VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1961-1964 Steering Boxes?

I've been checking on some '61 to '64 Steering Boxes lately and I've noticed that some have filler plugs and some don't. All the boxes look original and have a large "S" in a square box on them. I could never figure out why anyone would manufacture a box without a plug.

I have the same problem with my '72 C-10. It is hard to find an original box with a plug. Someone told me that I could still fill it with gear oil by taking out one of the bolts. That didn't work either. It is closed up solid at the bottom of the threads, on all 3 bolts to boot.

Bill

Hey Bill, was working on my '62 Nova over the weekend, and same thing..no filler plug, but on mine, I did find that only one of the three bolts on the top had the threads go all the way through to the inside of the box. I have always filled my old Chevy's this way, going back to a '40 Chevy from years ago.
Perhaps it just has a bunch of gunk at the bottom of the threaded hole? I have had to take a screwdriver on some of mine and punch the built up gunk out once in awhile...just a thought..good luck with it!

Bob

Bill, Only the '64 box had the filler plug. The earlier ones were filled through one of the lid bolt holes. Chevy sold the lube in something that looked like a big toothpaste tube with a tapered snout on it.
Verne

Bill, it's been my experience in building steering gears that from 55 to 62 or 63 the gears had the filler plug. Starting in 63 or maybe 64 the gear casting was the same, there was a boss for the filler plug, but it was not drilled and tapped. Instead, the cover plate on top was cast with the notation to "check lube" with two arrows pointing to one of the cover bolts (the most inboard of the three) which was drilled clear through the casting.

Bob,

Appreciate the info but I tried that on my truck's steering box. I hit down pretty hard on all 3 holes. It seems like a sealed unit, if there is such a thing.

Jalapeno,

That's the way I know it too, basically speaking. Most of the '63 and back boxes I have, have plugs and the '64 has the boss, but no plug. ???

Bill

My '63 C10 has a plug.

The "S" cast in the box stands for "Saginaw", the GM division that made the steering box.

Here's the gear case with the filler plug hole and the cover that goes with it:





And here's the gear case without the filler plug and the cover with "check lube" cast into it:

Appreciate the great pictures.

Bill

Jally is right. I had that completely backwards by mistake. I meant to say '64 was the only year that filled through the cover bolt hole. I've never seen an original '63 (or earlier) box that filled through the bolt hole like the '64.
Verne
Sorry for the confusion.