The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The HiPo Shop power steering for 35 chevy pickup

i'm going to add power steering to my 1935 chevy pickup... i intend to keep my straight front axle & drag link... (i have eci disc brakes adapter)... monte carlo tilt column... engine is a 350 sbc..
can anyone suggest a steering box for this that i can adapt...
thank for any ideas...
bill wright in virginia

not knowing what your steering looks like and i can't say for sure. you might contact www.classicperform.com. they hace one for the 49-54 and may be aable to advise you for 35. hope this helps. ron

thanks Ron!!
i appreciate your help...
i had looked into their stuff earlier but their unit mounts "ahead" of the axle... i want to mount in the "stock" location and utilize my draglink set-up for a stock appearance... there are some folks using 79-85 Toyota pickup steering boxes on the mid 50's F-word truck but ihaven't bee able to find out for sure if the pitman moves in the right direction for me when the steering wheel is turned... i also read some stuff about 1978 Dodge pickups and that some of them used a "revere-rotation" box... i've been hunting around on that lead too...
thanks again... ya'll take it easy... bill w.

The toyota box has the correct movement. If you turn the shaft right (clockwise) the pitman goes to the rear. I have a 46 with the stright axle and ECI set up but I've got an impala column (wow GM). I did move my origional box back 2 inches. I haven't put it together yet but the plans sound similar. From what I've read I can use the GM pump with the toyota box. As the earlier post said Classic perform has some kits for the other F make. I had planned to use that pitman arm, coupler, fittings. I just got the box a month ago so keep me posted.

thanks Lugnut!!
i appreciate your help...

Classic Perf is where i got the idea of using the Toyota box... i thought perhaps if it would work on an Effie it might do for mine... the concept is the same... the big question for me then was pitman arm direction relative to turning... i've got to set my 350 in place to see how much room i'll have for a suitable bracket which shouldn't be too hard to fab... i've read that the GM pump pressure is much higher than the Mustang boxes some guys are using so that is a concern to me... i understand there are some goodies to regulate that pressure but i'm not sure if it's too high for the Toyota box... i've also considered trying the Toyota pump to chevy brackets... your "46" sounds neat... i was born in 47 so i have an affinity for those years...
thanks again... ya'll take it easy...
bill w.

Is the 35 steering box in the same location as a 55? I am having to solve this problem as well. I have a 4x4 NAPCO and want to add power steering. Good luck and definitely keep us posted on what you find out.

howdee jomichael...
i hope you are well...

my '35 steering box is just ahead of the firewhall by a few inches or so... the pitman exits through the frame and connects to the drag link which then runs up to the steering knuckle... the knuckle "pulls" to turn right and "pushes" to turn left... i can't remember what the '55 has for sure... i had a '59 panel truck back in the early 70's that i put a 327 into... that thing was wild... a real fun truck... i do remember it had a straight axle but i had never considered changing anything regarding the steering at the time although i do recall having a shop install new king pins in it... it's been so long ago... i've been searching through some of the old Stovebolt Forums and i'm finding a goldmine of info on past projects that other guys have been working on... i'll try to watch for ya...

Hi Bill, you got me started again so I pulled the Toyota box off the shelf. I measured it and it was about 7" wide just about the same as the 46. A potential problem is the imput shaft is about 1/2 " out closer to the frame. I tried to get the pitman arm off so I could look at the splines. I didn't get it off but it looks like all the splines are the same and there are no keyways. So the box could be turned to match up the imput side with the column and then just then you could line up the pitman arm. The space between the casting and the pitman arm is about 3/8" but you coud grind off a little of the base and get another 1/8" so you would have 1/2" to go thru the frame.

