# Muscle car steering swap

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/muscle-car-steering-swap/50767>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** cutlass, oldsmobile, steering\
**Created:** [June 23, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/muscle-car-steering-swap/50767 "2010-06-23T17:39:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dirckd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dirckd](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dirckd)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/muscle-car-steering-swap/50767/1 "2010-06-23T17:39:09Z")

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Have’72 Olds Cutlass 4-4-2 with original non-rack and pinion steering and want to replace steering gear with a bolt-on Delphi power steering gearbox with rack and pinion servo, ordered from the 2010 Restoration Parts Catalog. Although I don’t need “how to” info. does anyone have experience with this swap?; is the Delphi unit a good fit with true rack and pinion feel?; are Delphi parts ok?.

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**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/muscle-car-steering-swap/50767/2 "2010-06-23T18:06:47Z")

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Why would you even think of destroying a classic like that? In my younger days I had a 69 and a 70 442.

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**Author:** ![FoDaddy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/fodaddy/32/717_2.png) [@FoDaddy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/FoDaddy)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/muscle-car-steering-swap/50767/3 "2010-06-23T20:37:52Z")

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I don’t thinking putting a modern steering rack on the car constitutes “destroying” it. The OP could just hang on to the old steering box as well. Delphi was a GM company at some point, so one would think they know how to make a steering rack for GM car. They were/are going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy at some point as well.

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/muscle-car-steering-swap/50767/4 "2010-06-23T20:43:51Z")

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By '72 it was not the same car (none were). I’d rather have one updated for driving fun on today’s roads, assuming it’s not some super-rare model.

dirckd - you might post this on a GM forum, I imagine other Cutlass/Malibu/Skylark/Tempest owners have done it.

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**Author:** ![dirckd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dirckd](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dirckd)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/muscle-car-steering-swap/50767/5 "2010-06-24T16:05:41Z")

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To Texases: Thanks for your comment about the steering swap; I followed up on your suggestion and posted my question on a more GM related website ([Hotrod.com](http://Hotrod.com)) and will probably post it on a “dedicated GM-only” site also.