Pumping Iron

Many owners restoring their classic cars, street rods, or older vehicles want to in the process add modern features such as power steering. This type of project, often called a "restomod," since it includes restoration and modifications and/or modernizing, may also include improving the output and reliability of the engine.

Engine Swap Woe
Upgrading to a newer powerplant with a similar configuration, or replacing an old six-cylinder engine with a new, more reliable V-8, is a great way to make a daily driver out of your older/classic car. One of several problems that show up when you do an engine swap, however, is with the power steering pump, which may not readily bolt onto the new block.


Don't toss out that old pump, though. Retaining the original power steering pump is a good way to go. The reasoning is that the pressure hoses are already in place; and, if the original pump works fine, it's matched to the existing system—that is to say that the amount of pump pressure has already been determined.

Bracket Fit Issue
Given that scenario, one of the hardest parts of the engine swap is designing and fitting the new brackets to fit the original pump to the new engine. In fact, fabricating a power steering bracket can be a tedious and time-consuming job, but here's a way to do the job accurately and with much less difficulty. In other words, there's no heavy lifting involved in this type of pumping iron.

Resource
Len Ewell, Boffin Motorsports, 12975 SW Watkins Ave., Tigard, OR 97223-3864, 503-624-2659, Len@boffinms.com