Power Steering gear box

Trying to get my car ready to drive to Gettysburg. Purchased a rebuilt steering gearbox from OPGI. After receiving the rebuilt box, I was looking at the shop manual and I see that it says, "The power steering system on the 1968 Cadillac cars utilizes a variable ratio steering gear (16.1:1 on center, 12.2:1 at full turn, EXCEPT on Fleetwood 75 sedans, limousines and commercial vehicles, which use a constant ratio gear (17.5:1).

I am assuming that the box I bought is the regular car version and not the limo/commercial chassis one. My question is, will the one I bought work, or do I have to have the other one? Would there be that much of difference?
 
MY memory is they interchange and the constant ratio box was used on the commercial cars due to the extra weight to make steering easier. I can check the Hollander book if need be and some times it does not address commercial cars on some items.
 
at the time they were just coming out with the variable steering. I still swear that GM used the fleet wood 75 and CC line to use up old stuff and test new.
 
the exchange book lists it as a 911. fleetwood 75 67-70 commercial chassis 67-76 and 71-76 fleetwood except Brogham. so I would say if your new one was a standard caddy steering, the book says don't use it.

but you could get one off a 71-76 fleetwood and it would be the same as yours
 
Is the fleetwood the most comparable to the commercial chassis? If you needed a new front seat, would one from a fleetwood generally work?
 
Seats

Is the fleetwood the most comparable to the commercial chassis? If you needed a new front seat, would one from a fleetwood generally work?

Depends on the make and year , most of the late 60,s and up use a stock caddy seat.One out of a deville ,fleetwood etc would all work. S&S was one that made there own seats until about 70.
 
Seat wise they will interchange except with the split 60-40 seats you will have to drill the floor for the center seat tracks. also I think there would be problems with the writing desks on the back of some Brougham seats as I think they would hit the divider before the seat was fully back. OK for short folks bad for tall. Steering boxes revisited I made a phone call to another retired rebuilder of Cadillacs in the 70s and he agreed with me the commercial box and passenger box DO interchange from his memory. I also checked Hollander as ED did. Yes commercial and Fleetwood are the same box but not the Brougham. a number 911 then number 969 fits all else and a bunch of other full size GM of the era. NOW here is where I think Hollander made a mistake there is no difference between the Fleetwood (non Limo) and the Brougham except trim level. Cadillac did in fact refer to the limo as a "Fleetwood 75 not just a Fleetwood. I think Hollander mixed them up.
 
Yes, you need to be very clear as to what you are talking about when you use the name "Fleetwood". The Fleetwood 60 Special, Fleetwood Series 75, and Fleetwood Eldorado(Yes, Eldos were Fleetwoods) are all very different vehicles. Commercial chassis vehicles in many years shared chassis components, windshields, and front clips with the Series 75s, but little else.

The only seat that would truly interchange, would be a bench seat out of a Coupe deVille or Calais Coupe. The exception to this would be ambulances equipped with bucket seats. Any other Cadillac seat would be just as incorrect as using a seat out of an AMC Matador.
 
don't recall seeing a ambulance with the center arm rest. which was standard on most factory cars. but I will say save the after market spacers as the factory floor quits just in front of were the seat bolts in.

my guess is they did not want that fast responding steering sector on the the pro cars or the limo. then again with the larger tires it may not hold up as will.
got to be more effort on the pump. with the number of years you have to choose from finding the right one should be easy enough
 
I too have never seen a Pro car with a center arm rest but I will bet there is one out there somewhere.Lots of Ambulances with bucket seats more room for console with lots of radios and light controls even one with battery switch there. Bucket seats always were recovered to go with rig interior. I think they were Chevelle in most cases.
 
Seats

I too have never seen a Pro car with a center arm rest but I will bet there is one out there somewhere.Lots of Ambulances with bucket seats more room for console with lots of radios and light controls even one with battery switch there. Bucket seats always were recovered to go with rig interior. I think they were Chevelle in most cases.

Some of you may remember when I parted out a 72 Superior 54" ambulance a couple of years ago that was headed to becoming a "demolition derby" candidate.
Peter is correct.....
I removed the bucket seats from it and they were indentical to the seats in my wifes 71 Chevelle SS.:rolleyes:
 
I currently have 4 pro cars. A '75 S&S 3-way, a '74 Superior 54" ambulance, a '75 Superior 54" ambulance, and a '74 M-M Lifeliner ambulance. All 4 have the original seats and all 4 have center arm rests.
 
Arm Rests

I currently have 4 pro cars. A '75 S&S 3-way, a '74 Superior 54" ambulance, a '75 Superior 54" ambulance, and a '74 M-M Lifeliner ambulance. All 4 have the original seats and all 4 have center arm rests.

My '72 Superior 54" ambulance has original bench seat WITH center armrest.

My '70 Superior 54"ambulance has original bench seat WITHOUT armrest.
 
My 1969 Miller Meteor ambulance has its original steering gear box with out an arm rest. In fact, I have no idea where or why they would install an arm rest on the steering gear box. Can someone answer this perplexing question for me? I am so confused after reading 2 pages about arm rests, when the title of the thread is steering gear boxes.
 
OK I admit it my 73 S&S did also. bet by then they all use the standard Caddy seat. rather then the cheap Chevy one.
 
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