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Power Steering And A New Column For The ’55 WagonFrom the March, 2012 issue of Rod & Custom By Kev Elliott Photography by Jason Scudellari
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If you’ve read the last two issues (and if not, why not?), you’ll know we’ve been upgrading Paul Gauvry’s ’55 Chevy wagon, using parts from Classic Performance Products. Following a total suspension and brake upgrade, in this final installment we swap the power steering and a new column. In an ideal world we would have done this at the same time as the suspension mods, but our tech center manager, who performed the work, had other jobs to complete at the same time, which is why you’ll see the new center steering link and tie rods connected to the old Pitman arm in some of the following shots. This enabled him to move the wagon around easily until he tackled the power steering box and column installation. The CPP centerlink, tie rods, idler arm, and steering arms are all direct bolt-in replacements, using the stock mounting holes where applicable, making the swap a simple one. Switching the box and column wasn’t exactly hard either. However, as we started with a manual steering car with no rag joint between the box and column, we elected to cut through the old inner column just above the box to make removal a great deal easier. Incidentally, though we used a new column, the original can still be modified and retained, just contact CPP for details. Their website also features a number of installation instruction sheets that can be downloaded. These are useful in that you’ll be able to see what you need to do before even ordering the parts!  As mentioned in the text,...  As mentioned in the text, because we undertook this install in stages, we had to remove the old centerlink from the Pitman arm. With the cotter pin removed, the end cap was unscrewed before the spring and bushing were slid back, enabling the centerlink to be removed.  New steering arms were attached...  New steering arms were attached to the spindles.  Here’s the new centerlink,...  Here’s the new centerlink, with the new tie rods being assembled.  We installed a new idler arm...  We installed a new idler arm on the inner framerail before attaching the centerlink on the passenger side.  Here’s a detail shot of the...  Here’s a detail shot of the new spring and bushing that fit in the Pitman arm end of the centerlink.  Admittedly, owing to the nature...  Admittedly, owing to the nature of this install, we did things somewhat backward, as the new centerlink should be attached to a new Pitman arm, in turn bolted to a power steering box. We attached it to the original Pitman arm to enable us to move the vehicle around the shop until we were able to continue the conversion with a new column. Here’s the centerlink installed, with the end cap tightened and a new cotter pin fitted.  We next installed the new...  We next installed the new tie rods on the centerlink, then attached them to the steering arms. Now’s the time to roughly set the toe adjustment before tightening all nuts and installing cotter pins. All zerk fittings should be greased at this stage as well.  Though it all appears seamless...  Though it all appears seamless here, there were several days between the last shot and this when we got around to removing the old steering box.  With the gear linkage removed...  With the gear linkage removed from the base of the column, this pinch bolt was removed from the lower column mount.  The ’55 was a manual steering...  The ’55 was a manual steering car, with no rag joint on the steering shaft, so we removed the rubber sleeve and used a 4-inch electric grinder to cut through the shaft just above the old steering box to make removal easier.  Moving inside the wagon, dropping...  Moving inside the wagon, dropping this shroud revealed the upper column mounting bolts.  If you’re going to reuse the...  If you’re going to reuse the stock column, and CPP can help you with this if that’s your plan, once the steering wheel is removed there’s some tricky disassembly required. However, ours fell apart, with this debris already collecting in the shroud! Note the inner column has been removed here.  Don’t forget to separate all...  Don’t forget to separate all electrical connectors before attempting to pull the outer column.  Removing this cover reveals...  Removing this cover reveals the shift indicator mechanism, which has to be disconnected before the column will come out.  With both shrouds out of the...  With both shrouds out of the way, the factory column drop (strap) bolts can be accessed.  The column and shifter can...  The column and shifter can now be removed.  With the three through-frame...  With the three through-frame mounting bolts removed, there was room to swing the steering box up and out, now that column wasn’t in the way.  This is the new Classic Performance...  This is the new Classic Performance Parts power steering box. When bolting this in place, check that the front of it does not make contact with the edge of the frame. This may occur with some frames, and if this is the case, modify the framerail for clearance. Do not grind or modify the steering box!  With the box in place, once...  With the box in place, once it was determined the it was at the approximate center of its travel, and the wheels facing forward, the Pitman arm was installed.  The centerlink was now attached...  The centerlink was now attached to the new Pitman arm, and all nuts tightened and cotter pins installed (again).  Power steering isn’t going...  Power steering isn’t going to work very well without a pump, and CPP offers this bracket for just such an installation where previously there was none. Shown is the new pump, hoses, brackets, and pulley.  While most short water pump...  While most short water pump applications use a crankshaft power steering pulley that bolts over the existing pulley, the 265ci small-block in the wagon had no such thing, just a single pulley that didn’t align with the pump, and which was riveted to the balancer. We opted to replace the assembly, but couldn’t use a puller on the balancer until we’d removed the pulley, by grinding the rivets away.  With the pulley removed, the...  With the pulley removed, the puller made light work of separating the balancer from the crankshaft.  Space restrictions mean we’ve...  Space restrictions mean we’ve skipped a few steps, but essentially the CPP pump bracket replaces the driver side front engine mount, the pump mounting low down near the crossmember.  With the pump mounted, the...  With the pump mounted, the hoses were attached. Note the generator mount is cast into the stock exhaust manifolds.  The hoses were connected to...  The hoses were connected to the power steering box at this time too.  The new column was installed...  The new column was installed next, in this case an ididit column sourced through CPP. While this is still a column shift version, it’s the modern type with the shifter mechanism inside the column rather than a rod running alongside it. Installation was a case of reversing the disassembly procedures.  The lower column mounting...  The lower column mounting plate is also from CPP, and serves double duty to block off the hole where the column shifter passed through the firewall.  With a new balancer on the...  With a new balancer on the crankshaft, we could install a double pulley, enabling us to run belts to the pump as well as the generator. The low mounting position of the pump means the latter could stay in the stock location.  With the stock steering wheel...  With the stock steering wheel in place and the engine running, we checked for leaks at the power steering hose fittings by holding the steering wheel tight against the left and right steering stops. This operates the box at full pressure.
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