Adding grease fitting to C1 steering box

[Clem Z.]

PS

this may not be the hot setup if you live up north and your corvette sets outside or in a unheated garage because the steering will be stiff till the exhaust heats up the grease.

[Mike G.]

Thanks for the responses!

I think I'll just stick with the original fill plug, even though I already bought the fittings to convert to zerk. John, I remember that bulletin John H. referred to, too. After hearing your adventures, I'm going with grease right from the start. Thanks for the help!

[Jerry P.]

Re: PS

Grease from a gun will not become thin enuff to flow around the worm gear(if it did it would run out of wheel bearings)and therefore the worm gear will form a tunnel in the grease producing marginally lubed gears. If in doubt stick you finger in a can of grease and and watch what happens....

[Dale Pearman]

Don't Tell Jerry..................................

Let em find out through trial and error. That's where most all of my opinions come from. I've made a collosal number of mistakes and errors over the years.

Just for the record, I drive a highly modified 1962 Corvette that looks totally unmolested. I've been through countless problems and about $100,000.00 to get the car where it's at. I am also an avid purist when it comes to restorations.

Dale.

[Clem Z.]

Re: PS

jerry i never checked how hot the steering box gets but if you use non fiber grease,not wheel bearing grease, it will thin out just from the exhaust heat. i was at a car show acouple of weeks ago and a corvette owner asked me why he was getting grease/oil on the inside of his hood. i showed him were the gear oil was comming out of the pittman arm shaft seal and spraying on his hood. i told him to put in syn.grease.

[Clem Z.]

hey REV i get to express my knowledge(?)

over here for free(if it is free take it for what it is worth ) but i have to pay to do this over at the VETTEHEADS. but i am not complaining

[Dale Pearman]

Re: PS

Now he has synthetic grease all over the inside of his hood. The problem is the SEAL. NOT the lubricant.

Dale.

[Clem Z.]

Re: PS

but it is easier than changing seal

[David H.]

Re: Thanks for the responses!

Mike; I just finished my 62 gear box and was pondering the same thoughts of using grease, of which there are many kinds, so choice can affect the outcome and or cause more different problems. One of the reasons I would even consider using it is because I know of a documented GM change made in the GM srevice manuals from 69 to 70 where the gear box stayed the same and the instructions changed as to the type of lubricant to use in it! For example: in the 67,68,and 69 "srevice" manuals, 69: section 9-2 quoted under the heading---Maintenence and adjustments-- "The Manual steering gear is filled at the factory with a water resistant grease. Seasonal change of the lub is unnecessary and the housing should not be drained. level should be checked every 36k miles. Whenever required, additions should be made using a water resistant EP chasis lubricant." The instructions that follow include removing a lower cover bolt and inserting a "filling device" and injecting lub untill lub is present at another bolt hole.

The 66-82 shop manual states: section 12-2 under the heading lubrication: " the steering gear is factory filled with steering gear lubricant." and goes on to read "every 36k the gear should be inspected for seal leakage (actual solid grease-- not just oily film). If a seal is replaced or the gear is overhauled, the gear housing should be refilled with #1051052 (13 oz. container) steering gear lub. which meets GM spec. GM 4673M, or equivelant. Do not use EP chasis lube, which meets GM spec. GM 6031m, to lub the gear. DO NOT OVERFILL the gear housing." This change took place in 1970 and you will see it in the 70 service manual also. That is the reason my freind changed his 70 to the 69 type of (grease) lub. cause his was leaking oil out and mine (69) was not!

Now I know that the 62 gear housing is different from 67-82, but I was still concerned about the oil leaking out and the grease not going where it needed to after being moved about by the gears, so I decided to use mostly EP-1 grease on the bearings and some on the gears but filled the rest up with 85/140 gear oil. Then I read all this posting about steering gear lub and felt compelled to write this huge story for everyones benefit but mainly yours. As you can see even GM is not sure about what to use in their own gear box's. David

[Glenn Feener]

grease VS oil

I'm not an expert, but my 58 is going on three years restored, and the rebuilt steering gearbox has never leaked/weeped a bit of the 90W that I filled it with. I sealed all the threads with Rectorseal pipe fitting sealer.

[Dale Pearman]

I'm Sure About One Thing

I'm a purist when it comes to RESTORATION. This here's supposed to be a restoration and preservation group but most all the technical content is so-called "upgrades", modifications, improvements, and customizing. (with a few questions about how much air in the tires as well)

I'm all for that stuff too but not with a Corvette that's supposed to be restored.

Nobody in their right mind would attempt to promote drum brakes over disc brakes in general. However those who do so with their so-called "show Corvettes" are missing something somewhere. Take the enamel or base-clear arguments. Somebody's gotta stand up for what's right sooner or later or else we'll loose ALL the real Corvettes instead of just 85 percent of them.

As a side issue I drove a late model VIPER today. There's an example of factory teamwork engineering using the latest technology and it's awesome. It would take a first class moron to mess up a Corvette trying to match the Viper's performance.

That's my two cents worth! I love driving my modified, stock appearing 1962 Corvette and also love authentic restoration of the rest of my collection. I lust for a new Viper however.

Dale.

[Dale Pearman]

Re: grease VS oil

Tens of thousands of C1 Corvettes were put into the market with 90W and VERY FEW of them leaked.

If I were judging a Corvette and discovered a grease zerk and air vent installed on a steering box there'd be points deducted for non-originality.

Dale

[John M.]

Re: grease VS oil

Actually Dale, the zerk is just a temporary installation to get the grease in the box and is replaced with the bolt afterward. The outward appearance of the box is unchanged and would not see any point deducts unless you are contemplating removing the fill plug and dipping your finger in it!

Regards, John McGraw

[Mike G.]

Thanks David!

I do appreciate the input. Let's see, John McGraw's box leaked after two attempts, I'm sure I'm a lesser mechanic than he is, I don't want mine to leak, and even GM is not so sure 90W is a good idea . . . Hmmmm, I wonder what I should do?