Making the upgrade to power steering with a rebuilt GM 605 box is a common project for Tri-Five Chevy owners. These popular steering boxes have become synonymous with Chevy power steering, are a great choice, and are available in rebuilt form from all kinds of manufacturers-but now there's something better.
Not long ago, Classic Performance Products introduced an improved bolt-in alternative for the 605 steering box. The new 500 Series is a re-circulating ball box that features a one-piece cast housing engineered to provide improved operation and response, as well as a tighter overall feel. These are not rebuilt boxes; the 500 is a completely new product built with all new components.
The 500 Series steering box from CPP is similar to the GM 605, but features a one-piece housing and 14:1 steering ratio. It is also available in chrome.
We got the chance to watch one of these new CPP boxes go into a mostly stock '57 Chevy two-door when the owner decided to replace the sloppy steering. The car retains a lot of the factory components-including the original small-block-and the owner wanted to keep it looking original. The interior was intact and in good shape so he decided to keep the stock column and shifter, making it necessary to modify them for use with the up-to-date power steering system. We got to CPP just as work was beginning on the installation.
If this swap had been performed as part of a frame-off buildup-without a body, engine, or half a century's accumulation of grease, dirt, and previous owner mods-it would have been a relatively simple bolt-in. In this case, working around these obstacles added more work and more time to the job. Using an aftermarket column would also simplify the process, but since when has hot rodding been simple? In the end, of course, the results were worth the effort, and the '57's owner was impressed with the improvement.
