MarthaC Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hello,I am going to fit power steering to my 1971 triumph herald convertable 13/60,has anyone done this or anything similar?any advice would be grandthanx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferny Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Do a quick forum search and you should find a couple of threads on here where people have used vauxhall corsa parts. I'm using my phone to post so can't point you towards them conveniently right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Hello Marthac, are you sure your steering is in good order as I wouldn't have thought that power steering is a requirement for a Herald? Underinflated tyres are another cause of heavy steering.Be aware it is not an easy task as the steering geometry will likely be compromised and other modifications to the steering arms and rack location may be necessary. There is the option of electric power steering, I believe, but I have no experience of it?Alec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldcoupe Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I have to echo Alec's comments, Herald steering should be light and direct. As well as underinflated tyres, heavy steering can be a sign of vertical link damage or problems within the steering rack.Before jumping into a power steering conversion, which may turn out to be a substantial can of worms, ensure that your current setup is comparable to other Heralds. Do you have an area group with other Herald owners?Cheers,Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarthaC Posted February 3, 2014 Author Share Posted February 3, 2014 thanks for all your thoughts...yes I am fitting electric power steering to it, I found this on ebay;http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281257794512?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D281257794512%26_rdc%3D1just wanted to see if anyone had done this yet haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldcoupe Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 If everything else is working as intended, it will be very floaty indeed........Cheers,Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Yes, it has been done before. I saw a Vitesse with an MGF electric column at the Thornfalcon show last year. There are some pictures of a conversion being done on a Spitfire on this forum too. They are buried in a lengthy build thread and might take a bit of finding.I have to say that I'm surprised you feel the need in a Herald. One of the joys of a Herald is is it's light and direct steering as standard. I have a Herald rack in my Vitesse, with wider than standard tyres and still don't find it necessary.I've got nothing against modifying Triumphs as such (speaking as a serial modifier myself) but, do be aware that this is a very safety critical modification and in particular, the joints made in the column are critical and must be done properly. I wouldn't have been keen to travel in the car I saw last year due to the way the joints between old and new column had been made and wondered if an MoT man had seen the work.Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPiston Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 8671 wrote:Hello,I am going to fit power steering to my 1971 triumph herald convertable 13/60,has anyone done this or anything similar?any advice would be grandthanxIt would be good to see you go ahead and fit power steering to your car. If one or two others on here don't think its necessary, that's their opinion which they're entitled to, but you should feel free to do entirely what you want to your car. I'm sure you'll enjoy the challenge. I think you can buy a variable controller that the kit car chaps use where they fit electric power steering. Lets you set to your liking then. You'll probably find them for sale on Ebay or likewise. And keep the forum posted on your progress. Just felt a bit of positive support was needed here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uksnatcher Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Nick_Jones wrote:There are some pictures of a conversion being done on a Spitfire on this forum too. They are buried in a lengthy build thread and might take a bit of finding.Here it is (page 23 - should link straight to it) :http://club.triumph.org.uk/cgi-bin/forum10/Blah.pl?m-1229790537/s-330/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Hello Mr. Piston, "Just felt a bit of positive support was needed here. "It was just that I thought that Marthac felt the need for power steering as her car was heavy to drive. Now I believe this is not normal for a Herald and that some investigation may be required? Fitting power steering to disguise or overcome a mechanical problem would not be helpful, quite the opposite.Alec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarthaC Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 Well the reason i want to fit power steering is because i want it to handle like a modern car....i havent actually driven it yet as its SORN due to all the works that is being done to it, eventually i will want to change the engine......Decisions, decisions..........hahaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikew Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 It won't change the handling, just make the steering lighter, and a good Herald already has light steering. if it hasn't it has a fault.Can you see if you can find a local Herald owner who can "test" the steering for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I'd wait until I've driven the car or drive a similar one first before spending money on something that you might find is not needed. Looking at the link to the Spitfire it seems in depth and costly and a good way of killing yourself/someone else if it's not fitted right.One reason why I chose my Vitesse is because it's not modern, I've got modern cars. It's a nice change to drive a car that's noisy, doesn't have power steering and servoless brakes that you have to press hard to stop.Good luck with it if that's what you're going to do, as someone else said it's your car. