Pantera powersteering… why? which and how!

I am currently in the process of cleaning up the interior. Adding LED dash and interior lights. Installing some of the Pantera Electronic controllers. So, I am down that rabbit hole of while it's apart I might as well as install the SACC kit. The PO had cut up the center console that I have a replacement for also.

Thought the power steering would be a great addition, at least for me. I had an incident a couple of years ago where I didn't get turned fast enough and backed into a car that had just parked where there wasn't one before. I would have pulled forward instead if I had the power steering.

I don't see any negative issues with power steering in the Pantera. They are all just positives. If you can swing it, do it. It helps tame the beast.

I had the EZ Electric system and found it quite amazing. Even at parking lot speeds, it still feels like "Pantera" steering, just lighter. When you are driving down the road, you don't know it's there. Your steering just feels "pre-power steering" normal. I'm talking about the kind of speeds you'd be driving at in a city. It was exactly what I wanted. Once it's installed, you forget it's there.

There's only one person I know of that's installed and driven both systems, back to back: that's Gerry Romack; President of The Great Lakes Panteras POCA chapter ( https://www.greatlakespantera.com/). The web site has installation info and Gerry can be reached at: GLPanteraClub@gmail.com . I'm sure he'd be happy to give you his thoughts on both systems. On the Club web site it mentions American Powertrain as the USA distributor but I believe EZ Electric in The Netherlands will sell direct.

I bought the power steering unit from SACC, but have not been able to test it yet because I am still working on my car.  You could also try Greg at Full Throttle Panteras.  He sells a unit that is a little smaller than SACC and I don't know how it is controlled but you can talk to him.  Scott unit seems to be good.  My 2 cents.  Larry

I agree.. Scott is very good!! Got my brakes from him!

SACC website says they are out of stock. Expected availability is 6/24 with a wait list available for sign up.

We also sell a new option if you want Speed Sensitivity instead of a knob. You don't need to tap into the speedometer cable as the new system uses GPS to determine speed and thus, the amount of boost applied...

My target is to be done with ALL my modifications by the end of April! (For people who saw what I did so far.. I’m about halfway done) I did decide on the EZ power steering system and I have it in my hand (actually sitting here for 3 weeks already)
I will spread it out tomorrow and show what I got and then hopefully how I install it successfully!

I got the templates copied onto cardboard already…

@zr1pantera posted:

We also sell a new option if you want Speed Sensitivity instead of a knob. You don't need to tap into the speedometer cable as the new system uses GPS to determine speed and thus, the amount of boost applied...

That is a great upgrade!!!

You can also adjust castor to reduce steering effort.

@husker posted:

You can also adjust castor to reduce steering effort.

I increased my caster- milling the rear of the upper ball joint.. (thread “ weirdest poly bushings”)

More caster gives the car more stability at high straight line speeds and but will increase the steering effort required!

I don’t think decreasing caster for easier steering is justifiable… it would make the car nervous…

I did a lot of reading about power steering, and decide to go with Scott's unit. Been on the waiting list since before Christmas... Great guy to deal with. Brakes next!

I like the SACC unit. The knob adjustment is fun to tinker with, but I’d be nice not to have an auto adjust. I mounted the box on the firewall and nob under dash column.(Look for “CNC” in pic.) It does take up a lot of room(not sure other units space) and makes it difficult to remove Speedo/tach. I have to remove Speedo first and then tach now. Just sent in Tach for calibration to Pantera Electronics. Highly recommended you do this if you have everything apart. It was off 1200RPM and stopped working at 5000RPM. My redline is somewhere around 2K higher and hard to read digital screen when this thing is screaming.😎

Here is the EZ system:

The two bags on the top left -  two speed sensors, which one can be mounted Behind the speedometer (left) or at the speedo output at the transmission (middle)

The brain is mounted on the bottom of the steering column… It’s right now sitting on it I put the lighter next to it so you have a reference of the size of the motor!

Also the angle the motor is pointing more upwards! This is about mounting position, horizontally seen..

and it’s all German TUV approved..

