Power cowl steering

I started on this a year and a half ago. I am finally getting the details worked out and some progress. It's not much for purdy but that is the whole build. Well anyway, the reverse Saginaw box with some farm implement u-joint. I had a machine shop mate the splined part of a pitman arm to the yoke.

 

Wow, never really thought power cowl steering was a viable option....

 

I didn't either until I stumbled onto a Chevy with a box that swung the right direction. It has been more time consuming than it's worth for me. I wish I had forgot the cowl steering idea. It's done now, well partly done.

 

awesome idea, and i hope you never pop a hose, that would be messy, and very slippery.

 

All the cars I've ever seen with cowl steering don't look heavy enough to need power steering. But then again, praticality and nessecity should never get in the way of tinkering.

 

Well it really doesn't but my elbows and shoulders are shot from too many years wrenching and I am thinking ahead so I can still thrash it when I am a really old fart.
On the hoses I don't know yet but I am trhinking of maybe just using hardlines inside

 

I'm not sure that I'd use hard lines, because of vibration, but I'd sure want to use aircraft stuff!

 

Sprint car racers used to use '61 Buick Special power steering boxes converted to center steering. They turn the correct way for cowl steer.....I ran one myself in this thing.

I have a NOS gear for sale if anyone else needs one.

 

I bought a power cowl gear from a HAMBer for my little truck and I am just going to squirt some fluid in it and loop the lines and run it as manual. Its in the truck and seems to be fine.

 

Getting out of the box is the main problem with the couplings they used. There are lots of good quality hard lines. Look at the heavy dirt equipment and all the hard lines they use, lots more pressure and vibration.

 

there is a torsion bar in the box to control sensitivity the heavier the car the bigger the bar too big of a bar in a light car makes the car react too fast

 

My hot rod doesn't have PS but it does have a similar cowl structure and rectangular tube frame, and here's something we found when the car was further together......

The cage makes the cowl very rigid and puts all the flex into the frame attachment. Shocking amount of flex given how beefy every individual component is.

If you extend that cowl structure/bracket down so it also ties into the bottom edges of the frame, it'll make the cowl structure truly part of the frame and elimate flex at the attachment.

good luck

 

You can't really see the angle bracket welded to the outside of the frame but I do have the bracket to the inside. I have not got mounting points for the cowl yet but the rest of the body is mounted solid so I was planning to mount the toeboard area solid to the frame also. I hadn't really thought about hanging the body onto the steering box framework. open to suggestions there.

 

Run small tubing from the steering cage to the doorjambs and firewall. Might have to beef the doorjambs with some plate on the inside, but that's not really a bad thing is it?

 

what is the application for a "reversed box" or is it custom? cool idea.

 

Chevy Asstro van.

 

I will probably just loop the hose for now. I am still looking for a compact remote reservoir power steering pump.

 

If you want a 'compact' power steering pump, that's easy(er) to hide, the new Mini Coopers have an electric power steering pump (From my understanding, it doesn't mount to the engine).

Biggest down side is that it sounds like you would immagine an electric power steering pump would sound.

Of course there's the fact that it's a Beemer part ($$ I immagine) and if your alternator conks out you won't make it very far on battery (the pump runs all the time, like an electric fuel pump).


How much boost (assist, power, er whatever you call it) are you expecting?

 

I was hoping to find some stock application I could pillage from a junkyard. I looked at a lot of them on front drive cars like Hondas but the turn the wrong way it seems. I would also like to know it's compatable with a saginaw box.
I think speedway had a small remote reservoir pump.

 

IIRC some of the later model chevys had a small pump with a remote resivoir. I want to say it was for the Minivans, but it might have been for the S 'trucks' (since you say the box is from an Astro, I figure you would have noticed if it was the kind of pump you wanted). Maybe Trailblazer (w/ the I-6)?

Some of them have a plastic resivoir bolted to them too, don't know if that's the same, but if the Res. bolts on like that, it should at least be possible to adapt that to remote mount.

All these are serpentine though (so if you're using V-belts, and I expect you are, finding a pulley may be a pain).

 

I did some digging and found that speedway has a remote reservoir pump for the saginaw that is $79. That is in my budget. I also found these which will simplify the plumbing.
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/p/965...g-Adaptors.html?itemNo=power steering fitting

 

Why didn't you just extend the pitman shaft, without using the baler u-joint? It appears that you wouldn't have had to change the location of the sector that much to make it line up, and since you're using a u-joint on the steering shaft, steering wheel alignment shouldn't be a problem.

 

I looked at all the possabilitys, even got another box to use the 2 shafts together to extend it, still not long enough. Making a whole new shaft and the machining required, bearing support and all, well this just seemed more within my resources. It's about $50 worth of parts and I couldn't have done anything different for anywhere near that price.

 

Toyota has a electric ps pump on some models.

 

i'd run hard line to the cowl bulckhead then regular lines to the pump

 

Don't early-mid 90's Nissan pick-up truck boxes turn opposite?

 

That was my intention.

 

If you need a remote set up that uses a V belt, my wife's 85 S10 with a 4 banger is set up that way. It uses a small tank that is attached to the fan shroud.

 

Thanks, I will look for one of those.

 

Update
The combination of parts is not working out real well. In an attempt to keep the drag link level, the pitman arm has to be real long and the steering arm too long with too much rise.
Here's where I'm at on a mockup, If I left the stock length pitman and steering arms I would have something like a 12 inch drop on the drag link and I really want it close to level. So I started out trying to meet in the middle and made both arms longer and also raised the stering arm, both are around 10" long and the steering arm has a 4 inch rise. This decreased my 3 1/2 turn box to a little over 2 turns. I found out my box mount and the whole u joint thing have some movement and the 10-4 steering arm is just way beyond acceptable. Another problem is the econoline spindles have a very small bolt pattern to bolt a steering arm onto so there is a bit of tweakage there too. All in all it is a sloppy mess at this point and I see no way out from a total rethink, definately need a slower box and probably loose the u joint.