EZ Power Steering kit

Thanks! What the heck, I'll try it when the time comes. Like you said, if it doesn't come out right, I'll throw it away and try it again until I get fed up! Could always cover it with duck tape and then paint the tape flat black! No, not really...

 

There you go!

Watch some youtube videos, there must be some. I like the $1 disposable paint brushes, then I cut bristle length about in 1/2 and use it to poke the mat into place and beat out the air bubbles....trying to paint resin doesn't really work, that just makes a mess of the mat, pour and spread gently is ok, mat in the resin bowel to pre wet is ok but you can endup with a lot of resin in the finished part this way vs a lot of mat with a little resin which is a stronger part. I paint the mold, lay the mat on then start poking with the end of the brush, dip in resin as need and beat it into the mat and keep working the corners and edges to get them to stay down and in place. I sued the hardware store polyester resin which gives you about 10 minutes to work....you can order epoxies that doesn't stink and can have much longer working times which can be helpful. I did 3 layers as vonbarron suggested and it does seem about right.

My on-car mold layup came out just terrible because it was a bugger to get to and I knew I could just fix it later so I didn't work too hard. The final part in mold pics I posted look about right, heavy on the resin but not bad other than it came out black because the resin dissolved my not really dry paint.....luckily I grabbed black since that is the color I wanted the part anyway and now its molded black

 

Here's the final installed cover...one little oopsy where the EPS until pops through that I'll cover with black tape. I just glued it in place and dusted it with a little satin black. I added thread to th blind side of the bracket and was able to tighten the pitch bolt. Just need to mount the control box now and find the missing bolt and its done.

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Good job!! It looks like though the center vent will be a problem?

 

Since I have never fooled with the 328 steering assembly, please verify that the intermediate shaft (where the EPS will mount) can be removed without removing the steering column/steering wheel. The EZ steer instructions do not mention removing the column so I ASSUME that's the case and it appears that way from looking at the assembly but I want to be sure before I begin this project. Thanks!

 

The middle shaft is collapsible, at least tis is on the QV, so the only problem you should have removing it is the taper pin that holds the u-joins was a real bugger to remove on my car....oh and of course dropping a lower bolt into the gas peddle as I did.

 

It will need a little bit of a redirect but I think that's it....but first I need new hose as all mine have holes in them either from time or mice or both, I'm not sure.

 

Thanks MK e! I still recall the first time (as a very young wanna-be mechanic) I 'lost' a small bolt. It dropped into an open spark-plug hole. I don't think I could have intentionally dropped it into the hole in 10 tries!

 

reminds me of this guy

 

HA! got it!....after about 3 hours trying

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And it was where??

 

I dropped it and it fell down the gas pedal hole and I heard it roll away between the 2 floors. Its a special bolt with a nonstandard OD so just replacing it would not be easy. Final got it though one of the little rubber plugs on the bottom.

 

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner..

 

ugh...

I did that with a front sway bar spring held stud (348). Would have finished messing with the rack 40 minutes sooner if not for fishing around inside the frame rail for it.

sjd

 

Found some interesting info about EPS in general, for the curious among you....

https://www.therangerstation.com/tech/toyota-electric-power-steering-eps-conversion/

 

Very interesting indeed.

Legislators would go nuts in Australia at the thought of cutting /welding parts of the steering column.

 

So would I.

 

You guys know the whole car is welded together right? The column mounts, rack mounts, a-arms and mounts, all welds. Bolt together is easier to assemble but its not stronger or more reliable in any way.

Everything is back together on my, clutch pedal lowed a bit, new fluid and brakes bled and the pedal doesn't move 1/2". The EPS unit looks so small, but I was surprised how much space it takes from the pedals.....it seems ok...I'll need to drive it to be certain, you know, when I have an engine.

How's the EZ steer....it looks similar to my setup, did any of you notice it encroaching into pedal space?

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Engineered and welded. Yes we all know. No one would be allowed to re-engineer something like a steering column here. Not a criticism... Just saying.

 

It would not be something I would do but, as we often point out, if you are comfortable with it, that's fine. I have done a fair bit of welding on chassis and other related parts but I wouldn't trust ME welding a steering shaft!

 

For sure you don't want to do anything that scares you or puts you trouble with the motor vehicle police.

Here it's just not a thing anyone seems to much care about. This is the entire section covering it from the SCCA rules:
"9.3.43. SUSPENSION AND STEERING Suspension and steering shall be of suitable design and in good working order. Four wheel steering is prohibited. Unless specifically permitted, non-metallic suspension control arms, locating links, toe/steering links and pushrods are prohibited."

That's it....because it's not not really something that breaks. Something like a steering column is sized to make it feel firm...math wise it's a torsion spring so you are connecting the steering wheel to the rack with a spring. Depending on steering wheel size you're going to put maybe 50- 60 ftlbs of torque on and you don't want to know its a spring or the steering stars to feel really weird. Once the column is large enough to feel nice, its 10-20 times the strength that's required....so its just not a thing that breaks or anyone gets to concerned enough about to write rules for if. The US race industry has kind of standardized on the GM 3/4" 36 spline as the and that usually gets paired with a 3/4"x.065" wall tube and a couple weld-on ends and call it done because its just never going to be a problem.

What does break is the column itself. It's usually left hanging out quite a long way as it is in a 308 and you can watch it move as you turn the steering wheel so you know there is massive load on the mounts. Add to that the upper column mount bolts are designed fail in a crash to allow the column to pivot way and sometimes they just break off. A buddy was just telling me his 308 steering column off its mounts during an autoX..... twice. The EPS fixes this concern for the most part.

Foot clearance is my biggest concern at the moment. I'm not sure a size 13 would fit....but I'm 9.5 so I think it ok

 

I have to admit that the "intrusion" into the compartment is a concern of mine after reading your post. I have the EZ steer kit but am doing other work on the car and haven't fooled with it at all other than taking the components out of the box and looking at them. But it APPEARS to me that with the hole cut in the body and the unit mounted with the motor sticking up through that hole, there shouldn't be any noticeable intrusion...

But that's just guesswork on my part. SO...guys with the EZ steer, any issue with that?

 

Intrusion into the cabin do you mean? I have size 13 feet. Nothing is touching my feet, if that's the sort of intrusion you're talking about.

 

Thanks!