Power steering delete

[pitaSHO]

Has anybody done a manual steering conversion? I'm looking to delete the power steering system; hoses, pump, cooler, resivior, everything. I know one of the weak links is UV joint at the steering rack, but if I vent the rack to the open air with some small PVC filters resistance should be less when sitting still since there is no fluid for resistance. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Chris K.

 

[Ocnaj]

I'm also curious about deleting the power steering safely, and if it's worth it.

Any input?

 

[jelloslug]

Why would you bother? You will save 20 to 30 lbs tops.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Why would you bother? You will save 20 to 30 lbs tops.

^ Agreed, and it would be a b**** to drive.

 

[93rev2sev]

You think it's a PITASHO now...wait till there's no power steering.

 

[zach44102]

If your going for a all out bare bones track car it could be worth it but fabricating a true manual rack into the SHO's subframe would be a pretty time consuming job. I would not reccomend using a PS rack. Although I am curious about what my car would feel like with my PS. its about 300-400 pounds lighter than a stock sho.

 

[pitaSHO]

I have a Honda Civic VX that has manual steering, and while I understand that the gear ratios has a lot to do with it, and the fact that it's a much lighter car, my question was aimed to find if anybody has done this, which I am under the impression someone has, but I don't know who. If not, I'll give it a try and let you know what I find out. If it turns out to be a real pain, I switch it back.

Chris K.

 

[SHOspazz92]

I have never done it , but i can tell you right now that at lower speed corners ans sloloms the sho requires a bit of steering effort and at times does not respond the quickest. I imagin loosing power steering would make this worse. Another thing to consider is tbe strain your going to be putting on the rack that was always desinged to be assisted. Good luck either way.

 

[kevinspann]

A nose heavy car with wide front tires wouldn't be fun to drive with out power steering. There isn't a good simple way to do it. I'd think a custom steering shaft would be in order first...

 

[Phoenix]

On a SHO it would be down right dangerous....

For the sake of the other drivers on the road , dont do it.

 

[SuperHO]

Didn't some earlier models of Taurus come with a manual rack? what about using a Tempo rack with SHO outers?

 

[silverknight]

having driven my sho low on ps fluid when it had a major leak. **** no!!!

 

[LJRuddy]

While going 20 mph, turn off the ignition and try to make a corner. Thats what daily driving will be like.

I've had a rack leak for a while now and when I was out of town for work for 5 days, I came back to a SHO with no PS fluid. I had to drive 3 miles to a gas station to get some and there were some minor turns that I had a hard time navigating. I'd never think about deleting my power steering.

 

[SHOZ123]

You need the Popeye arms.

 

[firebat45]

Driving a normal SHO with low fluid or the engine off/belt disconnected is not the same as driving a SHO with a properly de-powered rack. That said, I think it's a terrible idea for everything besides drag-racing. Street driving or any sort of track use that includes corners, you give up way more than you gain. Being able to react quickly is very important, taking away power steering kills that.

If you're dead set on doing it, don't vent to atmosphere. There are instructions on Flyin' Miata on how to de-power a rack, it's the same concept for any car. Take out the piston seals, and cap off the hose lines. Otherwise you're still trying to force air through a small orifice, and you have the friction of the seals.

 

[sperold]

I am not saying it is a good or bad idea.
If it is set up properly (and that probably means a rack with a different ratio) it will work.
I know it is comparing apples to oranges, but I had a 62 Galaxy with a 406, and a ton of the 5000 lb weight was over the front wheels, and guess what.... it had standard steering. And I don't remember it being a handful to steer.

And just as an aside, the speed shop in my neighborhood just installed power steering (a rack system) on a 1960 Falcon. Not sure what that means, just maybe you always want what you don't have.

 

[pitaSHO]

Does the SHO work well with a stock steering setup with a bad pump? No; I understand this. Will it work with a modified stock rack and system? I don't know. Can a non-powered rack be retrofited to fit a SHO? Probably, but at great cost.

It's mostly about gear ratio and/or resistance, not the weight of the car. I've never corner weighed a full car, but I would imagine that even if 2k lbs was up front that would be a little much. There is also a big difference between static rest and a car in motion.

This is why I posted this, to see if anybody else has done it. Firebat, thanks for the info; I'm going to look into it.

Is it worth it? C'mon, guys; it's a twenty year old family sedan with a sweet motor; resale already sucks, and most really well built cars go for pennies to the dollar. Everybody here knows this is not why we modify or repair or drive these cars. Most other issues, like tire sizes, brake pads, camber/castor, dry or wet NOS, or turbo vs supercharger have been hashed out a million times. I was hoping to tap into something that a few have tried. If not, I will, and if it's not safe, I'll switch it back.

Thanks for the input. :thankyou:

Chris K. :wave:

 

[Whydah91]

For my two cents worth, leave it alone. There were some non-power stering Tauruses, the early L4s {4 bangers]. My '69 Mach1 428CJ is a non-p-s car, 700 lbs of engine right over the front wheels. Don't kid yourself, when I bought that thing new I was a pretty stocky boy, and it took me a year to get used to cranking that wheel around in corners, and you could not turn the wheels sitting still.
Mike

 

[SHOspazz92]

Does the SHO work well with a stock steering setup with a bad pump? No; I understand this. Will it work with a modified stock rack and system? I don't know. Can a non-powered rack be retrofited to fit a SHO? Probably, but at great cost.

It's mostly about gear ratio and/or resistance, not the weight of the car. I've never corner weighed a full car, but I would imagine that even if 2k lbs was up front that would be a little much. There is also a big difference between static rest and a car in motion.

This is why I posted this, to see if anybody else has done it. Firebat, thanks for the info; I'm going to look into it.

Is it worth it? C'mon, guys; it's a twenty year old family sedan with a sweet motor; resale already sucks, and most really well built cars go for pennies to the dollar. Everybody here knows this is not why we modify or repair or drive these cars. Most other issues, like tire sizes, brake pads, camber/castor, dry or wet NOS, or turbo vs supercharger have been hashed out a million times. I was hoping to tap into something that a few have tried. If not, I will, and if it's not safe, I'll switch it back.

Thanks for the input. :thankyou:

Chris K. :wave:

There is 1900 LBS over the front wheels and that's on my EXTREMELY gutted track car that weighs 2840.

-Sam

 

[pitaSHO]

^^^Thanks for the info. :wave:

CK