Thought I should start a thread on this subject, as some of you may have interest in this "upgrade". Most of you probably won't have any interest, so please just ignore it if you like. I don't advocate that anyone should install anything non standard on their car if they prefer to not do so, but some people get their jollies by doing just that. I call them hot rodders, you can call them whatever you like.
Many of these older cars just don't have power steering, many of us don't appreciate the strong arm method all that much. Installing power steering can be done, but it can be a really big job a) finding all the parts to install it, and b) doing the actual installation. There are several approaches to power steering, and at one point Studebaker even did a fully mechanical version. Most use a hydraulic system, with either a conventional steering gear that has hydraulic assist incorporated into it, or a rack and pinion setup with the same. A lot of cars built in the last 10-15 years, are using a totally different approach. Electric Power Assist Steering, or EPAS.
EPAS is a very clean system, having no fluids, hoses, pumps servos, etc. to deal with. It resides totally under the dash of the subject vehicle. I simply senses when one is turning the steering wheel and an electric motor assists to reduce turning effort. It can also utilize other inputs to control how much assist is provides, such as how fast the car is moving. The faster you go, the less assist you may need, however, when stopped, as in parking, you may wish to have quite a bit of assist. Like all other steering assist methods used for street driven vehicles, there is a fail-safe, so if the assist unit fails, you fall back to manual steering, unhindered by the EPAS. That is, it steers just as it did without the installation of EPAS.
Through online searches, I've found that there are several companies selling complete kits for installation of EPAS in most any vehicle. These kits are quite expensive, but in some cases they can be a total plug n play install, meaning they are customized to specific vehicles. You are probably looking at $1500 - $3000, but it just bolts in and works. To the best of my knowledge, no one makes a kit for any Studebaker at this time.
SO, DIY becomes the word of the day, and that is what this topic is about. Do It Yourself Electric power Steering for a Studebaker. Knowing that I am a CASO Studebaker owner, I suspect that there are others of the same ilk, who would like a much cheaper solution, and the good news is that it is now available. For about $150 - $200, you can add power steering to pretty much any 12V car. This topic will go into much more detail as my installation proceeds, but basically, we are going to use a small $60 electronic module, available on EBay, and a used EPAS unit from a Saturn Vue, also available on EBay, for a little over $100. We will have to cut the steering column, and hide this unit under the dash, and the cutting and installation is what will be covered by me here. Warning, I have obtained the parts, (module = $55, EPAS unit $110), but will not begin the install for a month or more, due to other commitments, but I wanted to start the discussion to see if there is any interest, ideas, thoughts, etc. on this subject.
NOTE: It would not be helpful to post things like "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", or "keep it stock", or "it is not safe to mess with your steering", etc. If those are your comments, I encourage you to simply be polite, and avoid this topic. For those interested, it's their money, their vehicle, and they can and should do as they please. Thank you for cooperating on this point.
Many of these older cars just don't have power steering, many of us don't appreciate the strong arm method all that much. Installing power steering can be done, but it can be a really big job a) finding all the parts to install it, and b) doing the actual installation. There are several approaches to power steering, and at one point Studebaker even did a fully mechanical version. Most use a hydraulic system, with either a conventional steering gear that has hydraulic assist incorporated into it, or a rack and pinion setup with the same. A lot of cars built in the last 10-15 years, are using a totally different approach. Electric Power Assist Steering, or EPAS.
EPAS is a very clean system, having no fluids, hoses, pumps servos, etc. to deal with. It resides totally under the dash of the subject vehicle. I simply senses when one is turning the steering wheel and an electric motor assists to reduce turning effort. It can also utilize other inputs to control how much assist is provides, such as how fast the car is moving. The faster you go, the less assist you may need, however, when stopped, as in parking, you may wish to have quite a bit of assist. Like all other steering assist methods used for street driven vehicles, there is a fail-safe, so if the assist unit fails, you fall back to manual steering, unhindered by the EPAS. That is, it steers just as it did without the installation of EPAS.
Through online searches, I've found that there are several companies selling complete kits for installation of EPAS in most any vehicle. These kits are quite expensive, but in some cases they can be a total plug n play install, meaning they are customized to specific vehicles. You are probably looking at $1500 - $3000, but it just bolts in and works. To the best of my knowledge, no one makes a kit for any Studebaker at this time.
SO, DIY becomes the word of the day, and that is what this topic is about. Do It Yourself Electric power Steering for a Studebaker. Knowing that I am a CASO Studebaker owner, I suspect that there are others of the same ilk, who would like a much cheaper solution, and the good news is that it is now available. For about $150 - $200, you can add power steering to pretty much any 12V car. This topic will go into much more detail as my installation proceeds, but basically, we are going to use a small $60 electronic module, available on EBay, and a used EPAS unit from a Saturn Vue, also available on EBay, for a little over $100. We will have to cut the steering column, and hide this unit under the dash, and the cutting and installation is what will be covered by me here. Warning, I have obtained the parts, (module = $55, EPAS unit $110), but will not begin the install for a month or more, due to other commitments, but I wanted to start the discussion to see if there is any interest, ideas, thoughts, etc. on this subject.
NOTE: It would not be helpful to post things like "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", or "keep it stock", or "it is not safe to mess with your steering", etc. If those are your comments, I encourage you to simply be polite, and avoid this topic. For those interested, it's their money, their vehicle, and they can and should do as they please. Thank you for cooperating on this point.
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