Just like our eyes and ears, many car parts decline in performance at a rate so gradual that the transition is almost imperceptible. But then, eventually, something happens to make that gradual degradation an undeniable reality. The steering gear and linkage of your favorite muscle machine is a great example.

The first indication of any problem is usually your car’s new-found tendency to wander on the road, or in extreme cases, it may even decide to dive for the ditches. Having to continually crank on your car’s steering wheel just to keep it headed in the right direction sure takes a lot of the fun out of driving your machine. It’s been a half-century or more since it was new, so it’s probably time to crawl underneath and check things out.

Inspecting the steering and linkage is easy. Have a friend turn the steering wheel side-to-side slowly while you check the steering linkage, rag joint, and steering box for any excessive play or movement. Unless your front suspension has seen recent service, you may be surprised at what you find.

A Chevelle we’d recently driven had exhibited some of that tendency, so, armed with a good light source, we crawled under the car where our suspicions were quickly confirmed: The steering box had more play than a six-year-old on recess and the steering linkage was loose at every connection. We found what we needed on the Classic Performance Products (CPP) website and placed our order for a quick-ratio (3½ turns lock-to-lock), 500-series steering box that came with a new rag joint, power steering hoses, and Pitman arm. To complete our upgrade, we also popped for new steering linkage as well.

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