I had to set it up right now for the picture! It’s too good to see them next to each other!

I won’t install the ignition lock on the steering column! This was just too much fiddling to get the key in! it was a PITA for me!

I also printed out the instruction manual from the USA importer of this power steering system because it is a lot more complex and detailed (and upgraded) then what I got from the Netherlands:

https://greatlakespantera.com/...the%20Pantera%20.pdf

let’s see what I adopt…

Could you give us the link to American Powertrain's EZ Electric installation manual? Thanks!

Different than the EZ one posted above?

Destruction has begun….

(hopefully Sunday done…)

covered in antique dust /dirt… 😝

Roland…

You don’t mess around!

Chuck

@rocky posted:

Roland…

You don’t mess around!

Chuck

I like speed….🤪

doing the Powersteering, painting on the car for the fuel filler mod and making the seal between wheel well and engine bay, got my new front axle nuts(fiat 850) and buttoned that up,.. and that’s my Friday …👍

Well, reading through all the instructions from the manufacturer and the distributor in the US I have to say… hmmm

both combined gives me an idea what to try to do but the task at hand is I have to cut bits and pieces of the welded bracket under the dashboard and it has to be correct or I will be screwed!

the templates are similar, but definitely not the same, the Netherlands provide one to one scale templates, US distributor templates are definitely smaller than one-to-one, but it gives you an idea I guess!

looking at the pictures from the US importer (he has the whole dashboard removed, which I really do not want to do) helps! His pictures also show what has to be trimmed and I can figure out why… I hope the end result of my trimming is more - well, How do I say that “neat”!

The explanations on the different pictures what to do probably makes sense to somebody already did the job once before… Which I haven’t!… So kind of “watch out there is something look what what” moments happening! A few arrows and pointers would be really helpful what to look at….

Now. I will go and use the knowledge obtained by the instructions from both, the pictures and figure out. What’s the right way!

it is definitely not “just follow the instructions and you will be done”! it’s like somebody gives the kit and says drill -A- hole…   -more information?-

And off we go..!!!

top from the Netherlands

bottom US distributor

a little bit more information would be great… Draw an arrow!!!!

I didn’t see any information about how to clock the joints - which I read is a biggie!

I’m just pretending I’m starting from scratch… The one fixed point we have are the front mounting points! There was no instruction how much of the bottom plate has to be removed it was just drawings and some cutting going on so I’m gonna go and measure.

these are the mounting points, and what comes right after it…

and here is the side view:

And that’s what we have right now

Read… I’m playing with a bits and pieces and check them out and compare them and here’s what I found:

Powersteering assembly pictures in there US importer instructions is not the same power steering assembly as the one I got from the Netherlands!

just to keep them apart, let’s call the one US and the other NL (Netherlands)

US has a tube that is clamped on, and you can adjust the slot for the steering lock… You can turn it! NL has no adjustment. It’s all one welded piece!
the more I dig into it it seems like that there was a earlier version and a later version?!??
Later in the instructions the clamp is gone..

it seems like the mounting brackets were different too… I’m not hip about this one..

i’m not sure if we are talking about the same thing here..

there will be no reason to smash anything!

I will not go any further into this whole thing! It makes no sense to me! Maybe I have upgraded model… Who knows..

at this point I’m gonna abandon the US instructions!

I spent now a few hours wrapping my head around this whole thing - aside from taking bits and pieces apart and straightening the front wheels I didn’t accomplish much. One thing I noticed was that when I turned the shaft on the power steering it feels like a big bearing filled with grease, heavy grease but nothing I would say it isn’t real resistance at all! And at the same time when I did that I ask myself, does it have a center position???!! I guess not….🤔

Digging into the NL version:

let’s call this The zero (0) position..

original steering wheel straight front wheels pointing straight.

and I’m going to install the power steering the same way clocked.!

