Who has installed Power Steeroids™...

[67HEAVEN]

...on their midyear?

When?

Feedback?

Did you have power steering before?

What did you use for the pump with the Steeroids? Same pump? Lines?

Other comments?

 

[Mark Stahl]

Power Steeroids on Midyear

Just had power Steeroids system installed on my '64. I didn't have power steering before, and the Steeroids makes a night-and-day difference. The one thing to I noticed is that the feel of the road is reduced compared to pre-power steering install. I ended up using an old-style power steering pump with Zoops pulleys. The kit does include all power steering hoses, which is a good thing, and it's not a big deal to plumb. The biggest issue I've encountered is that the power steering belt is extremely close to the upper A-arm. However, this might be an issue related more to the VBP upper A-arm, which I had installed in conjunction with disc brake conversion (car previously had drums all around). All work above work was done at the same time. Also, be aware that you might have to do some cutting on the bumper bracket for some specific years (check with Steeroids). Definitely worth the price and time to install...I'd recommend it.

 

[stepinwolf]

I did

Hello Bob,

I have just recently installed a steeroids conversion on my 65 vert, and the difference is really amazing. To answer your questions here goes,,,

When I month ago

Feedback excellent, easy to install, great road capabilities, smooth as sh-t

P/steering before, Yes, with a regular period correct pump

Comments Bob, your going too like this on.

When I received the kit, I went through the assortment of parts, and couldn't figure out why they were so expensive to buy. So guess what, I took down the numbers, went down to my local GM dealer, and after a little searching, I found the exact same rack & pinion that the General used during certain years on the " Berretta " and the Z24 Cavalier.

Well the rest is history, I order a rack for less then 200$ Canadian, got in touch with " Flaming River " for the exact same universals that they supplied in the kit, and set about to fab the assorted brackets, needed to bolt up the kit to the front end. The original brackets were stamped from 1/8" , but I used my plasma cutter, and made up a set from some 3/16" plate that I had on hand.

The complete kit can be made for a little less then half the cost to purchase the kit from Steeroids. If you decide to go the same route, e-me and I will help you as best as I can.

Stepinwolf

 

[67HEAVEN]

Mark and Bob,

Thanks for the insight. I'm gaining interest in this modification. I collected the various parts for a stock conversion over the years, but since then, technology has passed the stock unit by.

I'll be in touch.

 

[67HEAVEN]

Has anyone installed Steeroids on a big block midyear with Hooker sidemounts?

Looking at Stepinwolf's photos causes me to wonder about clearance.

 

[stepinwolf]

I know

Bob,

I have since spoken to Steeroids regarding the big block conversion, and was told that the only difference in their kit, is with the hoses. You might just want to drop them a message at the following, for the answers you need.

randy@speeddirect.com

Randy is the " Man "

BTW Bob, the steering joints and couplers take up less room then the normal steering box.

 

[Delph]

Has anyone installed Steeroids on a big block midyear with Hooker sidemounts?

Looking at Stepinwolf's photos causes me to wonder about clearance.

thats exactly my thoughts. I am in the same boat. Let me know what you find out, I am very interested in the conversion. I currently have a non-powered steering car...is yours powered?

 

[stepinwolf]

Ouuuuppppsss

Has anyone installed Steeroids on a big block midyear with Hooker sidemounts?

Looking at Stepinwolf's photos causes me to wonder about clearance.

Bob, One thing I forgot to mention in the pics I posted, is that, the jumble of tight fitting hoses that look worrying to you, are not related to the Steeroids kit ( very straight forward ) but rather the installation of the hydra boost hydraulic brake assist unit, that runs off the power steering pump, and they are not part of the basic R+P install.

Sorry for the mis-information
:duh

Stepinwolf

 

[Stemmer]

...not offered for a C1 yet.... I wonder if they ever will be....

 

[67HEAVEN]

Bob, One thing I forgot to mention in the pics I posted, is that, the jumble of tight fitting hoses that look worrying to you, are not related to the Steeroids kit ( very straight forward ) but rather the installation of the hydra boost hydraulic brake assist unit, that runs off the power steering pump, and they are not part of the basic R+P install.

Sorry for the mis-information
:duh

Stepinwolf

Thanks, Bob. The photos were very helpful.

My question about the big block is MOST relevant when you take into account the Hooker sidemounts. I'm wondering about the width of all those fat tubes dropping down to below the frame rail. Will they be in the way of any of the steeroids stuff?

