Power or no power steering

[chc1955]

Hello all, I have had my 1972 c30 for just a bit over a year now and I cannot wait to change over to power steering. 8 live in Southern California and the parking lots kill me. The truck has a 292 in it so I have found out that there are some very rare parts on this engine. At least not easily or cheaply sourced. Does anyone know if the 1972 frames were all dimpled?? I am hoping I can make a change this spring.
Cesar

[c1971]

I have a 51, a 66 and a 68, all half ton trucks. They all had manual steering, last year I converted the 66 to power steering since this truck I gave to my wife. It is a 3 on the tree truck and she had a hard time with the manual steering and the 3 on the tree. This is the only column shift truck we have so I didn't want to loose that so decided to convert to power steering. We enjoyed this set up last summer, so I just converted the 68 about two weeks ago, sure is nice when you get in close quarters or parking lots.

[DEAK71C10]

The poor man's power steering "kit" is called a suicide knob, lol. Like said, just keep it rocking or moving a little, and stay outa the cities.

[67ChevyPickupMan]

I definitely know what a suicide knob is.

[zicc1835]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyPickupMan

I definitely know what a suicide knob is.

67chevypickupman where are you located in Jersey?

[RichardJ]

>>The secret to non power steering driving is to get the truck moving before you turn the wheel. Even a 1/2 mph makes it 200% easier to steer.<<

Ya, it's doable, but parallel parking a long bed, 3/4 with descent tires will cause you to loose a pint of sweat on a warm day and you'll look like you're wrestling a bear inside the cab.

Screw originality, these trucks should be fun to drive. The truck shouldn't dictate where you can or can't drive.

I've done a number of changes to my bare bones 3spd truck, but three things I did made it pleasurable to drive anywhere, any time.

The PS as mentioned, even allowed the use of a smaller steering wheel for extra cab room.

Switching the 4.56 gears for 3.54/ posi took me from 60 mph in the slow lane to 75 in the high speed lane. Then I was able to get somewhere.

The AC allowed me to go anywhere on a hot summer afternoon without reeking of sweat.

Interestingly enough, if my 2018 Ram 3500 didn't have F/R ParkSense, I'd probably drive the GMC when going someplace with parking issues.

The GMC is fun to drive and the Ram is quieter and more weather tight. Besides, how many Ram trucks fit on one street or one parking lot.
The GMC is old, beat-up and ugly, but people still ask about it. I like to think that has nothing to do with enjoying driving it.

[67ChevyPickupMan]

Originally Posted by zicc1835

67chevypickupman where are you located in Jersey?

I live in Old Bridge, NJ.

[jabborabbo]

Originally Posted by 68panelman

I'm the odd man out who likes it too, my area is rural and I enjoy the simplicity. My 67 has those same dimples too as Eric's

Originally Posted by Ziegelsteinfaust

The secret to non power steering driving is to get the truck moving before you turn the wheel. Even a 1/2 mph makes it 200% easier to steer.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

These!

[Stocker]

A guy I once worked with bought a new El Camino in 1969. SS396, 375HP, a real runner back in the day. No power steering. Tire selections back then were nothing like they are now. He bought some very wide low profile "Indy tires" for it, with appropriately wide wheels. It was all but impossible for him to park that thing. Sure looked great, though!

[trukman1]

As a young man I started to remove my power steering from my '71 Z/28 thinking it was robbing power.

My Dad pointed out that since I drove the car daily, if I happened to run off the road, with manual steering I wouldn't be able to keep control as the wheel would jerk out of my hands and the car would go wherever it wanted, whereas, with power steering I would have a much better chance of recovering from the incident and keep control, possibly avoiding a rollover or other serious consequence.

Sounds melodramatic but made sense to me then and still does today. Not to mention the ease and comfort of daily driving.

I wouldn't even begin to want to go off-road without power steering whether voluntarily or by accident.

[67ChevyPickupMan]

Originally Posted by trukman1

My Dad pointed out that since I drove the car daily, if I happened to run off the road, with manual steering I wouldn't be able to keep control as the wheel would jerk out of my hands and the car would go wherever it wanted, whereas, with power steering I would have a much better chance of recovering from the incident and keep control, possibly avoiding a rollover or other serious consequence.

I wouldn't even begin to want to go off-road without power steering whether voluntarily or by accident.

