Power Steering Gear Box

[Machspeed]

Noted today that my power steering gear box is leaking badly. This is the OEM unit. This past Summer I replaced the old CII power steering pump with a Saginaw, as used on the Bullnose vans back in the day. Wondering if that little modification might have prompted the leak or whether it was merely coincidence??? Not sure what the pressure differences are between the CII and Saginaw, but as I recall it wasn't a big deal.

As to the gear box itself, rebuild or reman from AZ or O'Reilly?

[Megiddo]

Mine also started leaking. I'm not skilled or confident enough to rebuild. As I read the reviews a lot of the part store remans seemed hit or miss, probably based on the wear of the core. I spent the big bucks and went with Red Head. They (at least advertise) match bearing size to wear for a tighter unit. I only wanted to replace it once, but probably over paid...that seems to be a trend for me.

[mat in tn]

Mine also started leaking. I'm not skilled or confident enough to rebuild. As I read the reviews a lot of the part store remans seemed hit or miss, probably based on the wear of the core. I spent the big bucks and went with Red Head. They (at least advertise) match bearing size to wear for a tighter unit. I only wanted to replace it once, but probably over paid...that seems to be a trend for me.

i was trying to remember the brand with red in the name. a reman gear "should" be good but I would pay attention to the warranty. i have rebuilt and it hit or miss unless you can get any machine work done if needed.

[mat in tn]

i was trying to remember the brand with red in the name. a reman gear "should" be good but I would pay attention to the warranty. i have rebuilt and it hit or miss unless you can get any machine work done if needed.

as far as having overpaid, if it is properly done the first time then I would say you got it right. we save our money on the labor. buy good parts! that also builds confidence in some spouses by the way.

[Gsmblue]

as far as having overpaid, if it is properly done the first time then I would say you got it right. we save our money on the labor. buy good parts! that also builds confidence in some spouses by the way.

Never had a reman box Better than the one it was supposed to replace.

I will be buying bluesteeringgears this spring/summer, same as redhead, but I don’t like the color red 😬

[Gary Lewis]

Never had a reman box Better than the one it was supposed to replace.

I will be buying bluesteeringgears this spring/summer, same as redhead, but I don’t like the color red 😬

It is Blue Top. Supposedly run by a guy that worked at Red Head but didn't like they way they were treating people so started his own company.

The way Ford designed the box the front of the shaft uses the cast iron of the box as the bushing. And it wears. When someone reman's the box they just check to make sure the wear isn't beyond their tolerances. Not factory tolerances 'cause by definition it will be. So when you buy a reman'd box it is not as good as new. Cannot be.

Red Head and Blue Top bore the box out and put a bearing in. Now you are back to factory spec's and it'll wear a lot longer. I put a Red Head in Dad's truck and am thinking of a Blue Top for Big Blue since his steering isn't as good as it should be. I won't be buying any reman'd boxes.

[mat in tn]

It is Blue Top. Supposedly run by a guy that worked at Red Head but didn't like they way they were treating people so started his own company.

The way Ford designed the box the front of the shaft uses the cast iron of the box as the bushing. And it wears. When someone reman's the box they just check to make sure the wear isn't beyond their tolerances. Not factory tolerances 'cause by definition it will be. So when you buy a reman'd box it is not as good as new. Cannot be.

Red Head and Blue Top bore the box out and put a bearing in. Now you are back to factory spec's and it'll wear a lot longer. I put a Red Head in Dad's truck and am thinking of a Blue Top for Big Blue since his steering isn't as good as it should be. I won't be buying any reman'd boxes.

I don't know for sure, but it seems that when boring one out and pressing in a bushing, that bushing would be a steel sleeve as opposed to the cast iron original bore. that finish and durability could and should be far superior to even a new box would have been if done correctly. again, I don't know this for sure but just understanding machining a little that seems logical.

[Rembrant]

Never had a reman box Better than the one it was supposed to replace.

I agree. I went through two reman'd boxes in a row before switching over to a RedHead box on my '84. As NumberDummy used to say over on FTE, a remanufactured power steering box is a resealed power steering box. So, if you're buying one to replace a leaky box, then a reman is fine. If you're buying one to fix sloppy steering, then your results may vary.