howdee Lug!!...
thanks for that info...
i had planned to fab a bracket that slips right up inside my frame channel... it would be roughly a "stretched Z-shaped" affair when viewed from the side... there would be a flap plate that overlaps the frame holes that my box mount with now... i would use the use the chevy box mount holes holes to lock-in the plate... then if i needed to i could enlargen the pitman hole a bit for more shaft clearance with the plate adding strength without welding... the top and bottom of the "Z" would each have a heavey bolt to lock them in preventing "flex"... the Toyota box would mount on a "shelf" using the mount holes if its casing... i plan to run a universal & telescoping shaft to my Monte Carlo til-column... that way i could sorta "curve" my steering shaft to clear everything... i would do a mock-up in plywood first but i think it would work... i can always have a custom pitman arm made by someone who knows what they're doing... if you want me to i'll draw a picture of the basic idea and mail it to you since i don't have a digital camera...
bill

Hillcitybill,
I would love a copy of that drawing,... if it works!

howdee Jomichael..
i hope you are well...
i will sit down and draw out a sketch of my idea and get a few copies made of it...
i think it would work... i want to maintain the basic look and attitude of my "35" but i do like power steering... my truck will be "semi-rat rod"... and i'm on a budget since i'm retired... i also want to emphasize chevy parts... no Fword stuff at all on it even if it's free!!!... sorta the old mixed with a bit of new to make it drivable in modern traffic... therefore my "wearable" parts would be relatively easy to replace even though chevy parts never wear out... i'll get to work on those drawings...
ya'll take it easy...
bill

Hi Bill,
Did you see the articale that ran in Classic trucks some time ago.
http://www.classictrucksweb.com/tech/0308cl_straightaxle/

Hey, HillCity,

I have a Corvette-powered '59 Apache pickup with solid axle and drag-link steering. I decided to install the original GM type of PS, namely the add-on 'linkage' type. I used C-3 Corvette components which are close to the '50s truck PS design and are readily available. I fabbed up a new adjustable drag-link by attaching the Vette valve-body and Vette cross-rod to a mid-70s Dodge 1-ton truck left-hand tie-rod end and adjuster (I had to thread the Vette cross-link rod with RH threads). I attached one end of the power ram to the driver's side of the solid axle with a simple bracket and the business end of the ram to one of those after-market tie-rods with the real tie-rod ends by welding a tie-rod end tapered socket to the tie rod with everything centered. I plumbed new hoses from the PS pump to the valve body and from the valve body to the power ram.

The rig drives easily and steers like a dream! BUT it's also a pain-in-the-arse to get all fabbed up. But then, the stock steering remains and no late-model PS box has to have brackets fabbed up for it.

Regards,

Apache Kid

hey Luggy!!...
i saw that article from Classic Trucks awhile back... my front end is different though so that idea won't work on mine... it seems most everybody is going to IFS set-ups on the '30 chevies... plenty of stuff available for those Fword rigs using straight axles... i figured i'd find something right away but i ain't giving up...
bill w.

I agree with with Apache Kid an adjustible drag link is a must to get everything centered.

I was looking at he drag-link set-up, and even though it is original equipment, it just seems complicated. I like my bolt simple, the less the better. Though I really need power steering.

For those interested, the details for the original '50s GM truck PS system can be viewed at:

http://chevy.tocmp.com/1955truck2shop/55ctsm0913.htm

Regards

i agree jomichael...
i do want to keep it simple especially since i'm doing it myself and i'm sure not much of a mechanic... my basic problem has been finding the right steering box that turns in the right direction and has a suitable mounting flange on it... i really don't plan to do it much differently than chevy did in 1935... i think the power steering would be much smoother and easier to replace parts for than the old '35 chevy box once i found the proper modern steering box... most all steering boxes basically just turn pitman arms in one direction or the other so i need a good safe box anyhow...
perhaps that Toyota box would work... it sure seems so... i wish i could find one to look at around here before i buy one...
thanks...
bill w.

oops...by the way jo...
i forgot yours is a '55 napco 4x4... that's a lot different than my old relic... you would need a different set-up than my old truck... mine is more like you'd find on a big lawnmower... really!!!
take care...
bill