Pitman arm!
 

I have been searching every jobber in north america looking for a pitman arm and no one has one they say it is a non wearing part and it shouldnt need to replaced unless you are in a front end collision....well guess what 5 years ago my car was in a front end collison the body was fixed and now you cant tell but my steering has become very sloppy and i need to replace it I found a another 83 monte carlo in a scrap yard and took his but it was worse than mine!!! what can I do???? :rolleyes:

Are you sure you are hunting the right part. The pitman arm is a non wear item. It is the arm that bolts to the steering box. Now the arm on the passenger side is called an idler arm and they are bad about wearing out

I don't know
 

I am in school right now to be an auto tech and my teacher (with 30+ years in the business) tells me i need a pitman arm to correct my steering problems but everybody else says i don't... thanks for your help :rolleyes:

What's wrong with it? Did he say why you needed a new one? Which side of the carlo did you take it off of? :confused:

He should know BUT just in case double check that the part you need is attached to the steering box. The box has a splined shaft that the pitman arm with matching splines slides on. It is usually attached with a bolt going through a indent in the shaft. If you do need a pitman arm your better check the shaft on the steering box. You don't say how your arm is damaged but a pitman arm is so robust that I can't imagine it being damaged without also damaging the steering box. I have seen where the splines were stripped/damaged and the pitman arm was welded on which to me is a no-no.

I needed one for a mustang box I purchased and found a NOS on eBay. You might want to try that route. Do your research first. You will have to know the diameter of the shaft and the number of splines. Also the shape is of a concern. You have to know what you need before buying.

Hope this helps.

pitman arm...argh!
 

Thanks for your input guys..to answer your questions...yes it is on the drivers side and it is the hole that conects to the rest of the steering linkage that has been streched and now has slack and give in it. i looked at the splines and tried to find another one from another year and some were close but i dont want to buy it and find that it curves at a sligthly different angle...you know shopping online with pics only . i talked to others in my class with a bit more knowledge and they said pitman arms are easy to find...and they are ..but not for my car.

The pitman arms from the A/G body GM cars are the same from 1978 to 1988, except for 1 difference, the manual box as compared to the power steering, but this I am not sure of.

There should be a bunch of 78-88 G-body's in the salvage yard.
Chevy Monte Carlo, Malibu, El Camino/GMC Sprint
Buick Regal
Olds Cutlass
Pontiac Grand Prix, Le Mans

Another thing most don't realize is the steering boxes between the S-series trucks and the A/G body cars are interchangeable, not including pitman arms.

Lots of the Malibu and Monte Carlo drag racers swap the power units out for the manual units for both weight and issues with clearance for big block swaps.

How about switching the whole thing? (steering box and pitman arm). I swaped mine for 25 bucks in my 88 f/bird from a "pull it yer self" yard.
I switched from a standard to a quick ratio (gm sport steering) I got out of a camaro. (Both F body's). :thumbup: