Powered steering upgrade
Discussion
Hi all
Has anyone fitted powered steering to a none PS Wedge? I drove a car today with PS and must admit I preferred it. I would also have a chance then of getting Mrs Yates to drive it back from the Pub on Sunny days
If so any idea what parts are needed and how much it would cost?
Cheers Karl.
Has anyone fitted powered steering to a none PS Wedge? I drove a car today with PS and must admit I preferred it. I would also have a chance then of getting Mrs Yates to drive it back from the Pub on Sunny days
If so any idea what parts are needed and how much it would cost?
Cheers Karl.
Hi Karl , I was told they come from cortina mk5 2.3 diesel , if so not that many made , on the road or in scrap yards. Big bay had a whole system for a wedge for sale some time back, but it looked rough and was eight and two noughts. Yet another rare set of parts to find, hence not many wedges wear them. Anyway is the yellow peril playing your tune now you've give it some love and parts?
NOT A DIESEL.... The power rack and its pump etc come from a 2.3 Cortina Mk4/5. (Also a V6 Cologne block)
As it's a Cologne block, the brackets etc will fit perfectly on a 2.8 wedge, but depending upon year and options, the PS pump fouls the Wedge air filter setup, which comes from a Ford Granada 2.8. Before Zig argues, I'll say that quite a few wedge photos show a TVR modded setup which uses a PS pump from somewhere else (a BL Montego ?? .. something like that), but if you can find a 2.8 Capri air box, they are a LOT smaller, and might allow you to fit the original Ford bracketry and pump.
The rack isn't a straight fit to early wedges either, as the PS rack has a much larger 'shaft' to contain all the PS valves, and it will foul the early chassis. You need to make a 'dent' or cut out in the right place. Aparently later chassis had this dent as standard ? The rack mountings etc ARE the same though, as are the track rod ends etc.
I know this much as my 1982 wedge has both the chassis fouling and the airbox fouling, from thinking about an upgrade !!
Now, unconfirmed rumour has it that the Granada MkII rack is actually the same centre but with longer track rods, and will be a lot more common, It can be used as a 'make up' kit, but you will be the first to prove that, as far as I know anyway ....
Hope this helps, don't know what the V8 engines used as a PS pump....but rack was the same 2.3 one.
As it's a Cologne block, the brackets etc will fit perfectly on a 2.8 wedge, but depending upon year and options, the PS pump fouls the Wedge air filter setup, which comes from a Ford Granada 2.8. Before Zig argues, I'll say that quite a few wedge photos show a TVR modded setup which uses a PS pump from somewhere else (a BL Montego ?? .. something like that), but if you can find a 2.8 Capri air box, they are a LOT smaller, and might allow you to fit the original Ford bracketry and pump.
The rack isn't a straight fit to early wedges either, as the PS rack has a much larger 'shaft' to contain all the PS valves, and it will foul the early chassis. You need to make a 'dent' or cut out in the right place. Aparently later chassis had this dent as standard ? The rack mountings etc ARE the same though, as are the track rod ends etc.
I know this much as my 1982 wedge has both the chassis fouling and the airbox fouling, from thinking about an upgrade !!
Now, unconfirmed rumour has it that the Granada MkII rack is actually the same centre but with longer track rods, and will be a lot more common, It can be used as a 'make up' kit, but you will be the first to prove that, as far as I know anyway ....
Hope this helps, don't know what the V8 engines used as a PS pump....but rack was the same 2.3 one.
Edited by RCK974X on Thursday 14th March 20:02
Mr Tank said:
Hi Karl
You could look at the systems you can add to the car to make you system into a PAS with the use of electric PAS.
Zig is looking at a PAS system and between you its possable that you can get things together!
Andy
Thanks AndyYou could look at the systems you can add to the car to make you system into a PAS with the use of electric PAS.
Zig is looking at a PAS system and between you its possable that you can get things together!
Andy
That's not a bad idea. Just been looking for bits on the Bay and its a mine field. I'm hoping to have a look at a later S2 350i with PS at the regional meet next month. So can at least get an idea of what I need.
Karl
I think the PAS on the 350i uses an SD1 pump?, Probably with a TVR fabricated bracket as was with the 280i....I have given up on my PAS and have decided to remove it to make room for a slightly smaller alternator to be fitted on the N/S of the engine..There will be a small bit of fabricating needed but not as much as if i decided to change the S/C bracket on the O/S..Unfortunately the rack is already spoken for...Ziga
This is a conversion from non-P/S to P/S using the MK5 Cortina rack. Some say you have to cut out the diagonal strut but as you can see it is possible to fit it with the strut.
As stated below you do need to take a small 'nick' out of the chassis as below. The bolt holes for the rack mountings also need to be larger.
The biggest problem will be finding a U/J to fit the P/S rack. The Cortina doesn't use a U/J and the rack is an odd size.
I started fitting this a few years back but due to problems getting hold of a U/J I put the manual rack back and haven't got round to finishing it...but hopefully this year.
I can't help much with the pump stuff as my engine is completely different to the V8 or V6.
Cheers Steve
As stated below you do need to take a small 'nick' out of the chassis as below. The bolt holes for the rack mountings also need to be larger.
The biggest problem will be finding a U/J to fit the P/S rack. The Cortina doesn't use a U/J and the rack is an odd size.
I started fitting this a few years back but due to problems getting hold of a U/J I put the manual rack back and haven't got round to finishing it...but hopefully this year.
I can't help much with the pump stuff as my engine is completely different to the V8 or V6.