The pivot axles of the joint are 90° to the ground (steering rack side) and perfectly horizontal (steering wheel side)

Keep in mind, the instructions you call the “US” manual is actually Gerry Romack’s Great Lakes Pantera’s installation guide. It includes some modifications to the original unit, including one of mine! The “U” shaped mounting bracket with the steel tube going through it is something we came up with when installing my unit. Gerry liked the idea and adopted it. This is not the way any unit ever came from EZ Electric. What’s in the Dutch manual is the way it’s designed to be.

@davidnunn posted:

Keep in mind, the instructions you call the “US” manual is actually Gerry Romack’s Great Lakes Pantera’s installation guide. It includes some modifications to the original unit, including one of mine! The “U” shaped mounting bracket with the steel tube going through it is something we came up with when installing my unit. Gerry liked the idea and adopted it. This is not the way any unit ever came from EZ Electric. What’s in the Dutch manual is the way it’s designed to be.

Yes! The idea with the tube is a very good one! I will do that as well and give him / you credit for it! But as it shows on the pictures, the power steering assembly has changed from the variant he is using in the instruction manual! The front mounting points are higher on my unit than the variant he used And it would be a shame if somebody would start cutting the structure in the front for no reason! Because of the front mounting points being higher (steering tube NOT protruding into the horizontal structure) the template is not correct anymore. I understand what he did for the application, but it’s not relevant for what I have received from EZ Powersteering…

Upgrading the pressed electric contacts and soldering them is also a great idea to ensure dependability!

let’s see how the NL version is doing…

All of these systems are adaptations of EPS from other vehicles. That makes installing them into a Pantera a little bit of an adventure and one should expect the unexpected.

You could even argue that current production cars are using a mostly "off the shelf" EPS that is easily adaptable to a production vehicle.

There simply are EPS systems commonly available in European production vehicles and likely other non-US markets that are not found in any combination in North America so it isn't surprising to me that the "Dutch" offering is a little different.

The plus to all of this EPS technology is that so far they all seem to apply themselves very well to this application and do not over boost like many of the US hydraulic PS systems seem to do.

The biggest challenge in building one for the Pantera is finding a "doner" that will physically fit into the extremely limited space available in the Pantera as simply as possible. Everything else seems trivial by comparison.

I would be shocked if any current "super car" was built without one now. It is such an obvious addition.

@panteradoug posted:

I would be shocked if any current "super car" was built without one now. It is such an obvious addition.

Doug,

McLaren uses hydraulic power steering in all of their cars.

@davidnunn posted:

Doug,

McLaren uses hydraulic power steering in all of their cars.

But the hydraulic pump is powered by an electric motor not by the engine, correct? Aka Porsche did..

@panteradoug posted:

All of these systems are adaptations of EPS from other vehicles. That makes installing them into a Pantera a little bit of an adventure and one should expect the unexpected.

You could even argue that current production cars are using a mostly "off the shelf" EPS that is easily adaptable to a production vehicle.

There simply are EPS systems commonly available in European production vehicles and likely other non-US markets that are not found in any combination in North America so it isn't surprising to me that the "Dutch" offering is a little different.

The plus to all of this EPS technology is that so far they all seem to apply themselves very well to this application and do not over boost like many of the US hydraulic PS systems seem to do.

The biggest challenge in building one for the Pantera is finding a "doner" that will physically fit into the extremely limited space available in the Pantera as simply as possible. Everything else seems trivial by comparison.

I would be shocked if any current "super car" was built without one now. It is such an obvious addition.

Don’t know if it’s true… But I heard this EPS is from a Fiat panda…

I looked at the Powersteering from the Fiat 124… The new version and the electric part is part of the steering rack - very tight very neat..

I did run into a little snag…. somebody thought it would be a good idea to make it a solid steering shaft.. a bolt run through the sleeve and shaft… plastic clip missing in action…. WHY 😱

I think I got an idea now how to make a rattle free but “ breakaway” connection… the polyurethane glue for windshields.. I got 2 holes to squeeze some in the relief… don’t touch it let   dry   😅

but that’s final assembly!

Prep more..

@LeMans850i posted:

Don’t know if it’s true… But I heard this EPS is from a Fiat panda…

I looked at the Powersteering from the Fiat 124… The new version and the electric part is part of the steering rack - very tight very neat..

