79 k30 steering box replacement

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Tfg Colorado

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Location
Colorado
First Name
Pat
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
K30
Engine Size
383
Planning on replace the steering box and I’m finding 200.00 cardone to 7-800- lee’s/flaming river replacements. What do you guys and gals like? I’d like it to last another 30+ years and not dick with it. Truck gets used like a truck, towing, wheeling and living the good life.
 

Frankenchevy

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Jeremy
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Square
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CUCV
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Small
No, I rotate between a few vehicles. My buddy helps put on the KOH and a few other events and is a serious off-roader with sponsorship. After hearing bad stories about some of the steering gear rebuilders, I asked what he’d put on his square and that’s who he recommended. He has their boxes on all kinds of stuff from rock bouncers to mild wheelers.
 

Tfg Colorado

Junior Member
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Oct 21, 2020
Posts
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Location
Colorado
First Name
Pat
Truck Year
1979
Truck Model
K30
Engine Size
383
No, I rotate between a few vehicles. My buddy helps put on the KOH and a few other events and is a serious off-roader with sponsorship. After hearing bad stories about some of the steering gear rebuilders, I asked what he’d put on his square and that’s who he recommended. He has their boxes on all kinds of stuff from rock bouncers to mild wheelers.
Thanks for the recommendation. What is the KOH?
 

idahovette

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Weiser Idaho
First Name
Perry
Truck Year
1975-1979
Truck Model
K20-K10
Engine Size
350
Rebuilt/Reman boxes are a crapshoot. Some Good, some not worth a damn.
 

77 K20

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Montana
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Mike
Truck Year
1977
Truck Model
K20 5" lift
Engine Size
HT383 fuel injected
I bought a new Lares steering gear from RockAuto. It was cheaper than Redhead Steering boxes or the PSC steering. But both of those are good also.

I've only put maybe 100 miles on my Lares steering gear, so can't comment much on it. But it works so far. My previous rebuild years ago leaked 10 minutes after I installed it and had to be exchanged.
 

Craig 85

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Nashville, TN
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Craig
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
K30 SRW
Engine Size
454/TH-400/NP205
Don't get the rebuilt ones at Napa made by BBB Industries. I put one in 4 years ago (Maybe 3K miles) and now is starting to leak at the steering shaft. At least it has a lifetime warranty, but I don't want to spend a lifetime changing it every few years.
 

fast68chevy

I am the original fast68chevy
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Location
LINCOLN IL
First Name
RANDY
Truck Year
1975
Truck Model
C20
Engine Size
350
yeah stay away from the mass rebuilder cheap chinese seals ones... get a middle of the ground one thats got good part in it.. nowadays with all the reboxing and so on its hard to tell what youre ever getting. and most parts are warrantied for not a long time. that said, saginaw steering boxes dont have a high failure rate theyre either worn and sloppy, or theyre not. best way to keep it in good shape and to not wear is to use regular old AW hydraulic oil in the system. which is what i run in my trucks and i have zero slop wear and never have needed any sector shaft end play adjustment.
 

highdesertrange

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kalifornia
First Name
mike
Truck Year
1978
Truck Model
k30
Engine Size
454
here's what I do. I go to a rebuilder who rebuilds heavy/medium truck steering boxes. they are far superior to your average rebuilder because they must pass muster with the commercial enforcement officers. so BS rebuilders don't last long. they usually run in the 200 buck range, last one I had done was about 5 years ago and it still performs great. highdesertranger
 

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