I went with a reman steering box on my 1980, and it seemed to be pretty good. That one didn't bother me at all.

One of the older parts counter guys I talked to told me that buying reman steering boxes is hit or miss because you don't really know if that reman box has 50k miles on it, or 350k miles on it. He actually told me, "sometimes you have to go through a couple before you get a good one".

A note on both RedHead and BlueTop boxes is that they have sales, I know around Thanksgiving and Christmas for sure, and maybe July 4th...can't really remember. Follow them on FB and IG and they will announce them when they're on. I was going to go with the BlueTop box for no other reason than Geography...they were closer and shipping was slightly cheaper. However, they went through two sales and both times didn't have any stock on Bullnose steering boxes. RedHead being a bigger and older company always seemed to have them ready to go.

 

[Gary Lewis]

Never had a reman box Better than the one it was supposed to replace.

I agree. I went through two reman'd boxes in a row before switching over to a RedHead box on my '84. As NumberDummy used to say over on FTE, a remanufactured power steering box is a resealed power steering box. So, if you're buying one to replace a leaky box, then a reman is fine. If you're buying one to fix sloppy steering, then your results may vary.

I went with a reman steering box on my 1980, and it seemed to be pretty good. That one didn't bother me at all.

One of the older parts counter guys I talked to told me that buying reman steering boxes is hit or miss because you don't really know if that reman box has 50k miles on it, or 350k miles on it. He actually told me, "sometimes you have to go through a couple before you get a good one".

A note on both RedHead and BlueTop boxes is that they have sales, I know around Thanksgiving and Christmas for sure, and maybe July 4th...can't really remember. Follow them on FB and IG and they will announce them when they're on. I was going to go with the BlueTop box for no other reason than Geography...they were closer and shipping was slightly cheaper. However, they went through two sales and both times didn't have any stock on Bullnose steering boxes. RedHead being a bigger and older company always seemed to have them ready to go.

John - If the need for sending them a core before they send you one back is a problem come see me.

[Machspeed]

Never had a reman box Better than the one it was supposed to replace.

I agree. I went through two reman'd boxes in a row before switching over to a RedHead box on my '84. As NumberDummy used to say over on FTE, a remanufactured power steering box is a resealed power steering box. So, if you're buying one to replace a leaky box, then a reman is fine. If you're buying one to fix sloppy steering, then your results may vary.

I went with a reman steering box on my 1980, and it seemed to be pretty good. That one didn't bother me at all.

One of the older parts counter guys I talked to told me that buying reman steering boxes is hit or miss because you don't really know if that reman box has 50k miles on it, or 350k miles on it. He actually told me, "sometimes you have to go through a couple before you get a good one".

A note on both RedHead and BlueTop boxes is that they have sales, I know around Thanksgiving and Christmas for sure, and maybe July 4th...can't really remember. Follow them on FB and IG and they will announce them when they're on. I was going to go with the BlueTop box for no other reason than Geography...they were closer and shipping was slightly cheaper. However, they went through two sales and both times didn't have any stock on Bullnose steering boxes. RedHead being a bigger and older company always seemed to have them ready to go.

Thanks fellas! Often when I post here on a subject, I've already done a little research and formed an idea as to which way I will go. Some of you have your own experiences though and I trust your opinions better than those I might glean from the web. Also, we all benefit from this type of conversation.

There's a lot of conversation going on out there in regards to Blue Top vs. Red Head. I've read what Gary posted about the owner of Blue Top. And, I've also read a lot of not so good things about Red Head steering box failures right out of the box. Probably going to go with a Blue Top rebuild on my gear box.

There is a $90 upgrade option which I'm unclear on and hoping someone can clarify what specifically this is all about? I can't seem to find anything on it at their website. Blue Top statement: "the porting option is an additional $90 which includes the -6 JIC fittings and pressure caps."

Again, what does this extra $90 due for the gear box and will these fitting cause me to have to change hoses or come up with adapters?