Today Donna underwent the first of several major surgeries. We removed all of her steering components. Donna’s steering is referred to as Power Assisted Steering. Hydraulic fluid (power steering fluid) is pump under pressure from the Power Steering Pump to the Control Valve.
When you turn the steering wheel, the Steering Box moves the Pitman Arm which moves the Ball Stud off-center. When the Ball Stud moves off-center, it causes pressure to be applied to the Power Cylinder which mounts between the Centerlink and the frame of the car. The Power Cylinder then pushes or pulls against the frame, forcing the Centerlink to move the steering linkage, thus turning the car.
As the Centerlink moves, the Ball Stud will become centered again and no more hydraulic action will take place. Basically, the power-assist system works by constantly trying to re-center itself whenever the steering wheel makes it go off-center. It is a consequence of this action that the steering linkage moves and turns the car.
Over 50 years, these parts become worn and damaged and corroded. We needed to remove the Power Steering Pump, the Power Cylinder, the Control Valve, and the Steering Box to have them rebuilt. The Tie Rods, Idler Arm and Center Link would come out too.
Since Donna will not be drivable until the parts are rebuilt and reinstalled, she was given a favored spot in the driveway where she will remain until she recovers from this procedure. We jacked up the drivers side, took off the wheel, and started disconnecting the hydraulic hoses.
Next we disconnected the end of the Power Cylinder. Then using a Tie Rod puller we popped the Outer Tie Rod End. We jacked up the other side, removed the wheel and disconnected that Outer Tie Rod End as well. Then we removed the mounting bolts for the Idler Arm so the whole right side of the Center Link assembly was free.
Next we had to unbolt the steering wheel shaft from the Steering Box (Preston is in the car holding onto the steering wheel because by now we have disconnected everything that would have keep the linkage from moving.
Then we unbolted the Steering Box from the car and the whole steering assembly was free. Finally we unbolted and removed the Pump.
If those parts look dirty, it’s because they are. That’s 50 years of road grime, grease and muck built up there.The Power Steering pump is black and it would have been blue to begin with, so it has probably been rebuilt at some point. The rest of the steering components look original.
If this post made it sound easy to get them out, it wasn’t. They’ve been stuck in the same place for those same 50 years.
In fact, I was pretty sure the steering box wasn’t going to fit down and out through the space available, but it did. I also didn’t think the pump would come out through the opening available and was concerned we were going to have to take other stuff off. Preston was sure they would fit and they did. Still, it took lots of crawling around under the car, changing tools and positions, and just plain elbow grease to get them off. We have several bruises, a scrape and black under our fingernails to prove it.
The parts will ship to San Antonio on Monday to be rebuilt by Randy at Precision Products. He will disassemble the stuff we left connected; clean everything; rebuild the Power Steering Pump, the Power Cylinder, the Control Valve, and the Steering Box; paint or refinish everything the proper color; and send it all back. We can hardly wait.