What's the quickest way to ID whether you have saginaw or thompson steering linkage on a full size 65'. Thanks.

 

Saginaw has a flat cap on the joint where the grease zerk is. Thommpson has a stepped or domed cap.

 

My 63 Riviera has an "S" logo next to the zerk fitting on my tie rod ends to denote Saginaw. Clean up the face on your ends and see if you can see the same designation.

 

Also: measure the pitman arm end centerlink stud at the end of the taper nearest the threads. Sagianw measures .587, TRW .556

 

Guys, thanks for the advice, I will begin investigating.

 

And after nearly 40 years fooling with Oldsmobiles, I still do not understand why they did that...

 

Well it was not unusual for GM to use multiple suppliers. But it looked like someone dropped the ball when allowing 2 non-inner-interchangeable systems.

Guess that stood out at the time, but pales by later engineering wonders.

 

There is a Safeway style ' S ' on the bottom of my power steering box. Think that means I have a Saginaw on my 66, 88? Or should I still drag my **** underneath and do some measuring?

 

I'd trust nothing else. (The S could be for "Steering")

 

Good point.

 

Well, it's Saginaw. Don't know if Saginaw or Thompson is more desirable over the other.

 

I've never heard one is any better than the other, and I see no differences that would indicate it either.

 

A Saginaw STEERING GEAR can be fitted with either Type T or Type S Pitman arm... so that logo on the STEERING GEAR is moot. You want to look closely at the exact shape of the joints on the center link.

I have all that recorded, somewhere, in the home computer. Might be faster to take new pictures. I hate to go thru a lot of effort anymore because of the ROP crashes where all that good info was lost. We need a backup so that the info stays around.

Also, I am evidently out of town Tu and Wed so it'll be a while now. I do have one of each hanging handy in the garage though. Been there for oh 10-15 yrs now.

 

Octania, I for one will be fascinated with actual photos of the two types, and am waiting eagerly for your posts.

 

We now *do* have a backup so info stays around. It is called Wild About Cars and the library of the Automobile History Preservation Society.
That is one of the purposes of its existence. To have a place where all of this information can be kept. Where it won't crash and disappear. Where it will be there tomorrow. And will be available to everyone. Now and in the future.
The site is not hosted by anyone else, and not subject to influence or direction of outside forces. There are multiple backups of the information there, and there are provisions to continue the site into the future beyond the lives of those now involved. The site has professional management.
It ain't no ROP, Wmachine Registry, Olds FAQs, or Olds Wiki that have all come and gone.

 

As this has been a question of concern for me too, I will contribute what info I have:

Oldsmobile used 2 types of steering linkage in 1961-62..

Saginaw type Tie Rods are Identified by a plastic cover or a metal cover with an "S" stamped into it..
ALTERNATE TYPE (TRW), is identified by a plain metal cover with no "S"

State if steering linkage is Saginaw type or TRW type.
In order to determine type measure the pitman arm end centerlink stud at the end of the taper nearest the threads.
Saginaw measures .587, TRW measures .556.

ALSO, SEE ATTACHMENT: