1960 Chevy Power Steering Question

Well, what we got is a 1960 Chevy Kingswood 9 Pass. wagon. It has a 235 6cylinder with a cast iron powerglide and Factory power steering. Our questions are mainly concerning the pump and the power steering cylinder.

Can the cylinder/piston that steers the car be used with a newer style pump from a V8? or can it only be used with the original pump/ or the early Chevy V8 pump that was mounted on the back of the Generator?

And if it is, if in the end, the original pump is put on a small block some how will it still work correctly on the SBC?
I feel dumb asking this but we really wana get this car on the road soon,
P.S. - Looking for a running 235/castiron glide to swap into it for a lil while to drive it.
Thanks -Darrin

 

pics

 

61 chevy had a normal pump, and the same valve/ram steering system. So yeah, you can use a newer pump

 

I thoought they had the pump on the gen.? We figured the pumps would be different for the valve/ram steering and wouldnt work at all. I need someone to explain how they work.

 

60 was the last year of the gen mounted pump, and 64 was the last year of the linkage type power steering on fulls size cars. Corvettes used it into the early 80s I think.

The generator and engine driven pumps are the same pump inside, it's just how they're driven that's different.

The pump is a vane pump

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/steering4.htm

The control valve and ram are similar to the parts inside an integral power steering gearbox, they are just separate. The control valve sends pressure to either side of the ram if the rod in it is moved to one side or the other. There's a spring that deflects when you turn the steering wheel, and the amount of deflection is translated into how far the valve opens. When the valve opens, it makes the ram turn the steering in the direction that will close the valve.

 

I think this was discussed on another, older GM car a while back.


It might have been me, who looked up the P/S pressure specs in an old Motors Manual. You can find pressures in the P/S section of those books, to compare with the donor pump specs.


I had a 61 conv with that P/S slave cyl back in 67. I just don't recall which pump it had, but I doubt it was on the generator because I picked up a 58 parts car and that's the first generator pump that I had seen.