EZ Electric buys their EPAS motors from a manufacturer in Japan, that supplies auto manufacturers, such as Nissan. This allows them access to the controller source code, etc.

I personally have done what some would call extensive research into this subject and can tell you that there are more then a couple of manufacturers of these units.

They are not at all limited to Japan. They are worldwide and many are not accessible to our US markets at all. They are made for just about any kind of three or four wheeled vehicle you can think of that needs to be steered.

Generally speaking what we see here in the US is very limited offering to what is available worldwide. However, what I found is that in my case new manufacturers, with few if any exceptions do not sell, or will not sell just one unit to you. Most you need to purchase in batches. Some as little as 10 or 12 but most in the 100 units at a time range.

So that if you are a custom builder, applying an EPS to your one specific application, you are really kind of limited to finding a used one and making it fit if possible.

Most of what is available here in North America is too big to fit into a Pantera. I had to go to the UK to find one and at that, needed to source it from a right hand drive vehicle, a Toyota Yaris, so that the motor was located on the left side of the column. The US version of that vehicle is as expected, left hand drive. The right hand drive was exactly the opposite configuration.

I personally have "built" three EPS units and was able to sell two that were too large to fit to "street rodders" where there was much more room under the dash for them to fit.

The electrical installation is actually quite simple and straight forward. Controllers are available from Bruno Antunes in Portugal @Brunossteering.com.

Unless you have the time and energy available to screw around with these systems, which most will not, I'd suggest that you consider using one of these already "re-engineered" kits. When it comes down to the value of your time and correcting the mistakes that you made, their price is really a bargain. That work has already been done by the sellers and you do not want to hack up your Pantera needlessly.

Here is what I did so far:

left side… looking what the cutout is for, position relative to the front mount bolting holes!

template does not go forward for enough because of vertical structure

marking cut line..

Establish cutout in the middle… there’s no template provided for it!

transferring holes from the dashboard, structure,

enlarging on the powersteering unit

tracing what can stay, but has to go..

I must admit that even though there was a noticeable stress level felt, it was a fun and enjoyable experience. I hope you are enjoying it too?

right side cut…

Cut part of the lightning hole to get  around the ductwork !
connecting the lines left side to bottom!

The red line is the new route. I’m going to connect to the side bracket cut out

drilled at tight radius and to reset the saw

Cleaned up,

I am, and I'm sure every one else is as well. Thanks for taking the time to document the process. I'm anxious to see how it comes out. As I posted earlier, I opted for the SACC unit, which I'm hoping is a bit easier installation and works about as well. I read that the feel (?) was "totally different" but never quite established if different is better, worse, or just different.

Test fitting is coming next probably with adjustments necessary I guess..

Right now, I have to lay down horizontally because I’m bent out of shape

@Ed Harbur
I was hoping to find documentation like what I’m doing right now about the procedure… It would’ve made the decision easier or maybe harder…

Once everything is done, I’m gonna let somebody with experience with Pantera drive it to assess how the brakes and Powersteering and all the other stuff i did to it came out!

I made a little bit of metal dust! Make sure you put some old bed sheets down…

It’s going to be very hard to get this stuff out of the carpet!

I think doing this origami was very helpful to visualize what I’m doing…

@panteradoug posted:

I must admit that even though there was a noticeable stress level felt, it was a fun and enjoyable experience. I hope you are enjoying it too?

it was a rush… i’m just quadruple checking everything… And hope for the best🤔🤪

@Ed Harbur - I bought a SACC Power Steering Unit and it was pretty easy to do the install.  You had to do a little cutting and drill a couple of holes.  I also made a spacer for the bracket to take up some space.  I can take pictures of the final install if you need some more pictures.  I just followed Scott's instructions and everything went well.  Very sturdy install.  Larry

@davidnunn

your bolt modification going to be next!

You had a great idea! stupid the way the manufacturer did it

being able to mount it without disassembling and your mod provides better more ridged structure!

