ELECTRIC POWER STEERING

[Peter Zobian]

Has anyone ever considered Electric Power Steering for their antique car? If so, can anyone comment on the installation, and/or the problems?

[TerryB]

I would suspect it's only available in 12v pos ground systems.  The amount of power in watts it requires might be too much for older auto applications but then again I'm sure it's rather power efficient for today's auto applications.

 

Very interesting concept.

Terry

[Matt Harwood]

I had a 1966 Mustang coupe with electric power steering and it was rather ingenious. I don't think the power requirements were huge, as it used an electric motor at the base of the steering column, not on the linkage under the car. There was a single 12-gauge wire powering the whole system, leading me to believe that power draw wasn't tremendous. It did feel a bit odd, but you would probably get used to it in time and it was effective. I don't see why such a system couldn't be devised with a 6V motor. However, the system did require a custom steering column and a retrofitted rack-and-pinion setup, which might be a problem on an older car. In the Mustang, there are a myriad of aftermarket columns, so they simply adapted one of those and the upside was that it added a tilt function. But that also made it a bit expensive (I think the system was going to be priced at $2500).

 

The company that designed and built the system (this Mustang was their prototype) is Uni-Steer, which is just up the street from the Harwood Motors shop in Twinsburg, Ohio. Maybe get in touch with them and see what they say. This isn't a bad idea at all!

 

 

 

[TerryB]

12v system in a light car like a mustang seems like a doable setup.  In a heavy old car with 6v power, that might be a challenge.  Still, it's probably not impossible.  Time and lots of dollars can make things happen.

 

Terry

[mrspeedyt]

dang. i did not know that such things were available for retro fit. my prius has it and it is weird. butt because of the mpg...  i like it.

[padgett]

My Jeep also has electric steering plus an 180A alternator. Looks like the Mustang has a Delco alternator (CS-144 ?)

[mike6024]