I didn't want to spend $3000 cdn on a power steering column so I made one myself.
Used a motor from a Nissan Versa. Junk yard charged me $80 for it. Took about 8 hours to fabricate everything. Ran some big 8 ga power and ground wires to the relay compartment to power it all, fused a 60A.
This is not as good as the vendor offerings as it does not change the assist based on speed (yet), and it is not as polished looking, but the main function is the same for a fraction of the cost.
Initial thoughts after a short drive this morning:
- Really changes the feel of the car, will take some getting used to.
- Low speed turns are amazing. Feels like a modern car.
- It seems to remove some of the "road feel" and vibration in the steering wheel so many deloreans have
- Since my setup is not yet speed controlled like the vendor offerings it is a bit touchy at highway speeds.
- Turning it fully to lock is a bit violent of a stop. The motor can produce a lot of torque. I wonder what this will do long term to the U joints and steering rack.
Overall I am pretty happy. A very inexpensive modification that made a big difference. Once again purchasing a column from a vendor is your best bet in terms of quality and ease of installation. But very expensive.
Album: https://imgur.com/gallery/cQjVeK4
Video:
https://i.imgur.com/VC9jh8h.mp4
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