Here's a better photo

the left mounting bolt trapped by bracket in the back is a nuisance! You have to disassemble the rear bracket to bolt it to the dash structure…

@ davidnunn did a modification to his setup using a long bolt reaching through both mounting holes, nut on the electric motor side and made a spacer so It can be  proper torqued down!
the solution was adopted by Gerry in his manual!

Bolted it in with front 2 bolts… seems to clear, can jiggling & wiggle… after I take it off I’m going to look for witnesses mark on the tape….

Note how high the electric motor is tugged up under the dash!!

use the piece of cardboard and run it through the gap… perfect!
Took it out… No interference,! I got lucky no reworking necessary!

Now I have to figure out the rear, mounting holes

The rear mount really blows!! Can’t see, very tight space, head on the brake pedal… I stopped and going to think for a while now….

I have questions… Bring your best answers if you could please!

The steering wheel shaft is about one finger thickness, away from the dashboard!

That’s not enough to have the steering cover on it it takes at least two maybe 2 1/2 finger thickness between center of the steering shaft and the lower part of the dashboard. The mounting surface of the two ears welded to the steering shaft I absolutely flush with the bottom of the dashboard structure… So there is no angle change going on. It’s just flat right on it

nothing is twisted. No pressure on anything that’s just the way he wants to sit right now… The cutouts I made today have about between one and 2 mm clearance to the power steering box… I have not drilled the two holes for the rear bracket!

I think, a small movement on either of those attachment points would make a usable difference in the spacing. I’m looking in the front.

how does all this angle change affect the steering  shaft  after  it…?? ?The  hollow  “D” shaft coming through really does not have any movement in it. Am I going to stick everything together and see what spacers do I have to put in the front…

or enlarge the cutout in the back and make pie shaped spacers for the front.. which still doesn’t mean the steering shaft is gonna end up where needs to be… It only has one joint! I only can change the angle after that joint (pivoting at this joint)!

any input?

(I think just stick everything together loosely and see where it ends up - The good old rolling the dice)

There is a difference in the clearances you ask about between the  types of dash the car has, i.e., the dual pod or the single pod. In fact, the version of the single pod that the European market cars is a little different then the plastic version used in the '74 USA cars. The Euro version is a pretty thick fiberglass.

The front mounting bracket in this case (EPS installation) really needs to be made with slots (about 1" long) rather then single round holes, so that there is some adjustment, in and out (front to back).

It also needs to be made so that the wheel mounts as high as can be with no shims and able to be shimmed down to adjust the angle to your liking with bolts long enough to accomplish the adjustment. To me that is obvious and an indication that sufficient experimentation was put into the design process.

The left rear mounting bolt is the toughest one to get in, no question. In my case I had to use a flanged hex head bolt where I used Allen socket bolts in the other three spots.

That is actually a back and forth process where it is necessary to modify the new bracket in my view. My mounting bracket started as a square plate with four holes. Then evolved into slots for adjustment front to back.

This is probably the toughest part of the fit to the car. The trimming of the sheet metal is very minor in comparison.

I actually went through that (adjusting the closeness to the dash) before the EPS developed (or ever existed yet)  in that I was going to a Momo steering wheel and the adapter gave more room and I wanted the wheel closer to the dashboard so I had remade the mounting brackets with slots.

This actually showed in the angle of the directional signal rod in that it needed to be bent more for clearance to the dash when in the "high beams on position".

In fact, at one point I toyed with the idea of the telescoping column like the Corvettes have, but since I am the only one who drives the car I just set the location to where I felt most comfortable. In my case, that was as tight as I could get it to the dash board...but my thought is that the new column mounting bracket needs slots and that what you have is just plain an oversight.

Larry- Thanks for the info and pics. Scott actually shipped my unit yesterday - MONTHS earlier than predicted, but unfortunately right before I'm getting my back overhauled so that I can actually get in and out of, and work on the car again. 6 weeks with no heavy lifting. Oh well! I will definitely take you up on your offer of a little coaching when the time comes, though.

