I have a 1936 Chevy 1 1/2 ton chassis on my fire truck. Took Santa Claus on a run through our small town, did 44 miles and hit every cul-de-sac in the town, requiring tight turn more times than I can count. At age 82 it seemed as if I almost pulled both arms out of joint turning that beast. The truck has only 8,000 original miles, steers fine, no binding of King Pins, I keep it lubricated, it is just a heavy old truck to steer. So here is my question, has anyone done it or is it possible to add or adapt one of the earlier types of cylinder assist power steering to the truck? I have the ability, tools and equipment to mount the pump, the question is the assist cylinder adaptability. I know, silly, but I have been driving in parades and taking Santa on a few trips every December and would like to keep doing it for at least another 15 years.
Ron you might look at the system that the corvette used form 63 to 82, they had the control valve and cylinder separate from the steering gear. The pump that goes on the back of a generator might also work.
Dens Chevys 1927 Speedster 1928 coupe 1941street rod 1947Fleetline 4 door 1949 1/2 ton Pickup (sold) 1954 210 4 door 1972 Monte Carlo 2003 Corvette convt..
Ron, Given the miles on your truck, the steering should be about as good as it ever was. But... just in case you are interested, I was unable to get my steering box adjusted, after a complete rebuild with NOS parts, until I got my hands on the GMC version of adjusting info. I followed them and it made a HUGE difference. My Chevy shop manual left much unsaid about a proper adjustment. It might be with a try.
It is quite a common mod on the 47 to 54 Chev pickups. They use a steering box that takes the pressure directly and does the whole job, no assist piston. The old truck suppliers actually sell a new Pitman arm for it. You could check that out over on the Stovebolt.com site:
My 1951 1 Ton is now on the road! My 38 Master 4 Door is also now on the road .
35Mike is correct; the GMC manual does go deeper into the steering box adjustment. Attached is the GMC service bulletin that supersedes the manual that is in PDF format
1936 GMC T-14 low cab. TA for 1935-37 GMC, Director of the Gulf Coast Region
The 1936 truck steering box has the steering column entering the top of the gearbox. In 1937, and for a few years after, the column enters the box at the bottom. It would mess with the angle of the column to install the later gear.
I had the same problem and found the solution by using a '73 Chevy power steering assembly. You need to make a bracket for the pump and tank. The valve connects to the steering arm from the box so you need to modify this. I couldn't believe how much it improved the steering. It wasn't too hard to do and it it made driving the old 1 1/2 a dream..
