egardless which style of hopped-up V-8 you’re packing underhood, the most important part of linking it all to the street lies in your controls. Once you’ve hit the starter, it’s all business in trying to channel every bit of that hard-earned horsepower once the wheels are turning. Sure, bone-stock parts always do their job but in the world of performance technology, there’s always a better way to raise the bar to the next level. When addressing the heartbeat of your classic Chevy, upgrading your steering, shifting, and pedals just makes great sense, seeing they’ll get quite a workout from street to strip and everywhere in between.

The 1971 Camaro laid out across our pages has become a familiar sight to regular readers of All Chevy Performance over the years. It’s been transformed from that of a bare shell with us covering all facets of the build, from suspension and brakes to its LS driveline, cooling, exhaust, sheetmetal, wiring, and even insulation. With all of the modifications fused into its resurrection, it was a perfect time to look deep into the business office to see the best way to upgrade its control systems with products from industry-leading manufacturers. Having a wicked 5.3L LC9 LS V-8 now residing between the framerails linked to a T56 six-speed manual transmission, it’s time to get the car ready for action.

On a recent visit, we followed up at Procision Industries in Taunton, Massachusetts, where shop owner Pat O’Brien was preparing to move forward by taking on this very subject. Faced with a blank canvas, he opted to start with selecting a new steering system that would link perfectly with the updated suspension and brakes. A call to Flaming River got it started with one of their Direct-Fit Tilt Columns for the 1970-78 Camaro, featuring an integrated GM-coded key assembly in the column. Available in three finish choices, it offers a GM 4¼-inch wiring connector as well as an OEM-style dash mounting bracket. A billet aluminum column dress-up kit is also included, which is a perfect accent in completing the column with one of their exclusively designed steering wheels. For this application, O’Brien selected a 14-inch Muscle “Tuff” Series steering wheel in hand-stitched Italian black leather, complete with polished 9-bolt wheel adapter and horn button. To link it all to the street through the factory steering box, we opted for Flaming River’s Lower Vibration Resistor U-Joint featuring thermoplastic rubber to absorb road feel-type vibration matched to their CNC-machined from aircraft steel upper Billet-Joint universal joint with a sealed needle bearing design. It’s all linked together through their Slip-Shaft, adjustable steering shaft with a 1-inch DD shaft, ¾-inch DD shaft, and protective bellows, allowing for a flawless installation.

When it comes to addressing the final elements—the pedals and shifting—we went with a winning combination from Classic Industries, GM, and Hurst. A fresh set of pedals from Classic Industries deftly matched to a C5 Corvette accelerator pedal assembly with an electric pedal adapter from Detroit Speed & Engineering can handle anything the rowdy LS can dish out. Delivering the goods through the upgraded T56 trans was a job best delivered by a Hurst Billet/Plus shifter incorporating a high-ratio pivot mechanism for reduced shifter throw by 30 percent. Their patented adjustable bias spring loads allow stick tension to be tailored to the driver’s preferences along with self-centering alignment for improved shifts. For a custom touch, a Clayton Machine Works 8-inch truss-style shift arm, machined from billet aluminum, with a 30-degree kickback designed to fit a standard 2-bolt flange grabs gears topped by a Lokar 2-inch black anodized aluminum shift knob. To complete the installation, Classic Industries supplied an OER reproduction manual transmission center console, gearshift boot and retainer plate.

Let’s follow along as Procision Industries makes all the updates.

2. To prepare the pedal assembly for installation, first remove the pivot bolt along with the sleeves and nylon bushings. Follow by lubricating the sleeves with white lithium grease.

4. Reassemble by inserting the sleeves followed by the nylon bushings for each individual pedal.

5. Prepare the pedals for installation to the support bracket by first aligning the individual clutch and brake master cylinder pushrods to the pedal mounting holes.

7. Complete the mounting of the clutch and brake pedals to their respective master cylinder units using factory hardware and we are ready for action.

9. With the Swivel Floor Mount on the column base, replace the output shaft retaining plate and secure in place. Leave the Swivel Floor Mount loose to adjust for final fitment once the column is installed in place.

11. Slide the column into place and loosely secure to the upper support bracket using the hardware from the AMK Products Master Interior Fastener Kit.

13. Install the GM C5 Corvette accelerator pedal assembly (PN 19417903) in place with Detroit Speed electronic pedal adapter to the firewall.

15. Upgrading the steering underhood started with installing a Flaming River Lower Vibration Resistor U-joint (PN FR1898) to the factory steering gearbox.

17. Measure the dimension required for the installation of the Flaming River Slip-Shaft steering shaft upgrade (PN FR1856-S).

19. The Slip-Shaft made installation of the steering shaft a snap and will definitely be a solid upgrade to the system.

21. After applying RTV or a similar sealant between the shifter mounting base and the transmission, install the Hurst Billet/Plus shifter (PN 3915060) making sure the ball on the stick bottom fits properly into the plastic cup bushing.

23. Install the OER upper gearshift boot and retainer plate (PNs 3973966 and 3973970) with hardware from AMK.

25. In preparing the new OER console from Classic Industries for installation, secure the manual transmission console shift tunnel (PN 3973964) to the console shift plate (PN 3991787) with speed nuts from AMK.

27. Complete the shifter by spinning on a Lokar 2-inch black anodized aluminum shift knob (PN SK-6930) for the ultimate in control.

29. Next, add the Flaming River polished aluminum 9-bolt steering wheel adapter (PN FR20113). Make sure to pull the horn wire though the adapter prior to tightening.

31. The final step is adding the Flaming River horn button to complete the job.