in my '68 pickup is 4 3/4 turns lock to lock, and is a real PITA when you wanna get squirrely. Probably close to about 18:1 (guess).

A quick ratio steering box, with the ratio of 12.7:1 can make your steering more sensitive, for quicker turning...you may loose a little "road feel". You just need to make sure the steering stops in the gear box are correct, so you don't lose your turning radius.

Keep in mind, however...most drivers tend to over-compensate in emergency manuevers, so a quick ratio box can make the bad even worse.

Also:
Rebuilding the front end can make a big difference. Sloppy idler arms, pitman arm, deteriorated bushings, soft/saggy springs, etc. etc. can result in a loose, unresponsive car.

Stiffer springs, increased diameter sway bars, and upgraded bushings can make a huge difference in how your car handles through the twisties... less body roll and deflection is a good thing! But remember, stiffer springs and components can make the ride less comfortable.

I'm really weary of bolt on r&p kits. I've been told Unisteer has some horrible bumpsteer, so I started looking at Steeroids. Someone on here (can't remember, but I'm pretty sure he has a blown 69 Nova) has theirs, and he was the reason I was going to get their kit. Then I was told by a couple people that the geometry with theirs is horrible and you can see the drastic change in camber and toe after the install (you'd think it could be corrected with an alignment, though). And apparently the Steeroids has a loss in turning radius.

I really want r&p because it just looks cool and most new "sport" cars I've driven with it handled pretty well.

I still can't decide what I want to do.

Matt

Hey guys (and gals); I picked up a '73 Nova last year myself, that eventually I'll get to playing with. But in the meantime, I read tech articles from different sources, and several months ago I stumbled across one that interested me, about Nova steering. Well, it's a damn good thing I left that Super Chevy magazine on the toilet tank for the past 11 months. As soon as I saw this thread, I went in there to find this article. On page 129 of the March '06 Super Chevy Mag. is a Nova TechTalk article about a new steering box for older Novas. It's a Delphi 600 box, made by Remy Racing. According to the magazine guys, it's a direct bolt in replacement, and it addresses the shortcomings of the factory units. They say, "It is somewhat firm and gives you that tight rack-and-pinion feel, quick response, and definitely removes any of the usual sloppy feel. This steering gear also has a quicker gear ratio than stock at 12.7:1; a really nice ratio for streecars." Of course, the price is not listed in the article: To contact the author of the article (Joe Grom); write to: Chevy 2 Only, P.O. Box 985, Dept. SC, Mt. Washington, Ky 40047 (502) 239-8487 I bet it's not cheap; but I bet a rack-and-pinion isn't either, and with 'bolt-in' installation, it's gotta be WAY easier!! Hop this helps. diddly

I used an AGR steering gear (12:1) and rebuilt the front end with polygraphite bushings. Drives great now. ;)

AGR: http://www.agrperformance.com/products.php?cat=100