NC-car-guy Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Has anyone put an electric power steering unit in their buick? Just met a guy with an international truck that put a Prius unit in. Fits behind the dash, looks stock under the hood. He said all in cost was about $175. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Uni-Steer has electric power steering kits available. I drove a Mustang with such a unit installed and it was effective. A little odd-feeling, but if you need the assist it's a good solution that is not intrusive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 Does the steering column have to be modified? Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted May 6, 2020 Author Share Posted May 6, 2020 Yes but just the part behind the dash... at least with the Prius unit in his truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 The Uni-Steer system has a new rack-and-pinion setup that goes under the car to replace the original steering box and the electric assist motor and controller are mounted under the dash. Now that I think about it, I believe it used an aftermarket column, too. It probably adds up. That car was the prototype, so I don't know if they've made the system more adaptable to stock parts since then. Might be worth a call, but if the Prius system can be adapted and isn't expensive, that sounds like a promising alternative. Give it a try and report back to us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted May 14, 2020 Share Posted May 14, 2020 I've seen the Prius-application mentioned a few times, BUT there are several GM applications that use the electric power steering, too. Started on the Malibus back in about 2008 and later. Plus all of the later-model pickups. It's not an add-on to the normal column per se, but has an integral electric motor that connects to the column via a toothed rubber belt, I believe. Not sure what steering wheel position sensors AND modules that might be involved in the mix, though. ALSO check in the street rod realm of aftermarket steering columns. Such as IDIDIT and possibly Flaming River. Everything should be under the dash, I suspect. I also suspect that you could adjust the level of boost, if desired? Which is where the control modules might come in. Being that it's a steering column item, it will NOT change the number of turns, lock-to-lock, of the existing steering system. And, most probably, your vehicle would need to be operating on 12 volts, I suspect. On the Malibus, the part of the column that has the power unit is between the firewall and the lower instrument panel housings. Not sure what steering wheels would be needed to complete the installation, other than a stock-application for the vehicle the column would have been in initially. So something aftermarket might be better than an OEM-re-purposed column. In the first year or two of the GM OEM pickup truck units, I could sometimes feel a "low boost" area just off center, sometimes, like when a long sweeping curve was being driven, but the current ones don't seen to have that. I DO like the feel and operation and the fact that response is flawless, no matter how fast the wheel is turned. Just some thoughts, NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC-car-guy Posted May 14, 2020 Author Share Posted May 14, 2020 4 hours ago, NTX5467 said: I've seen the Prius-application mentioned a few times, BUT there are several GM applications that use the electric power steering, too. Started on the Malibus back in about 2008 and later. Plus all of the later-model pickups. It's not an add-on to the normal column per se, but has an integral electric motor that connects to the column via a toothed rubber belt, I believe. Not sure what steering wheel position sensors AND modules that might be involved in the mix, though. ALSO check in the street rod realm of aftermarket steering columns. Such as IDIDIT and possibly Flaming River. Everything should be under the dash, I suspect. I also suspect that you could adjust the level of boost, if desired? Which is where the control modules might come in. Being that it's a steering column item, it will NOT change the number of turns, lock-to-lock, of the existing steering system. And, most probably, your vehicle would need to be operating on 12 volts, I suspect. On the Malibus, the part of the column that has the power unit is between the firewall and the lower instrument panel housings. Not sure what steering wheels would be needed to complete the installation, other than a stock-application for the vehicle the column would have been in initially. So something aftermarket might be better than an OEM-re-purposed column. In the first year or two of the GM OEM pickup truck units, I could sometimes feel a "low boost" area just off center, sometimes, like when a long sweeping curve was being driven, but the current ones don't seen to have that. I DO like the feel and operation and the fact that response is flawless, no matter how fast the wheel is turned. Just some thoughts, NTX5467 From what I've read, the GM models do require some external modules. The Toyota unit is plug-n-play, self contained. No need to use the modern wheel as the P/S unit is not fixed to the part of the column visible to the driver. Used a coupling to attach whatever column you want visible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted August 16, 2020 Share Posted August 16, 2020 On the earlier GM C/K pickups I've driven, I could sometimes feel "a .5 second? lag" sometimes on very slow movements of the steering wheel before boost happened. But on more normal move,ments, no problem. In later model years, no dissernable lag at all, just instant boost/assist as the old hydraulic systems had. BUT no belt squeals or such when using fast turn movements, as in parking and such. "Finger-easy" steering, at ALL times, with more of a "Euro feel". The best feeling power steering was on some of the later '80s GM Suburbans. A notmal power steering pump which had a solenoid on the pump itself to increase boost at lower rpms/speeds. Closest thing to an early '70s-era Cadillac (or similar) car yet, in a later model vehicle. I really was impressed with that, but it only lasted a few model years and was ultimately replaced by a normal power steering pump in later years. The newer electric systems, which use an electric motor and drive belt to the column, would be the next-best thing, I suspect. DO check the street rod steering column vendors, though. Enjoy! NTX5467 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhemi Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 https://www.hotrod.com/articles/150-electric-power-steering-junkyard-prius-delivers/ Here is the link to the Hot Rod article on Prius power steering. Electra Steer is UniSteers Brand. Catalogue here https://www.unisteer.com/collections/electric-power-steering 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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