Lares Manual Steering Box - Moparts Forums

Register Log In Moparts Forums Moparts Question and Answer Lares Manual Steering Box

Print Thread

Page 1 of 2

1

2

Lares Manual Steering Box #2922622 05/14/21 09:35 PM 05/14/21 09:35 PM
Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA D davenc OP mopar
davenc OP mopar D Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA	Looking for a new box for my 70 Cuda with manual steering. I think I am going to stick with the standard 24:1 box. It appears Lares sells both "new" and "remanufactured" products. The "new" box is actually less expensive than the "remanufactured" box. The Lares web page does not seem to highlight what is different between the two options. In general it seems "new" should be better than "remanufactured" but given the price difference there must be a catch. Does anyone know how they differ? Is one factory appearing, and the other not? Thanks!

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923016 05/15/21 10:44 PM 05/15/21 10:44 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,268 Omaha Ne T TJP I Live Here
TJP I Live Here T Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,268 Omaha Ne	www.tandmautomotive-omaha.com

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923040 05/16/21 01:20 AM 05/16/21 01:20 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 30,989 Oregon A AndyF I Win
AndyF I Win A Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 30,989 Oregon	Call them an ask. Several places sell those steering boxes so if Lares doesn't know the answer then shop around until you find someone who knows. I haven't had one of those boxes in my hand and I don't know who builds them but if you do some searching you can find people who have bought them.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923143 05/16/21 01:40 PM 05/16/21 01:40 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,094 central texas K krautrock top fuel
krautrock top fuel K Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,094 central texas	always this option too. I post on another forum and PST does 10% off for members there, they also do 10% off sales somewhat regularly... https://p-s-t.com/series-220280-manual-steering-box.html#ps-add-prods

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: krautrock] #2923156 05/16/21 02:45 PM 05/16/21 02:45 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,158 Park Forest, IL slantzilla Too Many Posts
slantzilla Too Many Posts Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 20,158 Park Forest, IL	Reman have a core charge on it? "Everybody funny, now you funny too."

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: slantzilla] #2923276 05/16/21 09:13 PM 05/16/21 09:13 PM
Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 998 South-east Mn B blaze super stock
blaze super stock B Joined: Sep 2003 Posts: 998 South-east Mn	I did buy from them. Good piece. Sorry, don't remember if I bought new or reman. No complaints.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: slantzilla] #2923291 05/16/21 09:53 PM 05/16/21 09:53 PM
Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA D davenc OP mopar
davenc OP mopar D Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA	TJP, thanks for the bump! Slantzilla, yes there is a $50 core charge on the remanufactured box. I want to keep the original part for the car, so would not return a core, making the reman option more expensive than "new".

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: AndyF] #2923297 05/16/21 10:01 PM 05/16/21 10:01 PM
Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA D davenc OP mopar
davenc OP mopar D Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA	Andy, Your response prompted me to check their website more, and I did submit a question via their contact page. If I don't hear back Monday, I will try to call them during daytime hours. Thx

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: krautrock] #2923300 05/16/21 10:04 PM 05/16/21 10:04 PM
Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA D davenc OP mopar
davenc OP mopar D Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA	Krautrock, My recollection is fuzzy, but is the PST box made of cast iron and slightly different in appearance than factory? I thought the factory box is cast aluminum.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923343 05/16/21 11:45 PM 05/16/21 11:45 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 30,989 Oregon A AndyF I Win
AndyF I Win A Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 30,989 Oregon	Originally Posted by davenc Krautrock, My recollection is fuzzy, but is the PST box made of cast iron and slightly different in appearance than factory? I thought the factory box is cast aluminum. The Flaming River box is cast iron. PST might have sold the Flaming River box at one time but they now sell the aftermarket aluminum box. I don't know who makes the aftermarket aluminum box, I assume it is an offshore product but I don't know. I think they have been around for a few years. There was a thread over on FABO a couple years back about those boxes. I've never seen one in person myself.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923406 05/17/21 10:18 AM 05/17/21 10:18 AM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,094 central texas K krautrock top fuel
krautrock top fuel K Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,094 central texas	I have a 16:1 ratio manual box from PST, in the process of putting it on now so haven't driven with it. The Gear box is aluminum and weighs 14lbs, looks like a factory manual box to me...

