Steering Gearbox Lube

[corvairian1]

Hello everyone! I am going to rebuild the steering gearbox on my 65 Monza and am wondering if someone out there can tell me what type of gear lube to use. I think I read some where that GM use to have a special type gear lube that was used back in the day for the gearboxes. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[bbodie52]

LUBRICATION
The steering gear is filled at the factory with a special all-season gear lubricant. Seasonal change is unnecessary and the housing should not be drained. Lubricant level should be checked every 36,000 miles. When required, add water resistant E.P. lubricant. Refer to Lubrication, Section 2, for lube points and intervals.

I have attached a copy of this portion of the Shop Manual, and another publication that addresses rebuilding the steering box...

1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 9 - STEERING.pdf

1965 Corvair Chassis Shop Manual - SECTION 9 - STEERING

(4.31 MiB) Downloaded 470 times

Rebuilding a Corvair Steering Box.pdf

Rebuilding a Corvair Steering Box

(570.04 KiB) Downloaded 236 times

The comments on this website might be helpful...


http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.ph ... 221,138417

Here are some additional recommendations...


http://forums.aaca.org/f125/steering-bo ... 25766.html

[corvairian1]

Thanks Brad. Great info!

[bbodie52]

Here is some supplemental information that may be useful...

This is what I use and it works rather well and doesn't leak out. Only problem is it's hard to find. The only place in the U.S. I know of that sells it is restoration supply.

http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.p ... roducts=90

Penrite appears to be an Australian company that primarily distributes its products in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. I checked Amazon.com for Penrite Steering Box Lube. Although it was not a product listed in their huge inventory, there were a couple of alternatives...


http://www.amazon.com/Millers-Oils-5529 ... g+Box+Lube
Millers Oils 5529JJ Classic Worm Steering Box Oil - 1L bottle
by Millers Oils

Price: $19.95 + $9.65 shipping
Only 10 left in stock.
Ships from and sold by Performance Racing Oils.
Worm Steering Boxes
Contains low friction additives for improved steering
Tested by Rolls-Royce and Bentley
Vintage and Classic applications

Product Description
Developed to reduce the 'sticky' and heavy steering found on many vintage and classic vehicles. Tested by Rolls-Royce and Bentley engineers who have reported outstanding transformation in steering characteristics Typical Characteristics Specific Gravity (at 15°C) 0.9 Kinematic Viscosity (at 40°C, cSt) 320 Flash Point (°C) 200

http://www.amazon.com/1963-1982-Corvett ... g+Box+Lube
1963-1982 Corvette Steering Gear Box Lube
by Corvette Central

Price: $17.95 + $8.99 shipping
In stock.
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.
Ships from and sold by Corvette Central.
Estimated Delivery Date: Feb. 18 - 23 when you choose Standard at checkout.
1963-1982 Steering Gear Box Lube
CANNOT BE SHIPPED BY AIR

Product Description
Redline Synthetic Light Weight Shock Proof Gear Oil High-Performance Gear Lubricant * Greatest extreme-pressure protection * Lowest coeffecient of friction available * Reduces temperatures dramatically * Provides thicker oil films between gear teeth * Completely resists throw-off NOTE: This is a hazardous item and cannot be shipped by air or outside the Continental U.S. Size: N/A
Corvette Central #: 561170
Original GM #: 1052182
Car years: 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982

I did find a U.S. listing that carries the PENRITE product...

Restoration Supply in California stocks it. Their part number is #LUB009 and they sell the 500ml tubes for $15.75.

http://www.restorationstuff.com

Restoration Supply Company
15182-B Highland Valley Rd.
Escondido, CA 92025
(800) 306-7008

The entire catalog in Adobe Reader format is too large to upload on the Corvair Forum website, but can be downloaded from the Restoration Supply Company website. I have extracted the appropriate page from the catalog and uploaded it here. The Penrite steering box lube is listed on page 25 (Adobe Reader page 27) of the catalog...

Restoration Supply Company Catalog (Penrite Steering Box Lube).pdf

(2.89 MiB) Downloaded 92 times

[1949chevy]

I just replaced the seal in my 66 monza steering box about 600 miles ago....I refilled the box with "00"(double ought) grease from tractor supply...it will not run out even if the seal goes bad again. The car steers like power steering and it has no slack....and "00"sticks to gears like glue...the only way to go in my opinion.

[66vairguy]

There is also a seal in the top of the steering box were the input shaft enters. This seal tends to dry out and can fail and let water into the box resulting in unrepairable corrosion.

[66Monza140]

I used this on mine, and in my Willys Ross steering box.
Cheap and in stock at my local dealer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEwk_sYP6A8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;