I'd noticed that my steering has been attempting to bind up on me here lately. So, I pop the hood and turn the wheel side to side, and lo and behold, the mounting plate for my steering gearbox is wobbling to and fro. To top it off, the topmost bolt hole has broken, leaving the mounting bolt exposed. Yikes. Here's the question---do I weld the plate back together and reinforce it by welding rebar to the frame to stop the side to side movement, or do I try to use a mount plate from a newer (80's) truck? (Finding a '79 parts truck in a boneyard in Houston is like trying to get a 3 year old to sit still for 10 minutes)
spag
01-13-2007, 07:57 AM
If you have the welding equipment, I don't see why not go that route.
Chump
01-14-2007, 12:53 AM
I'd noticed that my steering has been attempting to bind up on me here lately. So, I pop the hood and turn the wheel side to side, and lo and behold, the mounting plate for my steering gearbox is wobbling to and fro. To top it off, the topmost bolt hole has broken, leaving the mounting bolt exposed. Yikes. Here's the question---do I weld the plate back together and reinforce it by welding rebar to the frame to stop the side to side movement, or do I try to use a mount plate from a newer (80's) truck? (Finding a '79 parts truck in a boneyard in Houston is like trying to get a 3 year old to sit still for 10 minutes)
Don't weld the plate. Fix the frame properly. I have been told that the later plate from the 86 on up will fit but that maybe the mounting holes have to be drilled out, I'm not sure. There is a guy on www.ramchargercentral.com that can probably answer that question, I'll have to dig him up. A new plate from the later trucks should still be available from Dodge for about $20 under part# 52037876. Try your local dealer or www.makeitmopar.com in Texas for 25% off.