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: krautrock] #2923416 05/17/21 10:42 AM 05/17/21 10:42 AM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR Jeremiah master
Jeremiah master Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR	I have a new Lares from Rock Auto in my 68 GTS. It is aluminum and every bit as good as the OEM box I had upgraded to 16:1. Unless I am trying to preserve number I always buy new.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923668 05/17/21 08:27 PM 05/17/21 08:27 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,268 Omaha Ne T TJP I Live Here
TJP I Live Here T Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,268 Omaha Ne	Originally Posted by davenc TJP, thanks for the bump! Slantzilla, yes there is a $50 core charge on the remanufactured box. I want to keep the original part for the car, so would not return a core, making the reman option more expensive than "new". I will say that unless your box is totally hammered they are easy to rebuild cheap too if the gears are good. a cople of bearings, a bushings, gasket and two seals www.tandmautomotive-omaha.com

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: TJP] #2923697 05/17/21 10:02 PM 05/17/21 10:02 PM
Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA D davenc OP mopar
davenc OP mopar D Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA	Well, a representative from Lares responded to my questions but didn't completely clear up with the confusion so I may need to talk on the phone to someone. The rep said their two options are the same in appearance, fit, and function with the only difference being one is new and the other is remanufactured. He then went on to indicate the case is cast iron..... Just to check my sanity I went to the garage and put a magnet on my manual box and it does not stick. I have to believe that the remanufactured boxes are based on original MOPAR boxes and hence cast aluminum. Krautrock, you indicated your PST box is aluminum and weighs 14 lbs. Lares indicates the shipping weight for both new and remanufactured is 14 lbs. Jeremiah indicates his Lares box is aluminum. So I am thinking the Lares rep gave the wrong answer on the case material. Is it possible that an aluminum case box could weigh the same as a cast iron case box? I wanted to avoid a cast iron box on the thought it would add needless weight to the car. Andy, I will try to find that FABO thread. TJP: I'm not sure of the condition of my box (last thing to remove). I will say the steering was pretty darn spooky prior to putting the car on jack stands. The LCA pivots had a bunch of play once removed and now that the LCA bushing has been replaced they still have some play (not sure what is normal) but less than before. Idler arm was replaced recently (was clearly bad also) which helped but did not cure the spooky-ness. Pitman seems tight but I decided to just replace everything. I'm not sure how hard it will be to pull the box (BB with headers) and my goal is to avoid doing this twice so I'm not sure if I want to tackle the self rebuild! Anyway I will try to confirm the case material with Lares over the phone, and update this post for others if I get more clarity. Last edited by davenc; 05/17/21 10:17 PM.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923707 05/17/21 10:37 PM 05/17/21 10:37 PM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR Jeremiah master
Jeremiah master Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR	I give you my word that i have a Lares steering box and it is aluminum.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: Jeremiah] #2923715 05/17/21 10:59 PM 05/17/21 10:59 PM
Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA D davenc OP mopar
davenc OP mopar D Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA	Jeremiah, thanks for the confirmation. And you had purchased the 'new' part (11030),correct? I wasn't trying to question your response, just trying to avoid a unpleasant surprise down the road since the Lares rep did not clear things up.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923720 05/17/21 11:09 PM 05/17/21 11:09 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,094 central texas K krautrock top fuel
krautrock top fuel K Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 2,094 central texas	Originally Posted by davenc Jeremiah, thanks for the confirmation. And you had purchased the 'new' part (11030),correct? I wasn't trying to question your response, just trying to avoid a unpleasant surprise down the road since the Lares rep did not clear things up. looks like aluminum to me. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=7516064&cc=1228700&jsn=1325

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2923722 05/17/21 11:11 PM 05/17/21 11:11 PM
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR Jeremiah master
Jeremiah master Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 9,096 Rogue River, OR	I used a 16:1 box, pn 18831. Looking at rockauto the new 24:1 box is out of stock.

