Theory: Power steering for super cheap and no pump

So if you didnt know there are companies that make aftermarket electric power steering columns.






They arent cheap, some require cutting, and personally I wouldnt trust set screws to keep me from going off the road.  That said, most seem based on a DIY solution based on some small import cars power steering units.

In this 4 part video series the author discusses different units but specifically the Prius units that even without a computer module still work well.



With a similar amount of metal work and some spline adapters or grinding to make a double D flat I think this would be a great option for any of the 60s van that use a steering wheel support with an exposed shaft.  With some nice fab work and careful cutting and painting  I will be most people wouldnt even notice.



FYI the Prius is about 3000lbs if you were worried about whether the motor could handle it.  

More info

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/1848775-35-electric-power-steering-fail-safe-no-ebay-module-no-caster-issues.html#post19425307

Hope this helps!

Feel free to post any steering spline specs for your model

Way ahead of you.

Awesome...did you encounter any difficulties? How did you tackle any shaft differences?

I wish I could take the credit for this mod but no. Check out this thread from VCVC. http://www.vcvc.org/showthread.php/23845-electric-power-steering?highlight=electric+power+steering

Just to clarify if you get the right unit
- it should be very inexpensive used
- it won't need a control module box
- if it fails it will be the same as no power steering

Some of the posts mention units rated for 2800lbs and have boxes but it seems everyone is aware of this model here.

If you go this route instead of paying up for the Epas unit, and provided you can do the work yourself, you will have around $150 in the steering unit, $80 for the controller and a little more for couplings and some kind of cover. The control module comes from a guy named Bruno from Portugal. He has them listed on Ebay and he answers questions quick for you.
I love how good mine works. I had a short somewhere that was making it pull to the left but I finally found where it was coming from and haven't had issues since. The short didn't have anything to do with the unit or the controller.

samsvan wrote:If you go this route instead of paying up for the Epas unit, and provided you can do the work yourself, you will have around $150 in the steering unit, $80 for the controller and a little more for couplings and some kind of cover. The control module comes from a guy named Bruno from Portugal. He has them listed on Ebay and he answers questions quick for you.
I love how good mine works. I had a short somewhere that was making it pull to the left but I finally found where it was coming from and haven't had issues since. The short didn't have anything to do with the unit or the controller.

You don't need the controller if you get the specific models mentioned in the video above. You're only cost is the used steering unit and if you need to pay someone for the metal work to cut the shafts and grind to Double D's