Power Steering: AGR vs Lee, 670 vs 800, 69 BBC Camaro, Review

[Denvervet]

Here's how much more room the lemon's headers give you with the Lee box.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Denvervet

Here's how much more room the lemon's headers give you with the Lee box.

NICE! 572 EFI - big azz headers and looks like you can change the plugs too!
What's not to like about that set up?!

[chr2002ca]

Originally Posted by Denvervet

Here's how much more room the lemon's headers give you with the Lee box.

Thanks for sharing that pic. I knew the Lemon's headers fit really good, but the visual verification is appreciated. Those primaries are even bigger than mine also. Are you able to remove those driver's side headers without loosening your steering box or pulling your engine up off the mount?

I'd go buy a set today if I could, but Lemon's wants about $1800+ for a set when you include coating and shipping, and then I'd also have to re-do my exhaust to match. I'm hoping/praying that I'll just be able to take my driver's side headers to a custom header shop and they can re-work the number 5 and 7 primaries to follow the same path the Lemon's do as seen in your photo. Then I'll just have them re-coated and bolt 'em back in. Next time I yank my engine I'm going to give that a try.

[Denvervet]

I haven't had to attempt to pull headers out yet and hope to never have to My best guess is though it would take some wrangling to make it happen...
Plugs are easy to remove and the collectors tuck up nice and tight to body.

[CarlC]

Tom does great work.

I had him do some pump work for the Camaro back in 2003. The problem was fluid overheating on track days. Somewhere there is a photo of the reservoir where the neck is held on by bailing wire and silicone. It got so hot it de-soldered and dumped all the fluid on the track.

Tom's suggestion was to make the P-pump dry and make some internal modifications. Just like a fuel pump, pumping an excessive volume of steering fluid just makes heat and is of no useful purpose. Hence, the pump liner size was reduced to match the use of the car and a heavy duty input shaft installed. The output was set to 1450 psi @ 3gpm. At idle the system would occasionally groan and stutter when making a turn since the volume was reduced. When I say occasionally, maybe one out of 20 times the car was driven. On stock cars that do not see track duty the volume is higher in order to give good idle/parking performance. The tradeoff is heat.

In addition to the pump a KSE remote reservoir/filter was used as well as a cooler in the return line. Though the car has been through many changes, these two parts remain. The KSE part is outstanding.

Problem solved. At every track event since with PT-type cars there is usually a car using a standard P-pump/reservoir that fails, even ones that have a cooler. The integral reservoir is fine for a street car but for extended track use, it leave much to be desired.

One additional thing that Tom recommended, and it cured several problems, is using genuine GM power steering fluid. Hands down it de-aerates the fastest and operates the quietest.