348 4spd, and it runs like a top. since we got the car going, it has had a nagging valve cover leak, due to the cover being a casting and slightly porous in the one corner. and now, this power box issue.

anyway, back to the story.

the car went down the road as it SHOULD when we got it going with the bagged suspension and the manual box it came with.
we then converted to power steering. got the car aligned [that was the sheet posted above, so the before toe specs were out] and hit the road.
as with all projects, we chased some "new car blues", but after a while, it became apparent the bagged suspension just wasn't going to cut it. the controller had troubles we couldn't get right, plus the compressor wouldn't keep the system at a constant pressure. my buddy wasn't happy with it at all, and this was a very well known, 5K kit.
during this time it became apparent the car had this "wandering" condition, requiring a constant input to keep it going straight. not a lot mind you, just a constant little correction [back and forth] all the time. i really can't truly classify this as a wondering condition we are all familiar with in the basic sense, but i don't know what else to call it.

anyway, the car was then converted back to the original spring setup. at that time, the front suspension got tube control arms, new tierods, new bushings, new idler arm, and a rebuild kit for the center link. the rear suspension received new bushings in the control arms, and the lower arms were boxed. the upper control arm on this year only, is a giant wishbone connected to the chassis at both sides in the front, and a very large bushing attaching this piece to a cast boss on the top of the rear end housing. in 59, [and lasting to 64] this was changed to a pair of upper control arms.
the car was re-aligned [sheet posted now] and back on the road we went.
car rides better, handles better, but still has that constantly needed correction when on center.

so the only thing staying the same is the box. aside from replacing the bushings, ball joints etc just because.

yes, the car was bagged when converted to power steering.
the car drove like described from day one.
eliminating the bags made no difference [except in ride and handling]

yes, i can believe there are "nuts behind the wheel" !

we definitely need to get the car in the air and tear it apart.
i believe we will start with seeing how smooth it is with the engine off, then with it running, put a slight input from a straight ahead position to see if it takes off on it's own. [as twostick suggested] will do this first at an idle, then at 2500rpm or so. then it's unhook one thing at a time to see if there is any binding anywhere in the system.

a couple things i haven't mentioned [if it really matters]. first, this car has an "X" frame, not really known for being stiff [think "flexy flier"] 2nd, when this was converted over to the power box, we removed the front sway bar because the pulley added to drive the power pump took up the space where the sway bar was, and we never put the bar back. third, we have no idea what pulley sizes are to be used with this box [currently a 6 3/4" crank pulley and a 4 1/2" pump pulley] and the vendor we got the box from has been no help with this, so we are flying blind here.

we REALLY appreciate you guys helping out a couple of old geezers with this issue !