Update with Impressions: Electric Power Steering Install

[silver_pilate]

I've had this kit sitting on my shelf for a while now but never wanted the car to have down time to install it. Well, when my battery died and with approaching cold weather, I knew it was time to get this done.

Once I finally got the steering shaft removed, I measured 6 times and cut it to remove 9" from the distal shaft. Next I had to get a few couplers welded on. An interesting few interactions with an older gentleman who may have inhaled a bit to much zinc and welding fumes in his day, and I had my two piece steering shaft back. While his conversational skills might have been lacking, he did a decent job on the welding.

https://i.imgur.com/LQf26RJ.jpg

I got the brackets mocked up, drilled, and painted, and installed on the motor.

https://i.imgur.com/iX2xLbn.jpg

I "fabricated" a quick and dirty mount for the control unit by modifying a bit of thick aluminum angle, and I mounted it to the F-panel. After several hours of getting the electrical hooked up, it's finally installed. Power and chassis ground go to the controller along with a few wires from an adjustment knob mounted in the cabin. The adjustment knob gets wired into a keyed 12V and chassis ground, and the motor plugs into the controller box. Overall, it's a simple, if time consuming install.

https://i.imgur.com/0OuvLLN.jpg

I'll tidy up wiring a bit more once it gets warmer. I just got the new battery installed, but I haven't fired things up to test function just yet, and it will be at least a week before I can take a drive with the cold and ice/snow coming in. Once I verify that things work correctly and get a few blocks in it, I'm going to take it in for a professional alignment all around.

Looking forward to warmer weather, easier parking lots, and more settled highway cruising.

[OSU Cowboy]

Thank you for sharing. Excellent post.

[juddster]

Thank you for posting. I'm about to buy the same unit for mine. I may have some questions for you later.

[Lickity-Split]

I usually like to see a couple of rosette welds 180 degrees apart through 1/4" holes drilled into the sides of the couplers bonding them additionally to the shafts.

The old guy's conversation sounds "interesting", but his welds look good.

[silver_pilate]

Glad to answer any questions I can that come up. I did have a snag I had to work around. I ran my brake lines under the 3/4" tube, and that is where the steering motor mounts. The included mounting bracket is a piece of channel sized to fit over the 3/4 tube, and the way the bracket was constructed, I would have had to re-route the lines without modification. Well, I HATE working with brake lines, and since this car doesn't leak, I wasn't going to mess with it. So looking at the bracket, there appeared to be plenty of strength built in, so I cut a channel to allow it slip over the brake lines. I'll be keeping an eye on it, and will fabricate something different if needed.

https://i.imgur.com/uSSDrRq.jpg

[Big Blocker]

Very professional looking install. You have great fab skills RE: the mount bracket.

Very interested in the first impression . . .

Doc

[CFranks]

Very nice install. I installed the exact same e-powersteering solution last winter, only difference is I extended the sensor wires to put the control unit behind the dash.

I put about 1000 gel-coat miles on it last season. It's awesome, really glad I did it and much cleaner solution vs. hydraulic especially if you already have a manual setup.

[silver_pilate]

I'm glad you're liking it. I am looking forward to seeing how it feels for sure, especially once I get the alignment adjusted to more aggressive power-steering numbers. I went manual for the same reason: no pump and lines cluttering up the bay.

[Joe Campbell]

I'm installing the same kit, and a few details are missing from the wiring diagrams they included. For the battery cable plug assembly you have to assemble to go into the ECU in the left big slot, which is the positive and which is ground? Did your instructions specify?
142516

[silver_pilate]

I was able to find a wiring instructions on the website for the universal kit as I couldn't find the one that was supposed to come with the kit, and it had a drawn figure of the plug showing the arrangement. Red on "top" of the plug closest to the locking tab.

https://i.imgur.com/Eb47jdo.jpg

[Nigel Allen]

Hi Joe,
The polarity of the power input plug is the same orientation as the motor plug. Like Silver Pilate, I managed to find this on their website, would have been helpful if it was included with the kit.
I just installed this product on my right hand drive roadster and did a little write up on this forum. You guys are going to love the improvement in driving that this EPAS delivers.