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPiston Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 piman wrote:Hello Mr. Piston, "Just felt a bit of positive support was needed here. "It was just that I thought that Marthac felt the need for power steering as her car was heavy to drive. Now I believe this is not normal for a Herald and that some investigation may be required? Fitting power steering to disguise or overcome a mechanical problem would not be helpful, quite the opposite.AlecNo problem Alec, thanks for responding. Marthac may or may not have a mechanical problem with their car. But some people like to do upgrades and changes to their cars for the challenge and enjoyment too. It just looked like such a lot of negativity from the forum. It sounds a really good project to fit power steering and would appear to have been done by others before so why not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSpeedy Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I have a 13" steering wheel, 7" wide front wheels and it's lowered. This does not add up to light steering. Not at all!However, I have never considered power steering, and I shall attempt a brief explanation why.There is already a fair amount of concern over the fabled Trunnions on these cars and I'd like to be able to feel any extra/excess loading on the steering and front suspension, so as not to over stress the ageing components. To the point that I NEVER use full lockGranted, mine is something of an extreme case, but if you fit power steering you may be tempted to load up the front end more than you would normally because you feel less (if any) resistance, and may lead to premature wear/failure of components.Not trying to scaremonger, just my opinion ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldcoupe Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 7201 wrote:Marthac may or may not have a mechanical problem with their car. But some people like to do upgrades and changes to their cars for the challenge and enjoyment too.Indeed, however as the OP says she's yet to drive the car, what is her benchmark against which to measure any upgrade?Modifying the appearance of a car is a matter of taste, changing the way it drives before testing if in standard form is a different matter.My advice is the same to anyone considering modifying the dynamics of a car - live with it first, then decide what you'd like to improve.Cheers,Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elma fud Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 The thing is a lot of us have added servos to the brakes, yes normal Herald brakes are ok but going from our normal car to the classis you don't want to rear end a car because you've forgotten how much more pressure you need to apply, so l see this as being the same, l've added a servo but l will see if the steering is to heavy when l have the car on the road because l have fitted slightly wider tyres and a smaller steering wheel has been fitted. But as mentioned before you don't feel confident with the welding and fabrication required then investigate a workshop that has done this before, also some kits have a fixed assistance so instead of the assistance becoming less as you increase in speed it stays the same so this can make the car feel light and jittery at speed something you don't want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlubikey Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 As has been said, best thing is to drive a Herald first - you may be quite surprised how light the steering is. My Dolomite had nice light steering and my Spit was fairly light (faster rack) until I modified it. I used to park my Dolly turning the steering with one finger on the spoke.Friends - "I didn't know these had power steering"Me - "They don't!"Once you start putting wider tyres on and, especially, bigger, heavier engines, then you need either a slower steering rack, power steering or do some weight training! Yes, I've done the power steering using the Corsa C EPS but you could probably use MGF - may fit our cars better as the motor's in a different position. I got a pro to do the "heavy engineering" (cutting and welding shafts, mounting brackets, etc.) and did the box of tricks to wake up the EPS myself. Here's a useful page if you want to do a DIY controller box - Corsa C Electric Power Steering (EPAS)Personally, I thing it adds a certain vagueness to the feel. But as I'm rather puny around the shoulders ... :oHope this helps,Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
69vitesse Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I have looked into power steering in some depth, as some of you know, I have severe arthritis, and having looked at and tried/spoken with assorted vendors, one things is very notable.Most use a Corsa electric column. Its a very simple and crude system. All feeling will be removed from the steering and it will be incredibly light. Its not a drive by wire system with speed dependant feedback.On balance, the decision was that a return to narrower tyres and fitting rose jointed uprights was the best solution to retain the superb feeling the Triumph steering is rightly famous for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarthaC Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 Thanks for all the advice ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hammond Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I know, sell the Herald, buy a Corsa and fit it with Herald front suspension and steering! ;D ;D ;DM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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