p.s.conversion

Author Topic: p.s.conversion  (Read 1838 times)

Offline chevyconvert

  • HvacMan
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1693
  • Member since November 04, 2005
p.s.conversion
« on: November 30, 2005 - 12:06:18 AM »
My '70 challenger has the 24:1 manual steering. Ok on the road, but wouldn't want to whip a U-turn in it.
Besides adding the double pulley, steering box, and pump reservoir...what else is needed?
Is the steering "shaft" etc ok.
Is it possibke to do this switch on a 440 with stock exhaust manifolds without pulling them?
Would you recommend the swap and if so to what type (mopar or aftermarket). Seems like I seen an ad for a quickor 16:1 manual conversion also.
Has anyone done this that could give some advice :worshippy
Eric
'70 Hemi Orange RT/SE 440 Six Pack Pistol-Grip 4 speed
Bay Area California




Offline Chryco Psycho

  • Administrator
  • C-C.com Guru
  • *****
  • Posts: 36620
  • 70 Challenger R/T SE 70 tube Chassis Cuda now sold
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2005 - 02:09:36 AM »
a quicker ratio manual will generally be harder to steering
 the steering shaft is a different length , it is relatively easy to go from power to manual as ther is an adapter to lengthen the shaft , you really need a shorter steering shaft to got to power , if you decide to do this Firm Feel seems to make excellent steering boxes
 personally I prefer manual 
« Last Edit: December 02, 2005 - 07:05:33 PM by Chryco Psycho »

Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

chargin

  • Guest
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2005 - 06:28:10 PM »
i wanna got from power to manual.... so what all do i need to do>?

Offline Killer_Mopar

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1886
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2005 - 06:43:45 PM »
i wanna got from power to manual.... so what all do i need to do>?


I think that you will only need the manual gearbox(can get from steer & gear, firm feel, or flaming river) and a steering column extension. You might want to change your steering wheel to a bigger diameter one for ease of turning.
70 Challenger R/T SE - The never-ending project........

Offline chevyconvert

  • HvacMan
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1693
  • Member since November 04, 2005
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #4 on: February 25, 2006 - 10:14:30 PM »
Now that I've had the car for more than a few days (which was the case for my initial post in Nov.)
I'm fine with the manual steering.
That said, what's the best way to reduce the excess amount of freeplay?
I can literally turn the wheel back and forth in a 6'' arc without providing any steering input .
Rebuild mine, replace, adjust ?
Eric
'70 Hemi Orange RT/SE 440 Six Pack Pistol-Grip 4 speed
Bay Area California

Offline Chryco Psycho

  • Administrator
  • C-C.com Guru
  • *****
  • Posts: 36620
  • 70 Challenger R/T SE 70 tube Chassis Cuda now sold
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #5 on: February 26, 2006 - 05:51:55 PM »
see if the coupler has play between it & the steering shaft , often the shoes are inserted into the coupler 90* off & this causes a lot of play in th esteering
 also there is a Nut & screw on the top of the steering box , with the steering centered loosen the nut & tighten the  screw to remove play inside the steering box 

Challenger - You`ll wish You Hadn`t

Offline ShelbyDogg

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 5007
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2006 - 07:06:27 PM »
Chevyconvert,  I just saw your post and have converted a couple of bigblocks to Power steering and brakes. The last one a 440-6 Cuda, The owner was VERY HAPPY. You were right about needing the pump and brackets and a double pulley, and steering Box ( a rebuilt box can be bought from AutoZone auto parts (www.autozone.com) for about $135. If you need a core send back any junk yard PS box.  You also need the Steering shaft coupler, that has a smaller splined hole, pitman arm, hoses.   On most of my conversions, I was able to push the long steering shaft into itself to shorten it. try tapping it in and I wouldn't be surprised if yours goes in too.  Save your stuff with the car, for the next owner that that thinks he wants manual steering again.

Rob
Rob

3 E-bodies, Megasquirt-1v3.0, Edelbrock Pro-Flo-1, Holley C950, FAST EZ-EFI; say no to carbs...yes to throttle bodies

My Pace Car restoration thread:
http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=44869.0


Offline chevyconvert

  • HvacMan
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1693
  • Member since November 04, 2005
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #7 on: March 22, 2006 - 10:31:12 PM »
Thanks for the info Rob, I'll hold on to it.
At the moment I'm elbow deep in carbs sorting out a problem though. :biggrin:

My car came with some parts that the guy had collected to convert the steering including the double pulley and a reservoir with a finned cooler on it. The finned cooler unit is supposedly correct for a 440-6
car in '70...anyone know about these? :dunno:

At this point I'm gonna try and remove some of the slop and get a little exercise while driving. :thumbsup:
Eric
'70 Hemi Orange RT/SE 440 Six Pack Pistol-Grip 4 speed
Bay Area California

Offline ShelbyDogg

  • Sr. Resident
  • ******
  • Posts: 5007
Re: p.s.conversion
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2006 - 08:25:04 AM »
You'll hate manual steering if you ever put a TUFF wheel on it. I have a small 13.5" Grant wheel and put in a tilt column from a floor shifted Cordoba. It looks like a factory option for a Challenger with a cruise control switch on the end. I hated the angle of the stock column and the full size of the HUGE e-body steering wheels, and I didn't like it being that close to my legs. The big wheels also amplify any play in the steering.

To jump off topic, that you started, try covering the front and rear carbs of the 6-pack with heavy saran wrap and tell me what happens.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2006 - 11:01:27 AM by shelbydogg »
Rob

3 E-bodies, Megasquirt-1v3.0, Edelbrock Pro-Flo-1, Holley C950, FAST EZ-EFI; say no to carbs...yes to throttle bodies

My Pace Car restoration thread:
http://www.cuda-challenger.com/cc/index.php?topic=44869.0