Cheers Nigel

[Joe Campbell]

Thanks! My instructions don't have the plug illustration. Excited to try it out when the weather warms back up here!

[Nigel Allen]

I'll take care of the testing. Summer over here and perfect driving weather.

[silver_pilate]

I cleaned up the wiring a bit and then realized I forgot the fuse in the power run, so I added that in.

https://i.imgur.com/LOOQ2CQ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9pJt5ge.jpg

I switched the battery switch back on, and with the adjustment all the way down, the relay worked as it was supposed to (clicked on and then back off after about 10 seconds). I then slowly turned up the adjustment a small amount until the relay clicked back on, which represents the lowest amount of assist. The EPAS worked like a charm. Then I maxed the assist, and wow! It works great. Can't wait to get it on the road and then adjust the alignment.

Maybe when it's not dumping snow and headed toward below zero temps with wind blowing 30-40 and -30 wind chills. :eek:

When I switched the battery back on, I discovered that my fan thermo switch has crapped out since the fan immediately kicked on, even though it was 30 degrees in the shop and the engine dead cold. Turns out the top of the switch has broken loose and is rattling around in the housing. Always something ;)

[CraigS]

RE; generally you can get about 6.5 deg of + caster w/o modding the UCA rear sleeves. For anyone who wants more caster you need to shorten the UCA rear sleeve. I am glad to do that on my lathe if you would like for $10 to cover return shipping. email me at craigstuard at comcast dot net. Put FFR as the subject so I don't delete an email from an unfamiliar name.

[silver_pilate]

I completed the alignment tonight along with re-greasing the front suspension. I used my caster camber gauge and toe plates that I've had, but I also picked up some turn plates, and man, they make a world of difference. I set caster at 7.5, camber at -0.5, and toe-in at 3/32."

https://i.imgur.com/ms6JexV.jpg

I also mounted the adjustment knob for the EPAS on the far left dash by the door so it's close to hand for adjustments.

All that's left is to fix my thermo switch (coming in Monday) and take it for a test drive.

Oh, and one more thing: the 4-post lift with trolly/bridge jack makes this an actually enjoyable job. Huge, huge difference.

[silver_pilate]

First Impressions:

In spite of not having my fan thermo switch (USPS delays), I took the cobra out for some test driving. It was in the low 40s, and I have a manual fan override, so no worries.

I was most concerned about driving stability at speed as with the manual steering and conservative alignment, the car was a bit twitchy, especially on worn or bumpy pavement. It wasn't hard before, but definitely required close attention to keep it centered. If the pavement was smooth, there wasn't much of an issue; however, I never had confidence heading around curves on narrow roads at speed because of the twitchiness.

Now? Wow! What a difference. It's obviously not the EPAS alone that is creating the difference, but the power steering alignment. I think, too, that having the turn plates really helped me nail my home alignment. The car is very steady, both in a straight line and around corners. I took it to roads that specifically have given me more issues in the past, and it performed great. I felt confident meeting oncoming traffic around a specific curve on a narrow two lane road for the first time. It's not that I ever had an issue with staying in a lane, but taking the slight twitchiness away makes all the difference in the world in steering confidence.

There might be a *slight* loss of road feel through the steering wheel, but not much, if any. Mainly, while you still feel the road, the steering wheel isn't being nudged quite so firmly by every bump.

I was never really that concerned with slow speed steering effort, and I figured the ease of steering would be a pleasant bonus for the at-speed stability. That said, it is MUCH easier to drive around town. Its much easier to take off form a stop around a corner, and the driving stability is just as apparent around town as it is on the highway. Much, much easier to just drive and enjoy the car at slow speeds.

Overall, I've very pleased with the performance so far. My steering wheel is off center by about 10 degrees, but with the added steering couplers and splines on the motor shaft, that will be an easy fix for a warmer night when I don't have to give the 4-year old a bath. I still like the lack of clutter in the engine bay, so on the next build, I will likely go electric again, though I'm open to a traditional pump as well if I can make it look right.

I only have the assist turned up 1/4, and that's plenty for easy steering around town and in parking lots. Here is where I mounted the steering assist adjustment knob:

https://i.imgur.com/QtRom6d.jpg