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: davenc] #2924128 05/18/21 08:50 PM 05/18/21 08:50 PM
Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,268 Omaha Ne T TJP I Live Here
TJP I Live Here T Joined: Jan 2003 Posts: 15,268 Omaha Ne	Originally Posted by davenc Well, a representative from Lares responded to my questions but didn't completely clear up with the confusion so I may need to talk on the phone to someone. The rep said their two options are the same in appearance, fit, and function with the only difference being one is new and the other is remanufactured. He then went on to indicate the case is cast iron..... Just to check my sanity I went to the garage and put a magnet on my manual box and it does not stick. I have to believe that the remanufactured boxes are based on original MOPAR boxes and hence cast aluminum. Krautrock, you indicated your PST box is aluminum and weighs 14 lbs. Lares indicates the shipping weight for both new and remanufactured is 14 lbs. Jeremiah indicates his Lares box is aluminum. So I am thinking the Lares rep gave the wrong answer on the case material. Is it possible that an aluminum case box could weigh the same as a cast iron case box? I wanted to avoid a cast iron box on the thought it would add needless weight to the car. Andy, I will try to find that FABO thread. TJP: I'm not sure of the condition of my box (last thing to remove). I will say the steering was pretty darn spooky prior to putting the car on jack stands. The LCA pivots had a bunch of play once removed and now that the LCA bushing has been replaced they still have some play (not sure what is normal) but less than before. Idler arm was replaced recently (was clearly bad also) which helped but did not cure the spooky-ness. Pitman seems tight but I decided to just replace everything. I'm not sure how hard it will be to pull the box (BB with headers) and my goal is to avoid doing this twice so I'm not sure if I want to tackle the self rebuild! Anyway I will try to confirm the case material with Lares over the phone, and update this post for others if I get more clarity. You may want to verify that the ("spookiness") play is in the box. once verified it is, Step #1 is to disconnect the steering box at either end of the ptiman arm. #2 turn the steering wheel all the way either direction until it stops #3 count the exact number of turns to hit the stop in the opposite direction. ( If i remember correctly it s/be about 5-3/8 turns #4 Turn the wheel back exactly 1/2 the number of turns. 2-11/16or 3/4 turns This will center the worm and sector gears for adjustment. #5 Loosen the locknut on top of the steering box cover several turns while holding the adjusting screw stationary. #6 turn the adjusting screw in just until a slight amount of resistance is felt or the paly is eliminated. BAck the screw up 1/4 to 1/2 turn. #7 while holding the scre stationary tighten the locknut. #8 Reconnect the steering pitman. do not be surprised if the tie rods need adjusting to align the pitman with the splines on the box. the box is now centered and adjusted properly and the steering wheel should be centered. if the play is eliminated you may have to get the ties rods/ toe reset to center the wheel when going straight down the road. There are other adjustments and wern components that will cause the excess play but this one is the most common cause. If you over adjust the sector or do so without it being centered on the worm it will cause a "binding" feeling when going on direction or the other check the factory service manual for adjustment instructions. www.tandmautomotive-omaha.com

Re: Lares Manual Steering Box [Re: Jeremiah] #2924132 05/18/21 08:56 PM 05/18/21 08:56 PM
Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA D davenc OP mopar
davenc OP mopar D Joined: May 2005 Posts: 598 NC, USA	All, I spoke over the phone with a representative from Lares and they confirmed the initial answer was just a brain-fart. The boxes are cast aluminum. Now I just need to find the best source. As Jeremiah notes, RockAuto is currently out of stock of the new box but does have stock for a reman unit. I intend to keep my original box though, so would need to eat the core charge. From a ratio standpoint, 16:1 is too much for me. Although my motor has aluminum heads, intake, and it still takes some effort to turn the car around in my tight drive (side load garage). I have at times though about 20:1, but it is a big jump in cost and a bit of an unknown. 24:1 is familiar and the car is mostly a cruiser with occasional visit to the strip (ie no twisty stuff). Just getting the steering tighter than it has been will feel like a huge improvement!

Page 1 of 2

1

2

Moderated by Al_Alguire, Hotwheelsjr, moparts, not_a_charger, RangerDan440, tboomer

Hop To

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.1