Power steering on a 68 4x4 burb

[southern parts]

I have an old factory 4x4 burb with the closed knuckle front. Manual steering. Does anything special need to be done to add power steering? I have a PS box for a 4x4 but notice the pitman arm comes out in a different location. The burb is a 68.

[Bigdav160]

Looking in the GM heritage center literature, power steering wasn't available on 4x4's prior to 1969. It was available in 2WD with ram/slave arrangement like on C2/C3 Corvettes.

There's a pic floating around that is suppose to be a '68 4WD with PS (unicorn) but the frame rails don't look like C10/20 frame rails to me.

I have no idea what it would take to retrofit a later 4x4 power steering setup to your truck. I imagine someone has done it.

[Bigdav160]

It took a while but I found the picture of the unicorn:



67-68 4x4 steering box has the sector shaft coming off the side rather than the bottom. Certainly the drag link and box are different in the later models.

[richard2717]

I had this link saved

https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=762033

.

['68OrangeSunshine]

I screwed up my '67 K/10 Suburban trying to put later-model power steering on it. Had to restore the manual system, but I let the mechanic cut the OEM Drag link, and it never steered right after that. It took 5 lanes to make a 180* U-turn.
The only way I'd do it now, would be to get an open knuckle D44 front end off a 71-72 Blazer and swap the whole thing over. That way, you get power disc brakes, too.

[southern parts]

i will probably end up going that way too

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by southern parts

i will probably end up going that way too

Good choice. Don't let some know-it-alls who only have a 2WD tell you "all you need to do is dimple the mounting holes in the frame.'' C trucks and K trucks are different animals.
The '67-'68 Power Assisted Steering used hydraulic booaters over a manual system. Used for a long time after on Corvettes because of limited space.
But because it's Corvette-related the prices on that gear are astronomical.

GM used the same Dana 44 front differential with P/S and Power Disc Brakes well into the '80s, I think. So you're not just hunting for Early Blazers. Any K/10 truck will work, in the right era.

The other option is to "Man Up'' and get used to Armstrong Steering.
Keep the stock GM wheel. You won't get any leverage with a tiny Grant wheel [and I've had them come loose in my hands -- in traffic].
I wrapped my steering wheel in foam pipe insulation [3/4'' ID] (once called "Donkey D!ck'') and wrapped it in black friction tape. After a week the black stopped coming off my hands, but I could really slap that wheel around a turn without bruising my metacarpals.
After all the "Greatest Generation" didn't have any sissy Power Steering when they won WW II driving Deuce-and-a-Half GMC trucks. That's 2-1/2 times bigger than a K/10. And no one is shooting at you.
Good hunting.