mg267

Hi everyone..

I've already posted a similar question on this forum a few weeks ago..

I have a 69 coupe, with an LS1 from an 01 camaro swapped in. It currently has no power steering. I was talking to my mechanic friend about my desire to get power steering, and he was STRONGLY against it, saying among other things, that the way the car is now, it was not built for power steering, and I'd have to change the wheels, and suspension, and basically the car would be vunerable to spin out at high speeds bc its not made for steering at those speeds. He also said that it would be a HUGE expense as far as parts and labor. I am not technically savvy to do the process myself so I would have to go to a shop to get it done, and he said who knows how much they would end up charging...

For the most part 'ive always trusted my mechanic and he's always been very accurate in his assesment of my car issues, but I am wondering in this case if he doesnt really know what he's talking about? What do you guys think. Do you think its possible to do, without some ridiculous labor and costs.?

I want this car to be my daily driver, and lack of power steering is the only thing that makes this less feasible..(i have to do a decent amount of city driving and parking, and parallel parking this guy is no fun!)

thank you all for your help and input
mg

72LS1Vette

With all due respect to you friend I have to say his opinions is in this case. I'm not clear as to whether your LS1 has the power steering pump installed (I believe all Camaros had power steering) but if it has the pump you have a couple of options. If your 69 had manual steering you could buy the power steering components (ram, control valve, link, bracket) and have some custom hoses fabricated. The other option, more desirable IMO is to put in a Rack and Pinion steering system like a Steeroids. It's a bit more expensive but it's a few generations advanced in technology. You don't have to change anything else in the suspension unless things are in need if a rebuild.

If you are running a stock LS1 from a Camaro you will be running 300+ HP, but some of the high performance 69 engines were in the same league. Not all of them spun out at high speeds

It is going to cost some $ to add the power steering. A Steeroids runs ~$1,200 or so plus installation and hoses. A stock power steering setup will run at least several hundred $ plus installation and hoses.

If you remove the power steering pump from your LS1 you will most likely have to have a custom pulley setup made and that will also cost big $.

My vote is to have the Rack and Pinion system installed. Not the cheapest but probably the best bang for the buck.



Rick B.

Joe Kring

I have a 1969 with an LS1 installed. It has been done since 2002. The car was not a power steering car. When I added the LS1 I added a power steering steering system. It worked GREAT. One thing that I must say is I tried the C5 front motor equipment. They did not work The power steering pump pulley would have hit the A-arm bolts. So I installed all the Camaro front equipment and that fit fine. I have added the Steeroids system to this car last summer and what a great improvement. I purchased m Steeroids system on E-Bay.
My web site with the story of my 1969 Corvette is on http://members.lycos.co.uk/jkring/
If you have any other questions. let me know.

SuprJames

Sounds like your mechanic is out of his realm of expertise so is trying to scare you away. That is absolutely ridiculous. Time for a new mechanic

SteveG75

No mods to suspension or wheels. Add PS components and hook to LS1 PS pump.

Also, find a new mechanic. This guy is not doing you any favors.

markdtn

with all that!

Buy a p/s conversion less pump from any of the catalogs. Buy or make a high pressure hose and hook it up. I still say I'd use the Corvette Steering "jeep box" before I put stock steering on. Same principle-install box, make hose, drive. No mods to wheels, tires, suspension, etc.

Chris Johnson

If the motor does have a power steering pump installed right now, it's probably toast after being run without PS fluid. You'll most likely need to replace it. If I were you, I'd replace the pump first - don't try it to see if it works. It is inevitable that you will make a mess drainging the PS fluid. You also have to disconnect the hoses, reconnect them, refill the system, then go thru the bleeding process. I've recently gone thru this 3 times, and I never want to again. At times I thought the PS fluid was penetrating my skin because I could taste the stuff

If you have to replace the pump, stay far away from anything made by Maval Mfg. The Maval pump that came with my Billet Specialties Tru-Trac system was built incorrectly. The front half of the pump had the correct standard rotation plate. The back half was a reverse rotation plate. Needless to say, it didn't work . Since I had made the hoses myself, I assumed the problem was in plumbing, so I spent 3 days replumbing 3 separate times. Finally I sent the pump to pscmotorsports, and they determined it was built wrong... I'm still waiting for Billet Specialties to step up and fix the problem. So far they're not going to (out of waranty since I've been building the car for the last 3 years).

BTW, if you need any help with the pump/reservoir/etc, I HIGHLY recommend http://www.pscmotorsports.com/

Chris Johnson

I'd look into the 'jeep box' too. I have an early Steeroids system, and the brackets flex ALOT. They flex enough that the rack slides inside of the clamps that hold it. I'm gonna have to replace my brackets with a later version and hope it fixes the problem. A serious downside to this flex is that steering wheel center keeps changing...

mg267

Thank you all for your advice.. just to clarify Rick, are you suggesting the rack and pinion kit on top of power steering or instead of it?
thanks!
mike

Gale Banks 80'

I would also recomend the Steeroids Rack and Pinion. I don't have an LS motor but I do have the Gen II Pump that LS motors use. I found that I had to use a reduced Flow Pump or the Car steered like a Lincoln. Another Option You have is to install the Steeriods Rack without PS and if You don't like it you can add the PS later as it uses the same Rack with or without. If that LS is an Aluminum Block one You might not need the PS,

aussiejohn

mg267,
I agree with what MOST of the others have said, such as get a new mechanic. This bloke don't know diddly! You may decide to tell him that the PS and non-PS Corvettes had EXACTLY the same steering box. The PS ones just had a ram fitted instead of the steering damper, as well as a pump and hoses, but that's the only difference.

As for a new PS system for your car, DON'T fit rack and pinion. There is a good reason for this and that is that R&P works best as a FRONT STEER system. In other words, the rack is mounted in FRONT of the crossmember on most modern cars. Whilst it obviously can be fitted to the rear, and that is the only place that you can fit one on a C2/C3 without MAJOR surgery, it is far from ideal.

The best bet is to fit an integral power steering box such as the ones from Corvette Steering, Concept One or Borgeson. The Borgeson appears to be the pick of the bunch, as it is a variable (power) ratio Jeep box re-engineered to suit the original C3 mounting holes, plus has the Pitman shaft machined to use the stock C3 Pitman arm.

After removing the old box, all you have to do is bolt in the new box and connect it to the PS pump and Pitman arm and you're in business. And you'll get out of it with change out of $1,000 if you do it yourself. A good mechanic should only charge about two or three hours labour.

At the very least search the net and seek some advice before you commit your money.

Regards from Down Under

aussiejohn
4 months to go