I was originally going to buy a red head steering box to replace my worn out factory steering box, but I got to thinking that all I would be doing is swapping my junk factory steering box for another one. I know that when red head rebuilds these steering boxes they make them a lot better than they originally were, but its still the old out dated style steering box.


So I started searching for information on the (Borgeson) Dodge Box. The Dodge Box is a Delphi unit, and its the steering box that Chevy has been using for decades on there trucks. Now that I decided on the Delphi steering box, it was time to start searching the internet for the best price. The part number for the new steering box is 800120, and the prices ranged from $517. dollars to $630. dollars for a new steering box, a rebuilt steering box was about a hundred dollars less. The rebuilt steering box part number is 800112.


I also searched on ebay and found a listing for a new 800120 steering box, the person selling it said they sold there dodge truck before they had a chance to install it. They were asking $450. or best offer plus $15. dollars shipping, I offered $400. dollars for it, and they accepted the offer. The shipping turned out to be $70. dollars because its so heavy. When the steering box arrived and I opened the box, the steering box was inside a plastic bag, and it was strapped to a piece of particle board to keep it from moving around in the box. I also discovered it was a rebuilt steering box (800112), but that's ok, I still did well on the price and shipping.


To make the new steering box work you will need to replace the stock steering shaft with a Borgeson steering shaft, part number 000950. The best price I found on the steering shaft was $217. dollars plus shipping.


So in total I have about $675. dollars in these parts.

 

 

 

I have the same parts installed on my truck and I've been very happy with them. I did add this steering stabilizer as insurance to help make the box last longer - http://www.custom-diesel.com/dodge-p...-borgeson.html

 

It will be a couple of months before I get these parts installed, I need to get new ball joints and new hubs. So I will have everything installed once.


Im hoping that these last few parts will eliminate the wondering that I have in the steering now.

 

I just purchased a new Borgeson steering box (part 800120) for my 2001 2500 2WD Dodge Ram. I had planned on just grinding a flat on the box’s input shaft and using my stock steering shaft, since it doesn’t appear to have any play in it. However, it looks to me like I would have to grind that flat in the EXACT position I need it to ensure that my steering wheel is centered. On the other hand, since the Borgeson shaft has 30 symmetrical splines around the entire diameter, it looks like I could at least make steering wheel adjustments in 12 degree increments (360 degrees/30 splines = 12 degrees/spline).


So I guess I have two questions:


1. If I stick with my stock shaft and grind a flat on the shaft coming out of the box, do I have any options for steering wheel centering? Even the pitman arm has flats so that it goes on a particular way. I just want to make sure I’m lookingat it right.


2. On a 2WD truck, do I ever really have to worry about the I-shaft wearing out? Does it have more play in it than I think it does?


Thanks for the advice.

 

Open the hood, engine off, steering unlocked, tires on the ground. Have a friend wiggle the steering back and forth, just using two fingers. Don't need to put any effort into it at all. See if there is any play in the shaft.. If there is, replace it. Even if there isn't, replacing it with the Borgeson shaft really isn't a bad idea. (granted, I know them fellers ain't cheap.....)

On the 2wd trucks, I don't think you get a lot of adjustment options..... only the tie rods if I recall? Of course, that would have the steering off-center, leaving you with a tighter turn radius one way, over the other, and when you were driving straight, the box itself wouldn't be on center. (tolerances are tighter over center....)

Borgeson shaft really is the *best* option, aside from cost.

Welcome to DF!

 

@HeyYou, thank you for the welcome and the thoughtful response. As I have continue to modify my truck, I often come across posts of yours. You may not realize it, but you have certainly helped countless Ram owners over the years. Kudos to you.

In case anyone is still doing this modification with the Borgeson aftermarket box, I HIGHLY recommend it. It was the only thing that truly fixed the steering play in my 2001 2500 and I have been happy since I installed it over two years ago. The instructions provided by Borgeson are reasonably good, but I wanted to post a bit of a write-up for a few things I think it is lacking.

First, using one of the four flat spline grooves as a reference, I found the center point of the steering box by scoring the outer casting with the output shaft turned to the extreme left and extreme right and measuring the halfway point.

After removing my stock I-shaft, I found it to be tight as new. Literally, no play whatsoever. Also of note is that it has "Made in Germany" stamped on the rag joint. I don't know if that means just the joint or the whole shaft.

Borgeson’s instructions state to grind a flat on the 30-spline input shaft of the new box if you are going to reuse the stock shaft (which, after seeing what great shape it was in, I decided to do). However, I went about it inversely. Instead of grinding a flat on the box, I ground out the “D” inside the lower U-joint of the OEM shaft with a Dremel.

Shaft coming out of borgeson box


Before: flat on I-shaft


Making progress: Grinding down flat on I-shaft


After: Ready to use on Borgeson box


This dremel attachment filled up with metal too quickly


This dremel attachment worked much better


This method offers two benefits:
1. If I decide to upgrade to a Borgeson I-shaft, I still have all 30 splines on the box.
2. I don’t need to worry about grinding a flat in the exact correct spot on the box, since I can put my modified OEM shaft on in any orientation.

The rest of the instructions are pretty straightforward.

The only thing that I think they are missing is how to center everything back up on a 2WD (This is particularly important since the new box sets farther away from the frame due to the spacers you have to use which, in turn, puts the box off-center):
1. Make sure your I-shaft is still disconnected.
2. Put the truck on stands with the front tires off the ground.
3. Center the box (remember the two score marks I made earlier).
4. Using the tie rod end adjusting sleeves, adjust the left side inner and outer tie rods away from each other and the right side tie rod ends closer together by the same amount until the tires are centered. (Turn LH and RH sleeves both CW or both CCW…I can’t remember which. They should each be rotated the same number of turns, assuming your toe was in spec prior to this job)
5. Reattach the upper U-joint of your I-shaft to the steering column.
6. Have a friend get in the truck and hold the steering wheel straight.
7. Get under the truck and pop the lower U-joint back onto the box input shaft.
8. Tighten everything up and you’re done!

It was definitely a learning experience for me, so I hope this helps my fellow 2WD 2nd gen Dodge Ram owners.

 

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