@Ed Harbur posted:

Larry- Thanks for the info and pics. Scott actually shipped my unit yesterday - MONTHS earlier than predicted, but unfortunately right before I'm getting my back overhauled so that I can actually get in and out of, and work on the car again. 6 weeks with no heavy lifting. Oh well! I will definitely take you up on your offer of a little coaching when the time comes, though.

I found that laying across the seats from the passenger side, with the door open, feet sticking out the door, leaning up against the shift lever, was the easiest position to work from.

Here, the steering wheel quick disconnect really helps because the steering wheel is not in the car at that point.

It is possible though, that I am permanently deformed as a result of working in that position?

Well, if it is deformed, I've got a carefully selected doc for you.

@Ed Harbur posted:

Well, if it is deformed, I've got a carefully selected doc for you.

Is she pretty?

I'm kind of planning to be face down and heavily sedated at the time of the festivities, so not a factor in my case!

yea, they know all of the pressure points anyway?

I played around and it seems a 9mm spacer would work in the front between steering column and the dash structure..

I’m going to make one now….

I'm curious as to what changed between the original steering column and the new? The mounting tabs on both are flush with the outer diameter of the column. Why is a spacer needed to make the column cover fit? I must be missing something. Some of the pictures at the top of this page are not showing on my screen. I did see in the write-up that the cover needed to be trimmed in places.

@tsolo posted:

I'm curious as to what changed between the original steering column and the new? The mounting tabs on both are flush with the outer diameter of the column. Why is a spacer needed to make the column cover fit? I must be missing something. Some of the pictures at the top of this page are not showing on my screen. I did see in the write-up that the cover needed to be trimmed in places.

I was asking myself the same question while I was making that spacer! And I’m thinking that it should fit the way the original steering column fit because the dimensions are the same. The front bracket is level with the tube as the original one, so the only thing that Would be in the way is the cut out !

I think if I go up in the back by 5 mm, the front probably comes down by 9mm

Okay, I think I understand now. The original column mounted to the bottom plate with 4 bolts, so the angle was fixed. Now that the rear of that plate has been removed the angle is no longer fixed and you have to set it by the location of the new rear mounting holes. This is good information to have. You need to measure the clearance distance at the front of the column to dash prior to removing the original column. Then you need to match that distance when marking out the new rear mounting holes.

Could you reload the pictures at the top of this page so I could see them?

Steve

Here is what I did, and look at the end result:

the original cut:

the new modified cut:

everything fits from what I see no modification necessary on the Plastic..

@tsolo posted:

Okay, I think I understand now. The original column mounted to the bottom plate with 4 bolts, so the angle was fixed. Now that the rear of that plate has been removed the angle is no longer fixed and you have to set it by the location of the new rear mounting holes. This is good information to have. You need to measure the clearance distance at the front of the column to dash prior to removing the original column. Then you need to match that distance when marking out the new rear mounting holes.

Could you reload the pictures at the top of this page so I could see them?

Steve

you’re absolutely correct! And that was something I did not know…
After enlarge the cutout, it just - well I would not say it fell together - but I gave it one push and then  everything was where it supposed be… so now I still have to check the steering itself, so nothing is binding and then have to mark the rear holes..

Just by dimensions, both steering column, the old one and the power steering column all the same length size with the joint location the same - everything should fit… But spending some time with the file and the vice (making an unnecessary spacer) and I knew I got something wrong! I was just trying to fix the problem at the wrong end. I don’t need a spacer in the front. I need more room in the back!

those templates are rough guides but definitely not something to count on. There are no measurements understandably whatsoever and everything was welded together by Luigi and Giuseppe. Maybe it was Friday - they’re all different! Measurements really wouldn’t help except measure from the dashboard down to the steering column (before you take the original one apart)  and trim the ass end until the power steering unit  fits! And it will fit!

I try to avoid sharp corners in my cutting because they would act as stress risers… the force to move the front wheels is still the same just the force to move the steering wheel is lowered..

I’m feeling better now!

fixed that annoyance now!

