Product description

On steering boxes fitted with roller or spindle steering, if too much play develops in the center position, and the adjustment bolt has already been tightened to the point where heavy points can be felt, the steering box is worn out. Overhaul is a solution but due to the hard to obtain individual steering box parts and the high degree of knowledge required to do the job, we recommend fitting a completely new steering box, this is not only better but also a lot cheaper. The steering boxes listed here are factory new and come without mounting hardware and / or brackets, you will have to reuse these or if possible order extra. The steering box for the T25/T3 Bus is equipped with power steering, if your Volkswagen Bus does not have this feature, you will have to overhaul the steering box, no new one is available yet.

Quality choice: With the steering box intended for the Beetle, Karmann Ghia, Type 3 and Kübel you have a choice of two qualities. The A-quality has a steering box as it should be and is therefore the most perfect replacement for the original. The B-quality, on the other hand, does not take the steering play so closely, and it can also happen that a dead spot is noticeable, which does not improve the steering comfort. By recalibrating the steering rack, you can improve it in most cases but don't expect perfection.

Steering box types:

Volkswagen used spindle steering on the Beetle through 1965 and on the Karmann Ghia through 1961. In this, the steering rack is fitted with a clevis (spindle) with teeth that is rotated over a shaft (worm) for the rotary motion.

Later years used roller steering; a similar method only the spindle with teeth was replaced by a roller (worm wheel) with bearings.

Starting in 1974, the 1303 Beetle was equipped with steering rack steering. The third generation of Buses (T25/T3) is also equipped with this system. It is a rectangular rod that has gearing on one side like a sprocket. The pinion, a small gear that intervenes in the gearing, allows the rod to be moved longitudinally.

Volkswagen did not implement this change on all models at the same time, so we have listed below for which VW model used which system.

Spindle steering (sector type):
Beetle convertible until 1961(VIN 3 933 184)
Export Beetle until 1961(VIN 4 236 756)
Beetles for the home market (standard model) until July 1965
Karmann Ghia until 1961(VIN 3 933 184)

Roller steering (roller type):
Beetle convertible from 1961 (VIN 3 933 185) until July 1974
Export Beetle from 1961 (VIN 4 236 757) and later
Beetle VW 1200, VW 1300 and VW 1500 from August 1965 and later
Beetle 1302 and 1303 until July 1974
Karmann Ghia from 1961 (VIN 3 933 185) and later
Bus until July 1979
Type 3 all models and builds
Kübel all models and builds

Rack and pinion steering:
Beetle 1303 as of August 1974 and later
Bus T25/T3 (all models and years)

Note: For Beetle and Karmann Ghia models up to July 1965 equipped with rackand pinion steering, steering box #01368 can be used provided the pitman arm is also replaced with a rebuilt pitman arm #04347 or #04354 .