Cheers Steve
RCK974X said:
NOT A DIESEL.... The power rack and its pump etc come from a 2.3 Cortina Mk4/5. (Also a V6 Cologne block)
Certainly does. ISTR the pump is mounted the wrong way round, on the RHS of the engine but forward of the drive pulleys...?RCK974X said:
...quite a few wedge photos show a TVR modded setup which uses a PS pump from somewhere else (a BL Montego ?? ..
Hope this helps, don't know what the V8 engines used as a PS pump....but rack was the same 2.3 one.
I have heard it's an SD1 pump. It's definitely a Hobourn-Eaton as used on several BL cars. I have a spare pump and was told by the guy who gave me it that it was from a Montego. It's identical to the ?SD1 pump on my 390SE apart from having a shorter filler neck.Hope this helps, don't know what the V8 engines used as a PS pump....but rack was the same 2.3 one.
There are also two mounting methods usually used on the Wedge: one places the PAS pump low down on the LHS of the engine, the other uses a TVR-bodgified heavy steel bracket to hang the pump off the front of the LH cylinder head. My car has the latter, the bracket is so distorted the pulley isn't quite in line with the belt run, maybe that's part of the reason the belt jumped off in the middle lane of the M1 en route to the 'Fest a couple of years back...
RCK974X said:
Now, unconfirmed rumour has it that the Granada MkII rack is actually the same centre but with longer track rods, and will be a lot more common...
Funnily enough I was watching a complete Granada 2 front crossmember complete with suspension and PAS rack on Ebay last week; I think it went for about 50 quid. I saved and enlarged the photos but I couldn't convince myself it was the same rack as on the Cortina.However, I believe the Cortina rack is fitted with Granada track rods in the Wedge application; certainly my rack had been 'worked on' prior to my ownership as the locking rings had been welded rather than re-drilled and pinned
Its definately an SD1 pump thats used.
There are plenty on ebay but this one has a bracket with it
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-SD1-Vitesse-V8-pow...
My car is tucked away in a cosy place at the moment and so I cannot confirm whether this bracket is the same as mine or fits a wedge
There are plenty on ebay but this one has a bracket with it
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-SD1-Vitesse-V8-pow...
My car is tucked away in a cosy place at the moment and so I cannot confirm whether this bracket is the same as mine or fits a wedge
adam quantrill said:
Power steering is "more fun" especially when flicking the back end around mini roundabouts and the like.
Not sure I agree Adam, but I've never driven a wedge with power steering so will reserve judgement till I do. The steering on my old 280i FHC was much more "alive" than my 350i S1. However this might be as my 350i was running wheels that had a slightly greater offset. I've now changed these to standard but haven't driven it enough yet to decided if it's now more sensitive. I did read somewhere TVR changed the geometry on later cars a bit to reduce the sensitivity.
Apart from parking is it really such a big deal?
Regarding your search for a suitable Universal joint - I recall a maestro has a double UJ shaft close to the pedal box, I think even a metro may have a similar shaft and the splines are the same as a ford rack (well all ford racks I've tried - Mk2 escort and sierra..)
Personall if you have a manual rack fitted I'd go for a corsa B/C Column conversion plus a ebay controller module linky
Personall if you have a manual rack fitted I'd go for a corsa B/C Column conversion plus a ebay controller module linky
Edited by B@man on Friday 15th March 12:43
Yatesy350i said:
Hi Kev
Yep the yellow peril is great. Really chuffed with it, but it does like to have bits changed. On to rear suspension nod bearings now. Good fun though. How you getting on with the Was350?
Karl
Good good, well I will have " Was" down to every nut and bolt within the next 2 months, so I can take part numbers of the powersteerin parts of a v8, but they all look standard something to me.,... Yes it's all coming along quite nice, but my plan of end of may finish now looks end of June, but want to be finished for bbwf and a few other shows and short breaks. I've posted updates on fb problem is life gets in the way.Yep the yellow peril is great. Really chuffed with it, but it does like to have bits changed. On to rear suspension nod bearings now. Good fun though. How you getting on with the Was350?
Karl
Wedg1e - Yes, I've seen a few variations on bracketry around PS pumps, alternators, and even aircon compressors.... Not only TVR models, but also in various kits in my time.
In quite a few kits with the 2.8 installed instead of an L4 (Pinto or Xflow) the original alternator position gets in the way, and it's easy to cut and reweld it to move alternator up, to a similar place as in the Essex. I remember vaguely that setup then used a Volvo fanbelt ??
SEvans - great photos - I'll keep a copy of them !!
In quite a few kits with the 2.8 installed instead of an L4 (Pinto or Xflow) the original alternator position gets in the way, and it's easy to cut and reweld it to move alternator up, to a similar place as in the Essex. I remember vaguely that setup then used a Volvo fanbelt ??
SEvans - great photos - I'll keep a copy of them !!
For a reference: Here is my 390SE power steering rack. This is - what I think is - a Cortina type rack.
Comparing the photo earlier up confuses me, as my rack looks different. Mine is a Ford unit, as it has got the Ford oval logo on it.
Makes me think: Have I seen more than one type of the Cortina rack...
Comparing the photo earlier up confuses me, as my rack looks different. Mine is a Ford unit, as it has got the Ford oval logo on it.
Makes me think: Have I seen more than one type of the Cortina rack...
Edited by SporttiJanne on Saturday 16th March 07:17
SporttiJanne said:
For a reference: Here is my 390SE power steering rack. This is - what I think is - a Cortina type rack.
Comparing the photo earlier up confuses me, as my rack looks different. Mine is a Ford unit, as it has got the Ford oval logo on it.
Yep, that looks like the one on my 390 too.Comparing the photo earlier up confuses me, as my rack looks different. Mine is a Ford unit, as it has got the Ford oval logo on it.
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