What did you do with your GMT400 today...or yesterday....

[dieselolds]

I found their site. they show them for right at $400 + $200 core charge. I am wondering if there are reman units or new. I also looked at the difference between the 3500 and 2500 trucks. they show two options for the 2500 trucks. they show the same part number at the 3500 with 3 turns lock to lock and for the 2500 they show an optional 4 turn lock to lock one.

what scares me is if these units are rebuilt vs new for the cost. also not sure if a 4 turn unit would be better for a heavier truck

On another note I have another 96 Chevy truck I’m currently doing some work on that I bought some 13 yrs ago.Has about 280K on it with a 6.5 goodwrench van engine and the steering gear on that truck is just like new.Responds immediately when the steering wheel is turned.

 

[dieselolds]

I just called Napa about the steering gear and they are sending me another unit.I’ll try it one last time and see if it’s any better with another exchange reman.It’s lifetime warranty so good thing I held onto the receipt.

 

[Paveltolz]

I like that NAPA stands behind the parts they sell. If only it wasn't more like stand behind you while YOU swap parts out that aren't good. Not just NAPA as Auto Zone and O'Reilly will do the same. They'll even loan you the tools so they can watch you swap parts in the parking lot. Bet they got a You Tube type channel they sit down and laugh through on Fridays. Years ago, I bought an AC Delco steering box though Rock Auto that was toast in the box. Didn't know it was bad until it was on the truck which, unsurprisingly, voided the return. Go figure.

 

[Will L.]

I learned in school RA is the Egyptian sun god, later I learned RA is the king of no customer service and greater expense under the guise of lower cost.

Redhead used to be a great name. Something happened a few years back and they were turning out bad products frequently. I wonder how many years it would take to get back that old reputation- and if they are even trying.

 

[dieselolds]

I like that NAPA stands behind the parts they sell. If only it wasn't more like stand behind you while YOU swap parts out that aren't good. Not just NAPA as Auto Zone and O'Reilly will do the same. They'll even loan you the tools so they can watch you swap parts in the parking lot. Bet they got a You Tube type channel they sit down and laugh through on Fridays. Years ago, I bought an AC Delco steering box though Rock Auto that was toast in the box. Didn't know it was bad until it was on the truck which, unsurprisingly, voided the return. Go figure.

Napa in my area is good I have to say.It’s just a pain in the rear having to swap steering boxes in trying to find a better one.There’s really no way to know if it’s any good until it’s all bolted up.I just didn’t like the excess steering wheel movement before the truck actually wanted to turn.

Sorry to hear about the acdelco box.Are you still using it nowadays?

 

[dbrannon79]

I was told way back by an old mechanic that on all reman gear boxes they will all have sector shaft side to side play just because. the housing will get stretched in that area with the heavy side load and stress put on them over time. there is nothing anyone can do about it other than if the re-builders took the time to machine them out and install a bushing to true them up. that cost alone would make the reman units cost more than a new one.

 

[dbrannon79]

An with how widely these type boxes are used, you'd think some manufacture would have come up with a beefy design that would eliminate the housing going bad. I'm sure lots of folk would spend the extra on one, then when it needed a rebuild, as long as the internal parts were the same, it would be an easy task and would pay for it's self over the long run.

 

[Big T]

Get yourself the lower steering shaft with spider joint from Twisted Steel. It eliminates the rag joint which is a huge source of slop in the steering.

 

[dbrannon79]

I have a custom one on there now made from the lower shaft of a jeep. that video I posted has a gimps of the drive-line style u-joint where the rag joint should be. that alone made a big difference in the slop in the column.

 

[dbrannon79]

Here's a pic I took off the video. it's blurry but I tried to enlarge it for viewing.

 

[Husker6.5]

I found their site. they show them for right at $400 + $200 core charge. I am wondering if there are reman units or new. I also looked at the difference between the 3500 and 2500 trucks. they show two options for the 2500 trucks. they show the same part number at the 3500 with 3 turns lock to lock and for the 2500 they show an optional 4 turn lock to lock one.

what scares me is if these units are rebuilt vs new for the cost. also not sure if a 4 turn unit would be better for a heavier truck

They use the "core" as only the gearbox housing. Everything is brand new internals, including some proprietary parts upgrades to reduce wear and make the boxes stronger.

As for application, the smaller bore Saginaw gearbox is for 1500's, the larger for 2500 & 3500 series trucks. Physically, they interchange.

The input (steering) shaft changed designs from splined to double D with the change from GMT400 to GMT800, although some early GMT800s had the older style shaft as they used up existing inventory.

 

[Husker6.5]

I have a custom one on there now made from the lower shaft of a jeep. that video I posted has a gimps of the drive-line style u-joint where the rag joint should be. that alone made a big difference in the slop in the column.

@THEFERMANATOR did a sticky on that conversion on here, iirc.

 

[Big T]

Pic of the red top in the ‘94 Suburban.

