Steering: 1951 2r5 pickup power steering

[jrcastagnola]

I recently purchased a beautiful 1951 2r5 pickup truck with the correct 170 cubic inch straight six flat head engine. and a new member to the . I would like some thoughts/advice on adding power steering as I am a new member to the Studebaker Driver's Club. Thank you.

[rbisacca]

I recently purchased a beautiful 1951 2r5 pickup truck with the correct 170 cubic inch straight six flat head engine. and a new member to the . I would like some thoughts/advice on adding power steering as I am a new member to the Studebaker Driver's Club. Thank you.

My thought is WHY ? I've owned a few 2r5s and found them to be very easy to steer. My advice is to make sure you have no mechanical issues and have the proper tires.

[r1lark]

Check into mid-1990s Jeep Cherokee power steering boxes, see how they may fit. A friend converted a fairly new Jeep Cherokee to RHC about 25 - 30 years ago for his wife to use in her Post Office route, then used the original LHC box in his early '50s R-series truck. You would have to make brackets to adapt the pump to the engine, maybe would have to add another pulley to the crankshaft front to drive the pump.

[RadioRoy]

This is my opinion.

The first thing to do, before modifying the design, is to make sure everything is up to snuff. Make sure all the bearings and bushings have no excess free play, everything is greased, everything is properly aligned.

Also, what type/size tires are on this truck?

Studebaker designs are good and solid. If it steers too hard, do not assume that it needs to be redesigned.

Oversized tires can affect steering effort. So can loose, out of tolerance bushings and other parts. Grease that has hardened over the years can make it harder to steer.

When a person is new to Studebakers, there is always the thought that a Studebaker truck is crappy and parts of it need to be redesigned, or replaced with parts from other brands of cars. That might be OK if you are a qualified truck suspension engineer/designer, but the average mechanic need only bring the steering back to factory specification to have a reasonably well steering vehicle.

[StudeRich]

I have found that Stude. Trucks do not like Fat Radial Tires or actually ANY Radial Tires! It may "Track" better, but is near impossible to Turn below 5 MPH.

[jackb]

re-read #5 post...... if you prefer a power assist driving experience, check out dropping the body on another platform...

[jrcastagnola]

Thank you for the information. My truck is mechanically sound and the tire size is 225/75-16 BFG Long Trail tires.

[62champ]

Thank you for the information. My truck is mechanically sound and the tire size is 225/75-16 BFG Long Trail tires.

I think you just pointed out the biggest hurdle to your problem - those wide radial tires. The original tires for that truck were 6.00X16 bias ply tires. The original tires were about four inches wide where those 225 are probably more than twice that width and the contact point to the ground is probably even larger than twice that of the bias ply.

Now bias tires are not a magic bullet - they are rougher when they are cold before they warm up, these will follow lines/joints in the road that are parallel to the direction you are traveling, and are probably not the best in a heavy rain/snow.

They do look and ride nice when filled to factory spec air pressure ( rear tires on my '60 Lark were supposed to have 20 lbs - 26 lbs on my 62 half ton) and have a longer shelf life than radials - gave a thirty year old set to a friend to put on his '48 Dodge that still did not have any cracks in the rubber.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[jrcastagnola]

Thank you.

[PackardV8]

I think you just pointed out the biggest hurdle to your problem - those wide radial tires. The original tires for that truck were 6.00X16 bias ply tires. The original tires were about four inches wide where those 225 are probably more than twice that width and the contact point to the ground is probably even larger than twice that of the bias ply.

Welcome to the forum. You've got a classic 1/2-ton truck.

X2 - that's twice the tire your truck should have.

Another thing we need to know is on what wheels are they mounted? The original Studebaker wheels are not really safe with that much tire on them. The oversize radial tire overloads the bead area as well as the mounting center.

jack vines, who ran Michelin 215/85-16 tires on his E12 3/4-ton for thirty years and learned to always have the road wheels rolling slightly before attempting to turn the steering wheel.

[RadioRoy]

jack vines, who ..... learned to always have the road wheels rolling slightly before attempting to turn the steering wheel.

My daddy taught me that when I learned to drive his 1962 Chevrolet way back in the day.

[Skip Lackie]

My daddy taught me that when I learned to drive his 1962 Chevrolet way back in the day.

Yes. I've owned a 62 Impala without power steering since the Kennedy Administration. Parking it can be a bit of a chore, but I learned to cope a long time ago.

[Corbinstein0]

I run radials on mine. same issue. however, I've learned to just put a little pressure, not a lot, on the steering wheel and start the truck rolling. It will turn freely at that point. Don't try to turn the wheel sitting still. Just doesn't work out well.

[52-fan]

My 52 pickup came to me with power steering already installed. I would not have done this myself, but it does make it easier to drive. The turning radius is not as good as my 89 Dodge swb pickup, but it may not have been any better stock.
I know this doesn't answer the original question. I was just adding it for general information. Ultimately, it's your truck and you have to decide if the time and expense will make it better for you.

[PackardV8]

My 52 pickup came to me with power steering already installed. I would not have done this myself, but it does make it easier to drive. The turning radius is not as good as my 89 Dodge swb pickup, but it may not have been any better stock.
I know this doesn't answer the original question. I was just adding it for general information. Ultimately, it's your truck and you have to decide if the time and expense will make it better for you.

If one is installing a PS box with the same motion as the OEM manual box and wants to preserve the original turning radius, selecting the correct length an shape Pittman arm is the way to make it happen.

I made a bracket to bolt on a GM rear-drive big car steering box.


The GM Pittman arm was too short to produce the necessary range of travel. I found an IH which used the GM box, but had a longer and correctly shaped Pittman arm. It bolted right on to the GM box and I reamed the cross link tie rod end taper to match the Studebaker .

jack vines