Re: power steering on 51 400

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2010/9/3 13:45:19

It's not necessary to have power steering in order to drive any Packard or other old car. They were perfectly easy to steer when new and they could be again if it were not for rusty joints that have not been lubed in years, worn out parts, shock absorbers dry of oil, bent tie rods,half flat tires and wheels way out of alignment.

Go ahead and service your front suspension to factory specs, replace worn parts, fill the shocks with oil, and get a front end alignment. You will find it steers as easy as power steering unless at a dead stop, then your shoulders get a slight workout. Old ladies and grannies drove them back when they were new so they couldn't be that bad. Do not let a worn out, neglected, badly out of alignment car fool you.

Friends of mine have taken this advice and once their suspension was restored to factory specs and properly lined up they had no desire for power steering.

Another thing you can do to make the steering even easier and more accurate is to have the front end aligned with little or no caster. But if you do this you have to add a hydraulic steering damper to damp out shimmy. Steering dampers are made by all the big shock absorber companies, they are a common accessory on 4 wheel drive trucks.