Tom,
Just a thought before you go to a lot of trouble... on my '49 Big Bolt, after I rebuilt the steering box and axle (new king pins, wheel bearings, rebuilt drag link, new balls on the tie rod ends -- basically everything related to the front wheels and steering -- I found the steering to be vastly improved and nearly like power steering. I mean vastly improved, as in breathtaking. Before the restoration, this truck defined "Armstrong Steering" and turning the steering wheel at slow speeds required herculean effort. Now it steers easily with only a couple of fingers on the wheel. I might have to pull a little hard when stopped, but still -- not too bad.
My fire truck is a '65 with only 10k miles on it, but it has the heavy V-6 AND a giant chunk of cast iron hanging off the front in the form of an engine-driven 500 GPM pump. That truck (with it's relatively unworn stock/manual steering) steers very easily, as well.
Just my opinion, but I wonder if a lot of guys try driving one of these tired, beatup old relics who's worn out steering boxes, egg-shaped tie-rod ends, fossilized bias ply tires and hardened grease and road gook all contribute to horribly hard steering and immediately jump to the conclusion that a power steering upgrade is the only answer. Just a thought but maybe, just possibly, merely returning the steering system to stock specs would most likely provide the desired end state. Even before I restored my truck, I thought it was unlikely that the engineers and buyers of the day would have found steering that hard to be acceptable so I figured I would see *some* improvement after the restoration. I was shocked at the improvement I got. And I'm still running bias plys on that truck. If I put radials on it, I bet I could steer it just by thinking about it
Something to consider before going to the effort and expense of a PS upgrade. If you've not driven one of these old trucks with a completely rebuilt stock steering, you ought to. The difference is purely amazing -- at least it was for me on my truck.
Just another opinion to consider if the power steering thing starts looking like the project from Heck.
Regards,
John
