1964 Power Steering Query.

[malbaby]

I find that my PS is a little too light at the steering wheel.
Is there an easy way of modifying the pressure to obtain more feel...eg fitting an inline adjustable power steering flow valve??

[sleeper bird]

you must have something binding,or a pump issue.

[RAVEN]

I am not one to preach modifications. Birds were known to be Light in the steering and are not like cars of today with the sport rally suspensions.
I am not sure whether installing a hydraulic flow valve will give you the needed changes you wish for. You may sacrifice low speed assist to obtain high speed firmness. A very quick test is to change the input pulley on the power steering pump, at a cost I am unable to say, nor tell you the ratio change. At least you will not be cutting lines or modifying things drastically.
I also feel this post needs to move to the modified section where you may get better results of information and input.

[malbaby]

Thanks Guys....the pump is the Eaton type, and not enough space for a larger pulley.
Fitting a larger pulley onto the crankshaft is problematic also.

[RAVEN]

Also remember to take the hydraulic wipers into consideration. You lower the volume, you lower their speed.

[bbogue]

FWIW, I noticed right away when I received my 61 7 years ago that the steering was extremely light and that the steering wheel did not return to straight on its own after a turn. Replacing the power steering pump and steering gearbox did not help but did eliminate leaks. An alignment didn’t help either. After educating myself a bit on alignment I learned that positive caster might help but many had not been able to achieve this on our cars. The shop manual seemed to contradict itself. I purchased a hotrod do-it-yourself alignment tool and reset the alignment myself. I discovered that the adjustment slots in the 2 strut rods were of different lengths. After using a die grinder on 1 of them I was able to get a slight bit of positive caster. The steering wheel now returns to straight ahead after turns and there is more effort required when turning. I hope my experience helps you.

Happy New Year. Please stay safe.

Bill

[Tbirdgul]

Bill,

It would great if you did a write up on this. My steering feels notchy, especially when turning. Feels like there is pressuring and then goes light. Making me constantly correct the steering. I added a thicker anti sway bar that’s made it much more driveable. I would just like to drive in a straight line without worrying about taking my eyes off the road. Cheers, Tony

[bbogue]

TBird,
If by twitchy steering you mean loose motion in the steering wheel you might be in need a a rebuilt steering gearbox. I had loose motion and leakage. Many here, myself included, replaced these with rebuilt ones from Redhead Steering out of WA state. Their process is an improvement on the design and takes all the loose motion out of the gearbox. Pricey but worth it in my opinion. Removal/reinstallation however is a big job. Heavy, maybe 40 lbs. Anyone attempting this should go slow and be mindful of safety. I used a sturdy hickory pole and rope as a winch to lower/raise my gearbox. The ends of the pole were laid on towels across the corner of the engine bay. Some interferences to be removed. It required several days of soaking the rusty nuts on the exhaust with PBBlaster before I could remove this interference. I replaced the nuts with brass, by the way.
Tracking left or right might just be an alignment toe in/out issue. There are videos of the “string” method on line. With the steering wheel straight ahead, I set up jack stands at the front and rear of my car and ran strings between them, adjusting so the strings were parallel to the wheels. An arbitrary distance from the center of the wheels, 4” or so, was chosen with the rear wheels each 1/2” further from the string than the front since the rear track is 1” narrower than the front. I believe yours is the same. I then took measurements from the front and rear of the front wheels, compared them, and adjusted the tie rods a little at a time until there was about 1/8” total toe in.
A search on this forum will likely reveal more alignment assistance.

Best of luck.

Bill

[bbogue]

Tony,
It might also be beneficial to have the front suspension gone over, looking for loose, worn parts.

Bill

[Tbirdgul]

Thanks Bill. As always a wealth of knowledge and experience. I had all the rubber bushings tie rod ends replaced a couple years back. I also replaced the rag joint and also got an alignment right after. That being said, it might be a good idea to get it up on the lift somewhere and verify everything is measured and tight. I may also take your suggestion to toe in the front, if it’s not done already. I also just ordered a new steering hose, since mine had insulation cracks all over and looked like several pieces put together. I have my doubts the cable is causing this issue, it needed to be done. To better describe the steering situation, going straight, the steering is very light with about 2-3 inches of play. When turning right or left, there is resistance but it doesn’t feel constant. It’s there for a while, but make a minor adjustment and the resistance point seems to have moved ever so slightly. I hope it doesn’t need a new steering box or pump, but I’ll have to see. Thanks Tony

[joelhutchison]

Your description sounds like the worm gear preload in the steering box is off but that is usually a manual gear box adjustment. I don't know if the power units have that adjustment. On some of the older vehicles I've driven over the years we called it bump steer because there was a noticeable gap between contact left and contact right so you'd "bump" it left and then "bump" it right to keep it going down the road. It's not really fun or safe. If that
is the problem and there isn't an adjustment on the power unit it may be time to rebuild or replace. I just looked at a picture of a rebuilt unit for a 64 and it looks like it has the screw/nut adjustment on the plate with the 5 bolts but I can't really be sure without more research. I don't know if I'd monkey with it unless you can find that information first or find someone who has rebuilt one of them. Anyway, just spit ballin.

[bbogue]

Tony,
There are some adjustments shown in the shop manual for my 61. Maybe in yours, too. I never tried them as the combination of loose play (similar to yours) and leakage meant a rebuild/replacement was in order. The rebuilder I mentioned earlier made it clear that their units take out all play and no further adjustment can be made. Your 2-3 inches of play doesn’t seem like an adjustment issue and it’s probably unsafe to drive. If there’s a shop or local guy who works on old cars you might ask their advice. Sorry to post this but I think you’re headed for rebuild/replacement. If that’s where you end up PLEASE be careful if you do it yourself. Working below a 40 lb blob of iron can be dangerous.

Bill

P.S. - Again, Redhead Steering for a rebuilt steering box is the only way to go IMHO. This job is too difficult and expensive to waste time or $ on a poor rebuild.

[georgemii]

As mentioned in 2 previous posts, adjustment of worm to rack preload

may be in order. Shop manual outlines procedure; section 2 of group 3.

Not a common adjustment, but not difficult.

Might be worth a try before getting into heavy, expensive efforts.

[bbogue]

As mentioned in 2 previous posts, adjustment of worm to rack preload

may be in order. Shop manual outlines procedure; section 2 of group 3.

Not a common adjustment, but not difficult.

Might be worth a try before getting into heavy, expensive efforts.

I hope George is on to something. I don’t see how it can hurt to try this.

Bill

[Tbirdgul]

Right on guys!! I’ll read up on it and see if it’s something that improves the steering response. Stay tuned.