Here is the next puzzle to solve…

The black bracket it’s on the rear of the power steering… once you put everything in place and attach the front 2 bolts you can feel the holes through the back, there’s like a 1 inch slot on the top, but you can stick a finger in… One finger only!

the instructions it says mark the holes for the bracket and drill the holes…

I couldn’t do it with everything in place..

paint on my fingertip.. no… not enough penetration into the hole…

so put everything together and put it in place where it’s supposed to be then unbolted that bracket and tried to the best of my abilities to leave it in place exactly it’s supposed to be and unbold the rest of the steering and removed it In the hope the bracket stayed in position! It’s held by the 2 uprights I trimmed before… about 92mm apart… if I touch the uprights the bracket moves… not falling out but moving… so did the whole procedure again and this time I just use the red can to get the outlines and hopefully the hole…

now while writing this and looking at the pic I should have made a paper template… that might be another solution! Maybe more accurate than my abstract painting!

up to this point I had the Powersteering in and out approximately 10 times!

Next drilling where the most room you have is 4 inches… and still no straight shot.. or view… what a pain!!! This job is for the yoga lover, limber and agile….

good old days…..

I’m taking a break, rearrange my spine, cleaning my reading glasses 🤓

Hole # 1 is done!!!

OMG … i’m amazed it didn’t break the pilot drill…

next I install the power steering again and see what it needs … at least I can adjust the bracket and then mark hole #2…

from their on it should be a lot easier!

Make sure you are making good patterns for all your friends who may be interested in installing PS in their rides!

They will be greatly appreciated!

no doubt about!!! I kept everything I cut… paper and metal!! I’m going to make a summary in the end…

Marking and drilling the rear, two holes is a chore. What a pain! Needs a few special tools…

One Long pilot drill cut to usable length.

Marker cut to usable length

Now here the @davidnunn upgrade..

welded a tube between the two ears of the rear bracket so a long bolt can be used!

I enlarged the 8 mm hole to half-inch, so I have some movement to tighten the Powersteering down relaxed but solid!

also got rid of all the sharp corners on the brackets, so it’s easier to move so it finds the place where wants to live!

Now. Close to the end of the mounting endeavor …. Balancing and holding the power steering unit so many times, trying to locate the front nuts that are welded in the structure to get the right angle with the bolt and not cross thread - I got the idea to change to studs instead… So much smarter so much easier! By a mile and a half!!!! Especially if you have to add the steering column shroud as well!
I got the 8mm bolt in the back in but it was a fight with the 1.5” thick 50 year old  stiff wiring harness… but it fits!!!  Tomorrow I measure the proper length for the bolt… take everything apart, fix my lower hollow, steering tube, make everything nice and spiffy, and reassemble it!!

honestly… I’d rather do 3 pedal boxes - Hell -  I’ll make that four!!!

When it started on Friday a week ago I said I should be done by Sunday. Well it’s going to be Sunday but a week later… Wow
I guess I’m getting old…

Well, the grip length needed is a hair under 105mm sheet metal outsides with EPS in… but I’m sure there a a couple mm squeeze left in the setup.. On the nut side is not much room….. not sure if I need to file the nut down to be able to fit a washer.. ( washer is 1.5mm thread pitch 1.25mm )

105+1.5+1.5+5 (4turns)=113mm

going to run with a 110mm and hope for the squeeze factor…

My friend, Riley, who used to be on the forum but has since sold his Pantera about a year ago, had added the SACC power steering unit to his '73, and I drove it once and thought it was great, especially with the adjustable boost.  He installed it himself, so it's doable.  The only reason I haven't added it to mine is because, with my very big feet, I drive mine for the last 30 years, barefooted, and the small electric box was mounted to the left of the clutch, and I was afraid I'd keep knocking my foot into it.  I've had several surgeries on the foot, and I was afraid, but would still love to do it and take some strain off of my 71 year old shoulders.  I will speak to Riley this afternoon and ask him to weigh in on this topic from first hand experience. 

I drive my Pantera barefoot as well for the same reason. I read something somewhere that led me to believe that there wouldn't be an interference issue, so I decided to take a chance and order the unit. I should have it this week. I won't be able to install it until mid-summer however. I can certainly look at it, though, and I'll report in as soon as I learn anything. Perhaps we need to start a support group of some sort.

