My 75 at the present time does not have power steering.I have been looking for a kit to put it in. Most of the vendors that i have looked at do not list one for 75.One place does (Rics corvettes) The kit sells for 729.00.My question is....why is this place the only one that offers a kit for 75? Is it a kit he put together or is it a universal kit? And if so why is it that other vendors do not sell it.Thanks for your input..
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Re: power steering for a 75
Me thinks that the only difference from '63 to '82 would be the pump pulley and mounting bracket. Oh ya, the later pumps do have a different fitting and matching hoses. But as long as it is a complete kit I do not see why it would not workDick Whittington -
Re: power steering for a 75
Ken and Dick-----
I agree. FUNCTIONALLY, you can use any 63-82 system as long as all of the components are matched. However, if you want not only a functional system but also one that is correct or very near correct, use a 1975-1979 system. The power steering systems used over this period were, for all practical purposes, identical. So, if they don't show a system for a 1975, but do show one for 1976, 1977, 1978, or 1979, just order one of those and you'll have the same thing as was used for 1975.
If it's not supplied with the kit, you will need crankshaft pulley GM #14023153 which is an add-on, 1 groove pulley. The original pulley used for most 75-79 applications was GM #346290 but it was discontinued and replaced many years ago by the 14023153. I don't think that many folks will notice the difference.
There actually was one other minor difference in the power steering systems used over the course of the 1975-79 period. Can anyone tell us what it is?In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: power steering for a 75
Joe, is it the pump? The earlier ones were metal.Comment
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Re: power steering for a 75
Jim-----
Actually, I was referring to differences over the course of the 75-79 period rather than differences with earlier (i.e. 63-74) or later (i.e. 80-82). There are definitely several significant differences between the 63-74 systems and the 75-79. As you noted, the pump is a major difference since the reservoir design and other features changed after the 1974 model year. However, all 1975-79 used the same pump for PRODUCTION and original SERVICE, GM #7818044.
So, you and others will have to put your thinking caps back on.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: power steering for a 75
Jim, et al------
OK, it's been a day and no one's offered any ideas, so here's the answer:
For the 1974 model year, GM added a hose guide bracket to the power steering control valve. The same hose guide bracket, GM #7817342, was used for the 1974 and 1975 model years. For 1976 and thereafter, the hose guide bracket was changed to GM #7819613. The 7819613 bracket became the SERVICE bracket for 74-75 and also became the bracket installed on all SERVICE valves for 63+.
So, while the power steering system for all 1975-79 Corvettes is virtually identical, there is a difference between 1975 and 1976-79. That difference is the control valve hose guide bracket. Actually, these brackets are configured considerably different and can be discerned at a glance. However, they are 100% functionally interchangeable.
The 1976+ hose guide bracket, which some folks mistakenly term a "stone guard", has become so ubiquitous due to its installation on all SERVICE valves for the past 30 years that some folks think they were originally used on all 1963+ Corvettes. They were not, though. 1963 through 1973 did not originally use them.
So, if one has a 1963-73 with a power steering control valve with a hose guide bracket, should one take it off? I wouldn't. You don't suppose that GM added that bracket, and even re-designed it once, because everything was just as well without it, do you? I don't.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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