Real power steering pump

[darkstar]

here are a couple of quick pics of a bracket I made to mount a PSC power steering pump in my Disco thing. Any Saginaw "P" pump would work... I'll post some install pics later in the week.

[darkstar]

Test fit. pulley lines up.. need longer belt.

[PTSchram]

Looks nice Alex.

You're going to post up the .dwf files for us all next, right?

[darkstar]

PT, no measurement tools were harmed (or used) in the production of this abomination

[darkstar]

Slipped a bit of tubing over the bolts between the two brackets, and added a support that mounts to one of the water pump bolts. Think I should weld this to the bracket? Other than maybe welding this piece, its done, just needs paint.

[PTSchram]

Alex:
That pump looks suspiciously like a multiple vee belt pump off of an earlier Rover. I wonder if some of those brackets might not be more roubst.

While I'm impressed with your no-measuring tool fabrication, it does look a little spindly, but it might just be the pictures not doing your inspired fab work justice. The rear fitting looks like it pretty much rules out trying to modify the OEM pump bracket for a serpentine belted engine, or, is there enough clearance to go that route with a 90' fitting? I'm sure you investigated that option before re-inventing the wheel though!

If it weren't for everything being dependent upon that single belt, I'd be less concerned about the spindly appearance.

[darkstar]

This is the same pump (externally) that's in my 3/4 ton GMC. Its about double the size of the stock rover pump (TC style) and no way in hell does it fit in the stock location, let alone in the stock mount. The brackets are made of 1/4", with four, 3/8" bolts holding them together. The pump is mounted to the outer bracket with 4, 10mm bolts, and the rear bracket with 1, 10mm bolt. The rear bracket is bolted to the head with 3, 3/8" bolts, and the front bracket is also connected to one of the water pump bolts with a 1"x1/4" strap.

I would have liked to make the mount one piece, boxed it on at least one side, but that is just not possible here. One of the bolts that goes in the head is behind the body of the pump, and would be impossible to reach if the mount was one piece.

Maybe I should weld the strap that goes to the water pump onto the other bracket, just to make the assembly a bit more rigid.

Other than making the mount all one piece, ideally it should have another screw into the head perpendicular to the current mounting (to keep it from flexing forward and backwards) but there's really no good place to put it, other than maybe one of the exhaust manifold bolts. I don't really want to go there because of the heat, however.

Hopefully it will be solid enough. we'll find out.

By comparison the stock mounts on my tow rig are made of 1/8" stamped steel, although they do have a bit of a reinforcing lip around them to keep them from flexing.

[darkstar]

By the way, here is where I got my inspiration for this (thanks Keith )

http://www.washbrook.net/Stage%208.htm (scroll almost to the bottom of the page)

[PTSchram]

LOL, somewhere in the old shop, I had a two piece aluminium mount that I made to do the exact same thing, but I got stymied trying to remove the damned three bolt flange from the ZF pump and moved on to other projects.

Is the PSC pump too big left to right, or front to back to fit in a modified OEM serpentine bracket

Either way, your and Keith's brackets are probably much stronger than what GM or Rover did or would have done. It's so nice to not be constrained by the demands of large scale production economics and OEM-enforced LTAs.

[whiteDI]

So does the stock pulley just bolt up to the pump? Looks interesting.

[darkstar]

Originally Posted by whiteDI

So does the stock pulley just bolt up to the pump? Looks interesting.

I've there's anything I've learned in the last few years with this Rover, is that nothing ever just bolts up to anything. Keith turned down the ID of the stock pulley adapter to fit the P-pump shaft.

[cptyarderho]

will the increase in pressure necessitate any changes to the box? Looks good, I wish I had the time and talent to fab.

[darkstar]

this pump doesn't put out more pressure than the one I have in there now (just more flow).

the only change I'm going to make to this box, if it comes down to that, is to get rid of it... long story.

[darkstar]

PT, here are some side by side pics with the pump I was using and the new one. The one I had in there is not a stock pump, but it is the same size and bolts right in.

[PTSchram]

Thanx. Did you do any mods to the GM pump, or just bolt it right in?