I never heard about what could happen if you ran off the road without power steering before but I have heard that it is a good thing to have when going off-roading. For safety and movability.

[weq92f]

.
Going slow downhill over terrain can and will cause the wheel to spin violently and with lots of torque. It will break your thumb or maybe even your arm if the circumstances aligned right. Gotta be aware of what is happening!

-klb
Posted via Mobile Device

[tim_mc]

I just got back from a local parts run in my '67 - I was just telling my wife how much fun it is driving the ol' truck. Power steering is the way to go. A couple of well-placed hits with a 20-lb sledge on the frame rail let the steering gearbox fit nicely along the frame without spacers. I also added a newer 3-1/4 turn steering box used on '73(?) and later trucks and a tilt column from Les (70shortfleet). With the original large steering wheel it steers like a Cadillac.

[Eric Johnson]

Originally Posted by carbon69

Eric, looks like you have the raised pads, but no dimple. My 67 is the same. My plan is to run the cpp 50014 box which works without dimpling the frame, as long as you have the raised pads like yours.

Good to know! I think I’m gonna keep it as is for now though. I live in the country and it’s kind of fun and keeps in character with the old truck.. I used to have a 69 Corvette without power steering so it’s pretty much a piece a cake compared to that. 😆

Happy New Year!

[projectking]

Originally Posted by chewychevy67

My 67 has the old ram style power assist on it so I restored it. It was on it factory so I restored it and put it back on. Soim kind of a little bit of both. Hope I don't regret it as my frame is powder coated and it won't be getting dimpled now. But even so power steering is nice either way and one of the best upgrades to do to your truck.

I also have the ram assist, where did you find the seals?

[Steeveedee]

Originally Posted by trukman1

As a young man I started to remove my power steering from my '71 Z/28 thinking it was robbing power.

My Dad pointed out that since I drove the car daily, if I happened to run off the road, with manual steering I wouldn't be able to keep control as the wheel would jerk out of my hands and the car would go wherever it wanted, whereas, with power steering I would have a much better chance of recovering from the incident and keep control, possibly avoiding a rollover or other serious consequence.

Sounds melodramatic but made sense to me then and still does today. Not to mention the ease and comfort of daily driving.

I wouldn't even begin to want to go off-road without power steering whether voluntarily or by accident.

No offense to you or your dad, but manual steering has a higher mechanical advantage than power steering, and you would have more control under all conditions, because that mechanical advantage would help you resist the wheel turning when hitting boulders, from bump steer.

All my vehicles these days have power assist, at the least. One thing I want to point out is that if the engine quits, the power steering is worse, since you actually have to exert more effort to turn the vehicle. I consider my wife fortunate that she was going down an off ramp and was pretty much stopped when the van we had quit running (fuel pump died) and she managed to steer it to a stop without the power steering and hydraboost braking working.

[zicc1835]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyPickupMan

I live in Old Bridge, NJ.

PM sent almost neighbors

[67ChevyPickupMan]

Got your PM

[Asshat]

Is it possible to upgrade to power steering and get a closer ratio? I have a 63 with a 292; sure would be nice to make it easier to maneuver.

In all cases, do you need to shorten the steer column?
Does this move the steering wheel further away from the driver? This would be nice too, now that I think about it.
Posted via Mobile Device

[zicc1835]

yes you can do both......

[chewychevy67]

Originally Posted by maverickmk

My 80 Corvette had that setup, the ram style power assist. The first thing I did was get rid of it and get a standard power steering gear box.

Did you get rid of it because it did not steer well or because it leaked? Just curious

[Asshat]

Originally Posted by zicc1835

yes you can do both......

So, I should be should be able to find some builds like that here?

[zicc1835]

try 60-66 forum on here and type in ps conversion in the search or put up a post asking for anyone who has converted..... if you don't find it in your search ......good luck let us know how u make out

[zicc1835]

Originally Posted by zicc1835

try 60-66 forum on here and type in ps conversion in the search or put up a post asking for anyone who has converted..... if you don't find it in your search ......good luck let us know how u make out

try this
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=726541

[BRL]

Spent 8 years in the AF as a Construction Equipment Operator and I love manual steering on my truck!

I've had both.

Love to crank the wheel on a hard turn and then release it and let it spin...weeee!

Of course I live in the sticks and never try to parallel park the dang thing.