98-02 steering box

[87mefull]

Does it make enough difference in a box to justify the cost for daily driving? I'm going to have to replace the stock steering box soon since the car cannot be aligned due to the amount of play it has plus it leaks PS fluid everywhere. My car probably will never see an autocross in its remaining lifetime but does see alot of harsh driving on PA roads at higher speeds. I never driven a box with this upgrade nor have I ever driven a newer panther.

Also, I have a basic stock suspension, stock springs, 22570r15 wide tires in the rear, 21570r15 in the front, replacement stock shocks, rear sway bar (need to install soon) and a front sway bar stock. I don't plan on upgrading any suspension components anytime soon, its hard enough keeping this car on the road as a daily-driver.

[mrltd]

Dunno mang. I think it was money well spent. It's like driving a mustang vs an old panther. Almost like driving a car with rack and pinion.

[88Vic]

Do the 03+ have rack and pinion steering? If so, how difficult would it be to swap that into a box?

[Blaze86Vic]

Yes they do, but it would be very difficult. I already looked into it. It might be doable, but a frame notch and reworking of the steering shaft would be needed.

[mrltd]

Do the 03+ have rack and pinion steering? If so, how difficult would it be to swap that into a box?

Less work to swap frames. And better results!

[Nathan in MI]

Is it possible to swap an '03 frame under a box body? Or would that require some considerable fabrication as well?

[mrltd]

Is it possible to swap an '03 frame under a box body? Or would that require some considerable fabrication as well?

Anything is possible. Since no one has looked into it we do not know the difficulty. I'm pretty sure that it'd require less intense fabrication than redesigning the whole early panther frame. (brake lines, wiring, maybe some clearancing in the floorpan.

[Tiggie]

Anything is possible. Since no one has looked into it we do not know the difficulty. I'm pretty sure that it'd require less intense fabrication than redesigning the whole early panther frame. (brake lines, wiring, maybe some clearancing in the floorpan.

I agree with you.

We need to get an '03+ and a Box next to each other on lifts and do a comparo. I will say that my grandma's '98 HPP looks extremely similar to my '82 underneath.

[Blaze86Vic]

98 is the same. All the way up to 02 they were almost identical. Pretty much every difference id mounting holes or brackets.

[88Vic]

Let's put a tudor body onto an 03 frame. Damn that would be awesome, to have the 03's steering and handling with the tudors stunning good looks.

[85crownHPP]

do we have a tech article for the PI steering box swap???
I could nab the one outta the junkyard....

[mrltd]

Dunno about the article, but it's pretty straightforward, You need the PS hoses for the newer box, need to modify them to couple to the old lines, and a help rag joint kit and a little grinding on that. Oh, and the new steering shaft....Easy to find in the JY, except for the new rag joint

[85crownHPP]

can you further detail modifying the PS lines?
And the steering shaft - I guess the end coming out of the gear box? And this modified rag joint to join it to the box wheel-end of the shaft??

[88grandmarq]

The Higher rate steering box came on all 98-02 PI cars, it also came on HPP CV/GM cars and Town Cars with touring suspension (on non-PI cars, look for dual exhaust and RAS).

what you need from the donor car is the steering box, lower steering shaft and PS pressure hose.

The steering box will bolt into the car. you will have to re-use Box body pitman arm on the PI gear box ( I recommend getting a new one).
you need the lower coupler off the PI steering shaft since the splines are different. Scott has come up with a way to mate the lower coupler with the Box Body steering shaft at the rag joint. he used a rag joint repair kit from the HELP isle at the local parts store and mated them together. I tried this way and didnt really care for it. I ended up cutting the two shafts and welding the PI box coupler to my Box body lower shaft. it worked for a year with no trouble.
For the PS hose, the only difference is the fittings going into the steering box. the PI box uses a reverse metric flare. I cut fitting off the hose I robbed at the junk yard and had a place that makes Hydraulic hose mate the stock box body hose and PI fitting together. The local NAPA machine shop did this for me, but most parts stores will make Hydraulic hoses now. The return line is low pressure, so you can use some regular ATF rated cooler hose with clamps. I added the PS cooler I got off a police box body at the pull a part.

[Nathan in MI]

Anybody got some step by step photos of this conversion? It's something I'd be interested in doing...