power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

can someone tell me what id need and need to do to convert my truck to power steering? its a 6cyl w/2 speed auto. thanks for any help!

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

buy the correct power steering steering box for that year, Napa sells them then get the hoses and pump and a mounting bracket, is not hard to do, look at summit for the pump and mounting bracket or a junk yard

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

When shopping for the pump,brackets and pulleys,make sure you get them all from the same vehicle.There are differences in the brackets and pulleys that can be a nightmare to match up.The box may be something you want to investigate further.If you use a 67-72 box,it will have approximately 4 1/2 turns lock to lock,which makes the steering feel (for lack of a better term)"mushy".The later box is 3 1/2 turns LtL. and has more "positive" feedback or roadfeel.Use a pitman arm for PS from the year of truck and it all just bolts up.Then use a string and adjust to the shortest setting.Wrap the string and measue it's length and get a belt.Fill the PS pump and start the truck with it on jackstands.Turn the wheel LtL several times,shutting off and refilling between times.Once all the bubbles disappear,you should have most of the air bled from the system.

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

Yep, not enough stress can be put on getting all the parts from the same vehicle...so many combos to match if you dont! This fact has been drilled into my head from this forum and Ive read about the headaches trying to match pulleys. PS pump, water pump, harmonic balancer and anything the belts wrap around GET!!! Oh ya....for the steering box grab the rag joint too...its a different size from the manual box. As for me....I have the stuff...just tryin to find the time to do it! Good luck and keep us posted!

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

Panel and 68iron are giving you good advice regarding getting everything off of the same truck. That said, it will probably be much easier to find a set of brackets from a car, as I think there were a lot more 6 cyl cars produced with PS than trucks. I pulled my brackets from a Nova, found a correct 2 groove water pump pulley after digging through a pile of them for about 10 min, and picked up a gear from a local guy that had one laying around. You shouldn't have to worry about changing your harmonic balancer....at least I didn't....just make sure the spacing on the belt grooves on the harmonic balancer are the same as your truck on the vehicle you are pulling it from.

The bad thing is that most people now know the value of these setups, so they probably won't be cheap. They pop up on the board every once in a while. There are always several sets available on EBay.

It's not that hard to piece together, just be patient!
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Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

68 iron have you set your p/s up yet? If so hows it working?

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

I have my brackets, I have a feeling I will have a problem matching up as I dont have all pulleys from the same vehicle. I need to get the rag joint.

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

I'd suggest installing a sway bar up front. If not already , goes hand & hand with P S .

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

Attachment 1213774

Attachment 1213775

Attachment 1213776

Attachment 1213777

1)pump pulleys
2)harmonic balancer and pulleys
3)the pump/alternator brackets
4)pump pulley

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

Attachment 1213787

You can see the choke cable towards the back....and yes...it is a dirty engine!

Re: power steering conversion 1970 C10 ??
 

All the PS parts came off a 79 Nova with non integrated exhaust head.