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chevy steering box 1 ton differance van to truck

6K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  kso 
#1 ·
Does anybody know if the frames are the same between a chevy 1ton truck and a C30 1ton van? The van steering box points straight up while the truck is laid over . I'm wondering if the truck steering box will swap over to the van frame. Thanks for any help. Tom
 
#2 ·
The box housings are the same, but the part numbers are different. The van boxes (as an assembly) are unique to the vans. This may be due to the steering ratio or it may be a RH vs LH gear set issue. In other words, the output shaft may turn in different directions, so using the wrong one would make the truck turn right when you turn the wheel left.
 
#3 ·
So are the whole steering parts of the van different from the truck? I want to put a diamond T cab and fenders on the motorhome van chassis that I have, but the straight up and down steering box puts the steering into the fenders. The truck 1 ton steering box lays at an angle. Don't know if the truck steering box bolts right in place on the van frame and then the drag link connects to the rest of the van steering parts or is the front frame of the van a totally different set up ?
 
#7 ·
If you have a motor home chassis, and it actually has a chassis, not just a cutaway van, it is probably a P30, which is different than a G30 which is the normal van, or a C30 which is the pickup truck. Not knowing what year you have it's hard to say.

The 1985 Allegro I had was a P30 chassis, and it had an adapter bolted to the frame, with the box bolted to the adapter. By removing the adapter, and bolting a C30 box directly to the frame, my Diamond T cab and fenders worked. Your results may vary.
 
#8 ·
That is the appearance. As noted, the P30 has the box mounted forward on a bracket, well off the side of the frame to work with the motor home steering wheel position which is further off-center than with a pickup truck. There is then that drag link going rearward to a very-stout-looking bell crank, after that things start looking conventional. It ...seems... like the bell crank could be removed, and the pickup truck box/pittman arm with the proper rotation go there instead (possibly into the same dang bolt holes and give you about the right driver offset, and thank-you GM) and you'd be set.

If the angle of the steering shaft still didn't point to your new steering wheel position, it probably wouldn't be so bad that you couldn't accommodate it with u-joints.

I couldn't tell you if P30 frames dip (as seen from the side) to go under the cab area the same as a pickup. Maybe not an issue for you.

I would definitely pull things apart enough so that you could measure and confirm, it would be nice to use the chassis you already have and I would bet a weekend-morning's research that it would work.
 
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