 

[dbrannon79]

Well I pulled out the other gear box I have here (smaller bore piston), cleaned it up. flushed the innards and set the preload on both the steering shaft and the sector shaft. at one time I has this one on the truck so I know it works. It has a little wear on it but doesn't leak. installing this one will buy me some time until after our trip when I can get a new replacement gear box. I guess there is a reason I have some spare parts laying around for my rig. Though this box isn't the right one due to the smaller bore, it will work for the meantime.

I took some pics after I cleaned it up and have it ready to install.

 

[dbrannon79]

I want to contact Redtop and see about the difference in the 3 turn and the 4 turn lock to lock gear boxes soon. I am curious what the advantage would be other than needing to turn the wheel more. of course if there is anything causing me to be constantly correcting steering, I would be moving the wheel a lot more! Maybe that thought alone would tell me "no I need to stay with the factory 3 turn box" !

 

[Paveltolz]

Napa in my area is good I have to say.It’s just a pain in the rear having to swap steering boxes in trying to find a better one.There’s really no way to know if it’s any good until it’s all bolted up.I just didn’t like the excess steering wheel movement before the truck actually wanted to turn.

Sorry to hear about the acdelco box.Are you still using it nowadays?

No to the box. I sent it back to Rock Auto w/o expecting or receiving a refund. I didn't need the POS laying around. My favorite shadetree mechanic (now deceased) swapped in a part he sourced and it was much better but, like most, there is still that turn wheel, "wait for it", truck responds thing which is why I'm planning on the red head. I've driven in Big T's rig and its great by comparison. Just need to install Chris' machined steering linkage but, waiting on the doing the box. Might as well knock out two jobs at once.

 

[Big T]

No to the box. I sent it back to Rock Auto w/o expecting or receiving a refund. I didn't need the POS laying around. My favorite shadetree mechanic (now deceased) swapped in a part he sourced and it was much better but, like most, there is still that turn wheel, "wait for it", truck responds thing which is why I'm planning on the red head. I've driven in Big T's rig and it’s great by comparison. Just need to install Chris' machined steering linkage but, waiting on the doing the box. Might as well knock out two jobs at once.

It’s always about the tight box.

 

[dbrannon79]

Well I got the gear box swapped out tonight. it seemed an easier task since it's only been a year or maybe less since I had it off last. seems I;m learning to be a pro at r&r-ing them now. I managed to not leak a drop on the driveway this time HAHA!

filled with fluid and gave it a spin of the wheel. re-topped off with fluid, almost a full quart. Worked the wheels back n fourth several times and no sign of any pops like the other one was doing. although as I neared the stops both left and right the truck started creaking a little. I think that's from steering it while sitting still. noticed a little seepage from the pitman seal but what can I expect for a used spare gear box! as long as it holds up and doesn't blow out that seal I will be happy with it for our trip. I'd much rather deal with a small leak than a box that's ready to grenade leaving questionable safety at hand. I will take it out on a test drive tomorrow.

I also added replacing the lower rad hose to the list of to-do's before the trip just for added insurance along with replacing the hayden fan controller that burned up. I am thinking I will replace that with a mechanical thermal switch with a probe instead of the electronic one. I can easily wire in a relay for it and still use the overide + ac with that. reading into the reviews on the hayden controller on both Summit and amazon, folks are saying they are not lasting before burning up. I'm not a fan of electronic things ether, much rather have something mechanical

 

[Big T]

I’m going Marty on oil leaks…Redid the valve cover seals on the 2005 Honda Accord to address a persistent and annoying leak at the passenger side rear corner. Went with the FelPro gasket kit vs the Honda I used before which did not work and cost 4x more. I put a small bead of Honda bond all along the outside sealing surface of the cover and let it sit for 30 minutes before installing it. Now I’m letting it cure until tomorrow.

 

[dbrannon79]

Did a little more tinkering on the truck today. pulled out the center console that I had put in from the pick a part yard. it came from a newer 2000ish truck that has rear cup holders and internal ac ducts with rear seat vents. no fan controls though. I connected two large computer fans in the front that seem to push a lot of air. hand made some duct work around them connecting them to the internal ducts in the console and wired them up to a on/off switch. Now I have some air circulation to the rear seats! it's only pulling air from the front floor near the under dash vents but when my AC is on there is some cold air that leaks past and comes out the floor vents. these fans are now picking that air up and pushing it to the rear seat!

Later I remembered about the tan-white wire I found under the hood that wasn't connected to anything. I clipped it and attached an eyelet on the end. then went to loosen the existing grounds on the intake to attach this one.. well that didn't go as planned, the intake bolt started unthreading while loosening the nut! I ended up tearing up the other two ground eyelets in the process. Replaced those eyelets and ended up moving the grounds to a bolt hole where the FFM used to be mounted so I wouldn't end up in this situation again! I still have some clean up on the wiring to do yet but it's functional. I did attempt to pull up on the main harness to see if it could be attached to the firewall and not hang down resting on the back of the engine, but it's short and can't move up much at all!

Last but not least I installed the hood light from my old hood! I had forgot it was still on the old hood too. while messing with the grounds I found the connector there for the light! Honestly I don't even know how this thing knows to turn off when the hood is closed, but it does LOL.