Ok 83 camaro when my wheels are straight the steering wheel has a lot of play from left to right to make a left turn it is almost perfect but to go right you have to go further than normal the steering seems fine handles well and all but there is a lot of play in the steering which makes me drive from side to side lol not drunk . Please help thanks in advance

 

play in the steering could be a bundle of different things. I had a 1977 pickup where the worm gear in the box wormgear was just wornout from driving in a line for so long. Most boxes are adjustable and this still may not be your problem but, something to check on.

Other things would be lower ball joints tierod ends or sleeves, idler arm..... any other suspension component that shows wear could be a bundle of stuff lol.

 

ttt ok the steering box mine is leaking really bad is there a place to put fluid in the box or is the fluid from the power steering fluid how hard is it to replace the steering box and how much does it cost ??? thanks in advance

 

Plus, too- ever replace the center link (long bar from left to right) or the idler arm (passenger side, what the center link hangs from)? Those are "wear parts", meaning, they wear out over time even if you never hit a bump.

I had really sloppy steering a long time ago; turned out I need an alignment, new center link, and new idler arm- then I was good as new.

But definately get that box fixed (or get one from a junkyard- if you do, make sure the hoses weren't cut open... you don't want rainwater getting inside) first!

 

cool thanks i will repace the box but i think even if it does fix it i need to redo my whole suspension its original i bought the car from a friend of the family (original owner) and it was ladie driven taken very good care of. i know i wanna do sfc because my ttops squeak drives me crazy any suggestions on suspension all the way around?? bushings exe exe

 

i am coordinating a GP on UMI sfcs. Look in the Group Purchase section of thirdgen.org.

 

Check the rag joint too. Very common problem on 3rd gens...

 

sorry to ask a stupid question what is a rag joint??

 

No prob. Had to ask that question once myself.

There is a shaft connected to your sterring wheel and there is a shaft that goes into your steering box. They are two different shafts. They are connected by a "rag joint". The rag joint can be found right next to the driver's side header. Get a flash light and and a freind and have him move the wheel back and forth. You will see the shaft coming through the firewall moving. The shaft going to the steering box will move less if the rag joint is bad and will move exactly the same if the joint is good.

Basically GM put a kind of bushing in the shaft to keep the road vibrations out of the steering wheel, it's been affectionately callled the ragjoint and when it wears out it creates a lot of play in the steering.
BTW, if you don't want to wait for someone to post an answer, you probably could have found it by doing a search.