I was gonna put one on a '95 LWB but given the proximity to the distributor, I didn't want my first experience using one of the GM pumps to be on someone else's truck. I'll probably be needing a new pump on either my LWB or my Disco soon enough (did I just jinx myself?) then I can be just like the cool kids. I've realized I'm just not as cool so I'll have to settle for being a poor facsimile

Have you heard "Great Caesar's Ghost"? They play a lot of them on XM. Warren Heynes told them they couldn't play a festival where the Mule was playing because "Who wants somebody on stage that plays my music better than I do?". Very Dead-ish, Allman's-ish cool jams.

Peace,
PT

ps-are you sure Darkstar is a good screen name? Given how the song starts

[darkstar]

Originally Posted by PTSchram

Thanx. Did you do any mods to the GM pump, or just bolt it right in?

the TC pump was shimmed and ported. the new one is from PSC and shouldn't need any mods

Originally Posted by PTSchram

I was gonna put one on a '95 LWB but given the proximity to the distributor, I didn't want my first experience using one of the GM pumps to be on someone else's truck. I'll probably be needing a new pump on either my LWB or my Disco soon enough (did I just jinx myself?) then I can be just like the cool kids. I've realized I'm just not as cool so I'll have to settle for being a poor facsimile

Do it. just try to find one with the inlets and outlets that are the same as the ZF pump. I didn't do this, and had to do a bit of creative plumbing. Even a stock saginaw pump is quite a bit more robust than the crappy ZF pump.

Originally Posted by PTSchram

Have you heard "Great Caesar's Ghost"? They play a lot of them on XM. Warren Heynes told them they couldn't play a festival where the Mule was playing because "Who wants somebody on stage that plays my music better than I do?". Very Dead-ish, Allman's-ish cool jams.

Peace,
PT

ps-are you sure Darkstar is a good screen name? Given how the song starts

Haven't heard of them, but I'll see if I can find something. always looking to add good stuff to the collection. as for the screen name, that's kinda a legacy thing. after all these years I'm pretty much committed to it...

[darkstar]

Its no DXF, but here it is the template. I have a hi-res scan if you want it.

[darkstar]

Here it is, all installed, plumbed and working.

The belt is Gates part #k070931, 15/16"x93-5/8", 7 rib.

[knudsen]

PT - did you swap in the Saginaw yet?

Is the stock gear box up to steering big tires with the improved pump behind it?

[rtiqulatendisco]

Looks good. Now if we could just get a steering box that was worth a shit.

[Buckon37s]

Originally Posted by rtiqulatendisco

Looks good. Now if we could just get a steering box that was worth a shit.

Not possible. I tried.

Awesome work Darkstar! It's very cool that you have room to get a standard rotation pump in there. I have to run reverse rotation and it has been a nightmare getting it all going.

Any chance I can buy one of those press on rover pully mounts from you? I need one for the spare pump I carry!

[darkstar]

someone's been diggin.. this thread is from almost a year ago.

As for the press on pulley--its a stock pulley. the centerbore on the adapter needs to be machined out to 3/4 (if I'm not mistaken). Keith took care of that for me.

Edit--by the way, this setup worked just fine with the rover steering box. I had no problems. With 40" tires, the steering wasn't 1-finger, but there was more than enough assist to turn the tires under any circumstances that I encountered while running the setup. I'll be using the same pump (with a 1600 psi valve body, instead of the 1300 psi one I got it with) to run my full hyrdro... if I ever get my rig back together, that is.

[uninformed]

didnt strangerover have a rr box on his mogrover, running mogs and 42's...

Serg

[knudsen]

Thanks Alex. Not 1 finger steering now! LOL I'm looking at something between 35 and 40 in. in the tire dept., so I should be good to go with the stock box. Good to know about whoring out the hole in the pulley too, that was my next Q. I've got a Saginaw pump in my Dodge 3/4 t van I'm going to pull before I call Goodwill and let them tow it off.

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by knudsen

PT - did you swap in the Saginaw yet?

Yeah right! Given the ease of install and low cost of the GM pump that Alex posted, I don't know that I see the need.

As to my current status, check out the thread on Dweb, I'll have more pics of the body rot activity. I don't wanna call it a build, I don't think it rates being called a build-up and it sure as Hell won't be a restoration. Perhaps patching is the best description.