It sounds as if your pitman arm might be worn on the splines where it fits into the steering box. Can you move it in relation to the shaft itself. If you can then it is worn and maybe the shaft is too. If it all moves as one unit then the box itself must be worn.
It does sound to me like thats where you should start but if you have any play in the rest of the components you should really replace them all with good stuff.
You should give your wheel a wiggle from the 12 and 6 position to see if you ball joints are done for as well.
All the parts you would need should be available through parts jobbers (I think) still including a rebuilt box.
-- Edited by 66 Grande guy on Tuesday 1st of May 2012 11:42:37 PM
i have a misaligned drivers side wheel on my 65 chev
when i lift the front end up , i feel a little play ( inner outer when i hold the wheel ( not the seering wheel ) in the 9 o clock and 3 oclock position )
i have noticed a play on the pitman shaft ( this one goes strait into the steering box )
so i feel an see some loose in that shaft wich is transmited to the center link then to the tie rod end.
and when driving ( with belted tires ) on a bad road my steering wheel starts to shake like hell sometimes when i hit some bumps ( i have to almost stop and start again
so about that play ( up and down movement ) on the pitman shaft ?????
are we talking only a seal here ( no leaks that i can see ) or a whole shaft , or steering box ??? this is a non power steering unit .
any help appreciated , i want to get the old Bel Air on the road soon to go to my annual lobster party !
i have to take care of a brake issue and this wheel alignement thing
thank you all !
__________________
1967 BEAUMONT 2 DOOR POST ALL NEW 283
1965 CHEV BEL AIR 230 3 SPEED
I LIKE THEM PLAIN , I LOVE BENCH SEATS , POVERTY CAPS,NO TRIM.
I HAVE THIS THING FOR A 4 DOOR 65 BISCAYNE 6 CYL STD DONT KNOW WHY ?
has any of this front end ever been redone, steering boxs do go bad but not like that, they feel vague from side to side, it could be the idler, centerlink, tie rods or bushings or a combination of all. the pitman on a pontiac has no were points its in the centerlink
i did give it a 12 .00 6.00 wiggle and i only felt a little play from brake drum thats all
i only felt the up and down play on the pitman shaft , i will have to disconnect the pitman arm to the center link in order to see if it has a play with the circular movement of the shaft
so i might as well get a whole rebuilt steering box instead of a pitman shaft only ?
__________________
1967 BEAUMONT 2 DOOR POST ALL NEW 283
1965 CHEV BEL AIR 230 3 SPEED
I LIKE THEM PLAIN , I LOVE BENCH SEATS , POVERTY CAPS,NO TRIM.
I HAVE THIS THING FOR A 4 DOOR 65 BISCAYNE 6 CYL STD DONT KNOW WHY ?
That's a fairly common problem on those cars. Had 2 of them years ago that did that and I can't remember what parts were worn out now. I would take it to a professional steering & alignment shop as already suggested. It may be a few more bucks than you want to spend, but worn out steering can cost you your life!
armstrong , the front wheel on the drivers side would start whobbling when the road would get bad and the steering wheel would also shake like if you would ground somme 220 volts in it
hope it will fix the problem , or else i will look further into the steering linkage .
cant wait to get it back on the road , it s almost a daily driver to me and so much cheaper on gas than my F 250
-- Edited by since 1983 on Thursday 10th of May 2012 01:36:13 PM
__________________
1967 BEAUMONT 2 DOOR POST ALL NEW 283
1965 CHEV BEL AIR 230 3 SPEED
I LIKE THEM PLAIN , I LOVE BENCH SEATS , POVERTY CAPS,NO TRIM.
I HAVE THIS THING FOR A 4 DOOR 65 BISCAYNE 6 CYL STD DONT KNOW WHY ?
See if the heater core hoses that connect onto the pipes running into the firewall in the engine compartment are loose. If they are tight and not leaking your core is shot. You will need a new core and they are hard to change.
__________________
Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
but a heater core , hard to change , i thought it was just taking off the cover on the fire wall and changing the unit and thats it
i will by pass it for the warm period and try to find another unit if it really is my problem
I haven't done mine yet. Mine is by-passed.
There are conflicting views on whether to detach the inner fender of the car or not. Some people have been able to get the last nut on the firewall core cover without detaching the inner fender. I have big hands, so I will most likely have the detach the fender.
Inside the car, you may have to remove the glove box liner. You will have to remove the electrical wires, and the heater control cables. Make sure you have plenty of newspaper down on your carpet to catch the antifreeze.
Take out your old core before ordering a new one. There are many different size cores made/listed for a '65 Impala. There are different size cores for non-AC and AC equipped cars.
__________________
Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
ooohhhh , did not see it complcated like that , i have the GM shop manual for that car , and will check it out
i had to by pas my heather core on the road the other day , i was driving to my cottage in the old chev , and my daugther had sticky feet see said ?????? there was quite a lot running on the floor there , and i felt the car heating a bit and was going to stop to check things out
prestone was quite low in the rad , so i stop the car by a golf course to get some water .So walking arround thar golf course i see some irrigation guys ..................so maybee they would be working with 3/4 inche carlon pipe , lets go find out????
So the nice person gave me a fitting and lent me a flat screw driver...................he loved my bel air by the way !!!
by passed the core , dumped 4 to 5 liters of water , and lets get to the country place for a swim !!!
some times you can be lucky in life
__________________
1967 BEAUMONT 2 DOOR POST ALL NEW 283
1965 CHEV BEL AIR 230 3 SPEED
I LIKE THEM PLAIN , I LOVE BENCH SEATS , POVERTY CAPS,NO TRIM.
I HAVE THIS THING FOR A 4 DOOR 65 BISCAYNE 6 CYL STD DONT KNOW WHY ?
i was driving to my cottage in the old chev , and my daugther had sticky feet she said ??????
... lets get to the country place for a swim !!!
some times you can be lucky in life
At least she got to wash off her sticky feet! Good stuff!
__________________
Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
You can buy one of the plug in defrost/heater units from Princess Auto to keep your glass fog free until you get it fixed. A must in certain areas of Canada even in the summer!
