1967 Steering Damper

[Rodney Armstrong]

Did all 1967 Corvettes come equipped with the steering damper or was this an option? Did it matter if the car came with power steering?

[Duke W.]

General rule of thumb for mid-years

1. If the car has PS there is no steering damper because the the power piston occupies the same position as the damper on a non-PS car.

2. If the engine has a "big" oil pan (5 qt. cap. plus 1 qt. in the filter) it does not have a damper because the deep portion of the pan extends forward into the space occupied by the damper, and, for the same reason, PS was not available on big pan engines.

So you can look at the oil system capacity to determine if it has either a damper (manual steering) or if power steering was a option. If the engine has a six quart total capacity - no damper, no power steering. If it is a five quart system, it either has a damper or power steering.

Duke

[Bill Braun]

Re: General rule of thumb for mid-years

Duke,

I had planned on adding power steering to my '67 big block next year. As a "experience-impaired" 'Vette owner, I am unsure how to discern if the oil pan is the 5- or 6-quart variety. I've only been under the car to grease everything and haven't had a chance to examine the oil pan in detail.

So before I lay out the bucks for the full power steering setup only to find it won't fit, how can I tell which oil pan the car has?

Bill Braun 33186

[Mark L.]

Re: 1967 Steering Damper

Rodney, To add to what Duke as stated. The 67 BB does not have a steering damper. It can however have power steering which is the same pump and linkage setup as the SB. The brackets and high pressure hose are different between the BB and SB. If you have a BB engine you should already have the large oil pan. Hope this helps. Also, with respect to an original hood-be careful if you buy a used one. Check the dimensions carefully as some of these used hoods have been shortened or narrowed to accommodate poor front end repairs. Mark

[Duke W.]

Re: General rule of thumb for mid-years

Bill - Check under the car to see if it has a steering damper. If it does then I'll assume that the power steering upgrade is viable, but the lack of a damper doesn't tell the whole story (It may have been removed, etc). Another other way is by your engine oil capacity listed in your owner's manual. I believe the hydraulic lifter big blocks had a four quart pan (five quart system) and the solid lifter versions had a big (five quart) pan (six quart system).

The other way is to measure the overall length of the deep part of the pan. My "big pan" 327/340 deep section is about 13 inches long. The "small pan" would have to be at least three or four inches shorter.

Hopefully someone with a big block similar to yours can confirm this info.

Duke

[Joe L.]

Re: General rule of thumb for mid-years

Duke and Bill-----

With big blocks, the oil pan is a non-issue with respect to steering linkage fitment. All 65-74 big blocks used the exact same oil pan configuration even though there were several part numbers used over the years. The differences are minor and don't affect steering linkage fitment.

[Duke W.]

Oops -rule of thumb only applies to SBs

Sorry, guys. I keep forgeting that I'm "big block disadvantaged".

Joe - So all the BBs had basically the same pan (even the solids lifter engines including the L-88.). For my own edification - what was the pan/system capacity of the BBs?

Duke

[motorman]

Re: Oops -rule of thumb only applies to SBs

BB oil pans were a little on the short oil supply dept. if you ran BB with solid lifters hard you could run the pan low because a lot of oil remained upstairs and was slow to drain back. the answer to this was to install edge orfice lifters from a small block. the piddler valve lifters that were std. in a BB let too much oil upstairs.

http://clemz9@hotmail.com

[Joe L.]

Re: Oops -rule of thumb only applies to SBs

Duke-----

Yes, all big blocks used in Corvettes during the 1965-74 period used, basically, the same pan, regardless of engine. For any given year, the big block pans were EXACTLY the same. My recollection is that these systems contained 6 quarts(5+1), but I'd need to consult one of my references to be certain.

63-74 small blocks did use the two different pans; a "5 quart" (4+1) and a "6 quart"(5+1). Originally, these pans were GM #3820000 and 3820001, respectively. Later, for SERVICE, they became GM #360866 and 359942, respectively. The later pans were identical EXCEPT for a larger front seal radius to accomodate the improved .41" thick seal. The 360866 pan is discontinued, but the 359942 was still available last time I checked.

1975-79 Corvettes also used two different pans, but they were different than earlier pans in terms of configuration. During these years, L-48s used GM #465221. This is a "5 quart" pan (4+1). 75-79 L-82s used a "6 quart" pan(5+1) of GM #465220. This latter pan, sometimes referred to as the "Z-28 pan", is widely regarded as one of the best that GM ever installed on a small block. It is used with baffle GM #3927136. Most important, this "6 quart" pan WILL fit cars also equipped with power steering and, presumably, earlier Corvettes equipped with steering dampners.


Cranes Corvette

[Bill Braun #33186]

All, many thanks..

for the extensive replies. My car has no damper, nor is there a bracket on the frame as indicated in the AIM, so it was evidently never reinstalled after restoration, but I can order the PS setup without further ado. 'Preciate the help!

Bill Braun