Where to buy: Steering Gear Box?

[dross93ranger]

I have a 1972 Datsun, bagged and body dropped. The suspension is almost complete and the motor is completely rebuilt so now I just need to redo the steering and a few other odds and ends. I have been searching everywhere for a new steering gear box for this truck and can't find one anywhere! Can anyone help?

 

Also does anyone have or know of a good place to buy a transmission crossmember for this truck?

 

Also the truck has an l20b in it and I need a new oil pan. Let me know if anyone has these parts or knows where to buy them and I'll try to get some pics up soon.

[datzenmike]

These are all wrecking yard items unless someone has one laying around some where. If looking for an L20B pan you will need one from a truck and not a car. Cars have the steering t the rear so the pan bulges to the front. Trucks are the opposite and need the deepest part of the pan to the rear of front clearance of the steering..

[dross93ranger]

The problem is there are no junk yards within 3 hours from here that have any Datsun/Nissan old trucks.

[albyneau]

I have a 1972 Datsun, bagged and body dropped. The suspension is almost complete and the motor is completely rebuilt so now I just need to redo the steering and a few other odds and ends. I have been searching everywhere for a new steering gear box for this truck and can't find one anywhere! Can anyone help?

 

Also does anyone have or know of a good place to buy a transmission crossmember for this truck?

 

Also the truck has an l20b in it and I need a new oil pan. Let me know if anyone has these parts or knows where to buy them and I'll try to get some pics up soon.

 

 

Since your truck's bagged and channeled it's safe to assume this is a rodsteration rather than restoration, and adherance to factory parts a convenience rather than necessity. In the spirit of that thought I would strongly urge you to circular-file the factory suicide box and opt for a collapsible steering column setup. Some possibilities include rack and pinion, late model Corvair, or GM S-10/S-15. Of these the cheapest and most accessible would be the latter GM units~ but non-power boxes are not as prevalent. If this piques your interest (and you're not in too much of a hurry) I'll be using the GM setup~ and you'll see the plight of my fabrication adventure in my soon-to-be started build post and accompanying How-To's....

 

Aftermarket transmission X-members are bulky and not clearance oriented in general, and to my knowledge are made exclusively for C-channel frames. With our trucks being fully boxed (a great strength benfit!) some amount of fabrication will be in your future. A great low-profile possibility might be a first gen Camaro/Firebird piece trimmed to fit frame width, and nested/bolted to flanges you'd weld to your frame. Square U-bolts might be an option to welding....

 

Scott

[hang_510]

i may have a pan. do you need the sump in the F or R?

[albyneau]

i may have a pan. do you need the sump in the F or R?

 

Truck Pans are rear sump to clear front steering hdwe...

[dross93ranger]

X2 the sump needs to be in the rear to clear my tie rods and steering. If you have one please let me know the condition, price, and shipping to 41056.

[d510addict]

Well.............I have a stock steering box from my 521 parts truck..........no idea how to separate it from column..................nor do I know how to tell if its any good.

[albyneau]

Only the tin steering shaft cover is removeable~ the column shaft is itself part of the box. That's what makes them so dangerous in a collision...

[tdaaj]

also oil pans are specific to vehicles, not the Lseries engines. pl521 pans are different than the pl620 pans wether L16, L18 or L20b.

[dross93ranger]

Here are some pictures of how the truck sits now:

 

She is bagged and bodydropped, 42" from the crown of the roof to the ground.

 

 

And all the removed parts:

 

Also here is the steering box I need (the bearings inside are junk):

 

Here is the oil pan (btw this truck came factory with an l16 and the previous owner swapped in this l20b, so this may be a 620 pan. The pan is actually touching the tie rods)

 

Also does anyone know what size hose I need here:

 

And the next few shots are her put together at shows in 2010 and my 93 Ranger:

 

 

BTW the girl is my wife, it is her truck.

 

and my pride and joy:

[dross93ranger]

We need a bunch of parts for it everything from window rollers, steering gearbox, tranny crossmember, marker lights, round door mirrors in good condition, oil pan, and the list goes on. So any parts anybody has and needs to get rid of let me know and we may buy them! Its a 72 PL521

[datzenmike]

Here is the oil pan (btw this truck came factory with an l16 and the previous owner swapped in this l20b, so this may be a 620 pan. The pan is actually touching the tie rods)

 

 

 

Easiest fix is to hammer it in for clearance or remove and have a pannel welded in. I put a car L20B in my 521 and used the L16 oil pan a pickup no problems.

[dross93ranger]

Well I am replacing it because there is a pan inside of it that helps keep oil in the top of the motor and there is a good sized crack in it.

[OKC521]

I have a 1970 521 cab, and a 1972 521 cab. Both of them have the steering column/box, and I will not be using either one. The 1972 box does not have the pitman arm on it. The 1970 box does have the pitman arm, but I couldn't get it off, so I cut the tie rod ends off, and they are still attached to the pitman arm. I have also taken the engine truck apart and have the rolling chassis in my driveway. If you want one of my columns and the tranny crossmember, I'm sure we can figure out how to ship them to you. I'm in Pomona, CA. My cell number is 626-755-6764. I always try to answer, but at work it's difficult. You can text me as well if you like. I'm not trying to get rich off the parts, so what are they worth to you?

[dross93ranger]

I have a 1970 521 cab, and a 1972 521 cab. Both of them have the steering column/box, and I will not be using either one. The 1972 box does not have the pitman arm on it. The 1970 box does have the pitman arm, but I couldn't get it off, so I cut the tie rod ends off, and they are still attached to the pitman arm. I have also taken the engine truck apart and have the rolling chassis in my driveway. If you want one of my columns and the tranny crossmember, I'm sure we can figure out how to ship them to you. I'm in Pomona, CA. My cell number is 626-755-6764. I always try to answer, but at work it's difficult. You can text me as well if you like. I'm not trying to get rich off the parts, so what are they worth to you?

 

Thanks so much, I can get back to you tomorrow. I will call in the afternoon if that is alright. I would love to have one of the columns as long as the bearings are alright in the steering box and the crossmember itself I actually have, but the mounts on the sides are what I will need. The rubber broke clean off of mine and left it not usable.