Thanks for the contact eMail at Steeroids. I'll use it to ask them.

 

[Sky65]

Stepinwolf
Sent you an email. I am very interested in you conversion.
Thanks in advance.
Tom

 

[stepinwolf]

What else

Forgive me Tom, but I don't know what more I can tell you about the upgrade, that I have not already mentioned in a few of the above messages.

I installed it in my small block that had P/S , and I am very happy with the performance. However the use of the hydro boost, made everything a little tight, but other then that I am quite satisfied with the results. The car now behaves like a late model, and the only noticeable difference, performance wise, is a slightly larger turning circle.

At normal driving speed, you no longer need to have the constant steering input we normally see with the conventional steering setups.

Just to make things clear, the regular steering on my car had been completely restored, including the column and it's bearings, and also the steering box that was professionally rebuilt by " Corvette Steering Service " in NC, so the car was no slouch before the upgrade

Stepinwolf

 

[67HEAVEN]

I got a response from Steeroids.

Hello,

Yes! We do have a kit that will work with your setup. Actually, we have many customers that use our kits with the Vette Brakes suspension kit and they say they compliment each other very well.

Regarding the headers, it is a tight fit – but it can work. On our website, in the Technical Support section, we have a section about header clearance. There it mentions “Hooker 2224, 2224-1 or 2234 Side Pipes- Dimple Required in Drivers Side.“ We actually had Hooker install one of our kits on a car with these headers. They were ceramic coated, and they dimpled them and did not have any problems, nor did they disrupt the coating. (They headed the header tube with a torch. Then they took a large socket and wrapped it in a rag and tapped on it to leave a nice, clean dimple.)

Hope this helps!

I'm not too thrilled about the header dimpling though. :ugh

 

[stepinwolf]

I will do my best to try and give you my impressions of the " Steeroids " rack & pinion conversion kit. For starters, it is quite possible that the Rack in question could have been used for other GM applications, however the software running on the computer at the local GM parts department, is only showing it's use in the Beratta from 91 to 96, and the Z-24 Cavalier from 82 to 96. I am not an engineer, but I came to the conclusion that it was most probably due to the fact that both of these sport models, have a shorter steering ratio. Mine is now 1.25 turns in each side to full lock.


Although I am very pleased with the kit in general, there are a few things that I take issue with, and that were not particularly to my liking. The first was the type of the rod ends they supplied to hook up the tie-rod sleeves to the center bracket, and steering knuckle. See photo 1. At the bottom of the photo, you will see the unconventional two part rod end that they " Steeroids " supply to hook up to the steering knuckle. At the other end of the sleeve, they give you a spherical rod end, that is non greasable ? It might not be one of their better ideas.


My solution ( top of the photo ) was to replace the two piece unit, with one of your HD tie-rod ends on the outer section of the sleeve, and replace their non greasable rod end, with ones I purchased from VBP on which you supply the grease fittings. The quality of their ( Steeroids ) tie-rod sleeve, also leaves something to be desired, because of the thickness of the tube, and also the sloppiness of the threads in the end of each tube. When you first insert the rod end into their tube, the fitments is so loose, one might think that there is a problem with incorrect threads. My solution was to once again, to call VBP, and ask Jeff to have a set of your HD rod sleeves made up for me in the 13.75" that I needed. When the rod ends were installed in the VBP sleeves, there was no longer any slop, as was seen previously.


The last issue I had with the installation of the inner rod end was with the bolts "Steeriods " supplied to fasten it to the center bracket. There was no provisions made to lock the bolt in place to the center bracket. Not very smart for steering components. I solved the problem by drilling a hole in the end of the bolt, and once it was in place, it was locked with the use of a cotter pin.


I would have also liked to see their brackets, a little bit thicker. The 1/8 size they chose, ( probably because of the stamping ) is not the most robust. There were also some fitments problems with a few of the brackets. Their " no holes to drill, perfect fit thing " was a slight stretch of their imagination,, I had to cut, grind, enlarge, and re-powder coat a few of the parts. However I am still very pleased with the installation of the R+P in my Corvette. As I previously mentioned, I have since made up a complete kit, and chose to make the brackets out of 3/16 " steel plate. There is no noticeable weight factor, and the additional strength the thicker brackets afford me, is a welcome addition


As far as clearence, or fitments problems with their conversion and the VBP suspension system, I am glad to be able to say there were absolutely none what so ever. Everything went together in a rather straight forward manner, and I didn't expect, nor see any issues. It is not to say that the final installation was not with out a few headaches.


