Pontiac Jack: I copied you on this message because of your recent
interest in adding power steering to your '59 GMC as expressed on the
Performance Years forum.
I've been daily driving my '57 GMC for 16 years and just under 100,000
miles. It has only failed to get me home three times. Once was when
the module in the HEI that I pulled from a '77 400" Pontiac V8 and
dropped into my 347" GMC V8 failed. The other two times were the same
failure. The steering arm (front connects to drag link, middle bolts to
driver's side spindle, rear connects to tie rod) snapped in the middle
of the curved part between the drag link and the spindle.
The first time was in 1993. I was stopped in a parking lot and didn't
realize I had the right front tire against a curb from the side. I
cranked hard on the steering wheel to the left and suddenly there was no
resistance. Also no steering.
The second time was last year. I was sitting stopped in a left turn
lane waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. When it did, I cranked hard
on the steering wheel to the left and gave it a little gas. Again no
resistance, but this time I was moving into two lanes of oncoming
traffic. Fortunately, the wheels had turned enough to get me across the
road into a parking lot.
Both times were at very low speed, where the resistance is the greatest.
Both times were turning left, which tries to "open up" the semi-circular
shape of the front part of the steering arm. Both times I soiled my
pants.
The next upgrade to my truck will be power steering, but no matter what
type it is, it will not use the stock steering arm. At least not the
front part of the arm. I want to keep the solid front axle, so my
choices seem to be the Saginaw kits that mount the box ahead of the
front axle and provide a Y shaped piece that bolts to the spindle to
connect the drag link or the new rack and pinion kit from No Limit
Engineering (see Feb 06 Custom Classic Trucks). Both use the tie-rod
end of the steering arm, but not the drag-link end which is where mine
broke (twice).
By the way, list member Carl Ham has posted his experience installing a
power steering kit at
http://www.chevytrucks.org/tech/TF_powersteering.htm
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