Buick Skylark/Special Forum - '61, '62, and '63
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manual to power steering conversion

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manual to power steering conversion Empty manual to power steering conversion

Post by 62cutlassconvert Wed Mar 16, 2022 6:54 pm

Used to be manual steering was great. No hp loss, better road feel, could handle the extra effort at stop or 3 point turns. Well 5 years and my hands hurt, injured my shoulder, and it's a pain-literally. So considering a switch to power.

Looks pretty straight forward except for the steering column shaft.
Information on the Steering column shaft is the part I am unsure of at this point.
My manual column does NOT have a rag joint. It has a can like connector between the steering column shaft and the box input shaft that is a small can, lube filled. Looks to me like it won’t interface with the power box rag joint.
-Can you just slip out the column shaft and replace with the pwr steering rag joint shaft?
-Or will the Manual steering shaft adapt to the power steering box?
Has anyone done this and is there something I am missing?

Parts I think are necessary:
-Bottom 2 belt pulley
-Pump with pulley
-Old lines to copy
-Box
-Pwr steering pitman arm
-Idler arm
-Power steering column shaft?

Thanks

62cutlassconvert

Posts : 353
Join date : 2016-06-13
Location : Santa Cruz, CA

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manual to power steering conversion Empty took power off mine

Post by custom880 Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:11 pm

Garage is a mess but might be cleaning this spring I took all the power off the wagon rather have the manual the parts are somewhere and if I stumble over the column I'll check it out for you.
custom880
custom880

Posts : 161
Join date : 2017-01-04

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manual to power steering conversion Empty Re: manual to power steering conversion

Post by keithg Sat May 21, 2022 9:40 am

I kind of did this... My 62 skylark has manual steering and had that 'u joint' in the steering shaft. I rebuilt a manual steering box out of a 63 that had the rag joint connection and had to swap the steering shaft out of the 63's steering column into mine to be able to use the rag joint. My u-joint had play in it and some parts are NLA. Almost impossible to find the replacement cup, the square bearings and the rubber seal. Simlar to some early Pickups and such from late 50s thru early 60s. The rag joint is much nicer. I now have steering without play with a new rag joint. So much nicer to drive w/o free play in the column.
I am almost positive that if you get a steering shaft out of the same car that you get the power steering gearbox, pump and hoses that you will be able to swap the steering shaft into your column. I do not have the car or box here, it may be that the power steering box and the manual steering box have a splined shaft the same length. If so, you could just connect your existing cup to the new PS gearbox and go, but that is dependent on if the top edge of the PS box input shaft being in the same location.

keithg

Posts : 208
Join date : 2015-01-07

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manual to power steering conversion Empty Re: manual to power steering conversion

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