The next two photos show the only clearence issue that was seen during the conversion. Once the VBP suspension was in place I proceeded to install the R+P, which as mentioned, went in rather easily. The crap hit the fan with the last component, which was the hydro boost unit. In all fairness, the unit was sent to me with all the correct parts, hoses, etc, but because some of them were supplied ready made for my application, by the time everything was in place, I must admit things started to get a bit cramped.


The problem was with the power steering return hose that goes from the rack to the unit itself. It is engineered to use a T-fitting which works beautifully, but in my case the additional space that was needed for the T, made for a slight interference problem, photo 2 & 3. When the hose was installed as per their ( Hydra boost ) instructions, there was a clearence problem with it and the large allen head bolt, that VBP uses to bolt the lower a-arm shaft to the arm itself. There was not definite contact, but the closeness of the two made me a bit uncomfortable.

Were I on your the other side of the border, with access to all the major suppliers, I would have most probably sent back the hose ( Paul from HyrdaTech offered to replace it ) and had the end replaced with one that would have been at a slightly different angle, which would have solved the problem, however I did not want to go through the cross border shipping, along with the associated additionnel charges.


I solved the problem by covering part of the return hose with a small section of heater hose that I slit length wise, and wrapped around the return line hose. There is not sufficient movement of the bolt to ever think that it could cause any leaks in the lines during my life time


I am using the complete VBP " Performance Plus " suspension conversion, and am extremely pleased with the installation, and the performance of the car. I particularly like having the front and rear springs, without any tension when the car is lifted with the wheels off the ground. In the last two pictures, the car is shown with a slight 1" rake in the front, and I must admit, it has never been so easy to change the ride stiffness, or the height of the car with any conventional suspension setup. I guarantee you that I will never again go back to using the standard suspensions that are found on our cars.


The complete conversion also saw the use of a set of 18" by 7" wheels from " Intro " in CA, along with rubber courtesy of Michelin with their Sport Pilot PS'2. VBP supplied the slotted rotors, along with all other suspension parts, that were needed for the conversion.


Sorry for the long post, but you asked for it.


Auto retro Inc.
stepinwolf

 

[67HEAVEN]

Stepinwolf,

Very interesting read. Thanks for the detail.

I'll get back to you after I've re-read it several times to digest everything.

 

[bossvette]

Alan
Looks like a oppertunity to market a kit with just brackets and rod ends for the conversion another item that would make it easier for us hot rodders is a remote resovior power steering pump, I know they make them my old 83 diesal suburban had one. Just getting ready to call for a part for my 76.

 

[JohnZ]

When I built my Grand Sport, I used an Appleton sprint car power rack & pinion, with a Chevy S-10 mini-pump and a remote reservoir (on far side inner fender) from Speedway Motors.

 

[paul67]

Stepinwolf,
I now feel totally humiliated in a technical sense. That was a wonderful post. I have turned a few wrenches in my days but Wow...your expertise is superb!

 

[stepinwolf]

Stop that

Paul79,

You are embarrassing me with your flattery. I suspect that most of the members of this Forum could do just as well , but don't necessarily have the time ( I'm semi-retired ) to write down their experiences.

However your kind words make all the time I devoted to these messages well worth it, and it also made you eligible for a cold " Canadian " if you stop by my vendor spaces during the Carlisle show.

By the way, speaking of devotion, I am highly motivated by some of the very knowledgeable people, who spend a lot more time, and have much more patience then I do, in responding to thousands of messages, by answering the same newbie questions, time and time again. I will not mention any name for fear of forgetting someone, but I am sure you know very well which ones I am referring to.

Best regards Paul, and once again that sure is a cool ride you now have.

Stepinwolf

P.S. For the benefit of those who might not participate of both Forums, I also posted the above on the other Forum. You might want to have a look, because as I wrote out the message, there are quite a few additional things that came to mind, and I included them in the other post. Check it out at the following address addresshttp://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1124146&forum_id=4

 

[Fuelie]

Stepinwolf (Bob),

Great post. Every time I talk to you or read an e-mail or post from you, I want to build a new project

This work stuff is eating into my free time......I guess I need to semi-retire again

Take care,
Brian