The Support Group:
“EPS anonymous” : my name is Roland and I’m installing a electric Powersteering unit in my Pantera… 😳😳😳🤓😱😱🤔🤢

…. don’t judge me…!!   LOL 😂

I think it would be a great idea! I haven’t found any real information,  aside from what the manufactures provide, of people bolting Powersteering in Panteras..

that was one of the reasons I started this thread! it would’ve been a hell of a lot easier if I would’ve known what I know now! there’s no reason everybody has to go through the whole learning curve!
I definitely recommend buying a super short 90° angle drill! it has to fit with the drill on it in a space of 97 mm! Changing to studs in the front, measuring the distance between steering tube and dashboard before you take the original out…. All that would take a lot of work   ( and guess work) out of it!

Today. I fixed my lower steering tube (big thanks to my 15-year-old daughter, who helped me a lot getting the thing back in),  the brake light switch that was installed on the brake pedal stop and cut the wiring out and re-soldered (once again under the dash but behind the pedals ) it to go to the brake pressure sensor in the front, got rid of a few wires under the dashboard, which made no sense and don’t belong there , found a wire I do not know where it goes to , rerouted the wiring harness for the ignition switch , Ceramic coated my wheels, retightened and all my brake fittings… and the day is not over yet!

It,s hard when I climb out of my sexy Italian-isn car and people expect to see Guccis and get Fruit of the Looms. I feel sort of inadaguite…

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@Ed Harbur posted:

It,s hard when I climb out of my sexy Italian-isn car and people expect to see Guccis and get Fruit of the Looms. I feel sort of inadaguite…

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

It’s a potpourri of flavors…👍👍

Every girl likes Makeup… Little bit of paint and it looks so much prettier!

Just an update and explanation where I am…

I haven’t abandoned this thread but I am going for the heater core… thread “heater core - keeping it cozy “ and for this task the dashboard has to come out! The powersteering unit would be very much in the way for that! I pick up again once it’s finished…

Tomorrow taking center console out and replace the speedo cable and at the same time install the sensor for the power steering! Inside empty…

Of course, far be it from me to make suggestions, but….

I have seen dashboards where they have “connectorized” all the dash, so if they have to remove it in the future…. it’s a snap!

Do you think that’s worth considering?

(I have never removed my dash….  I’m too scared of the “while I’m in here…” syndrome!)

@rocky posted:

Of course, far be it from me to make suggestions, but….

I have seen dashboards where they have “connectorized” all the dash, so if they have to remove it in the future…. it’s a snap!

Do you think that’s worth considering?

(I have never removed my dash….  I’m too scared of the “while I’m in here…” syndrome!)

The factory wiring is like that mostly…

the things that made it very interesting are the modifications done by previous experts!!! Crisscross jungle.. cut cut cut cut and I figure it out and do it correctly!

you have multi plugs from the factory for

turn-signal switch

speedo

tach

gauges (I think I had someone adding wires that didn’t plug

emergency flasher

didn’t see multi plug for

wiper switch

& what’s the switch next to it??

the 2 dash panel lights

blower motor

the biggest biatch was the heater controller - that guy made me angry.. its sandwiched onto the center console, 2 7mm nuts and some grove hook thing on the right side

otherwise not bad… a few identical spacer, 3 I think spacing the dash from the back!

Start taking speedo, and Tach out little flash light and off you go…

Damn, I still got a lot of cleaning to do

@rocky posted:

Of course, far be it from me to make suggestions, but….

I have seen dashboards where they have “connectorized” all the dash, so if they have to remove it in the future…. it’s a snap!

Do you think that’s worth considering?

(I have never removed my dash….  I’m too scared of the “while I’m in here…” syndrome!)

For the number of times you're going to remove the dash, it's probably not worth the time and effort to put everything on quick-connects. I do think it's a good idea to do it to the gauge panel because you are much more likely to be removing that from time to time. In order to do it, you must replace the ammeter with a voltmeter, which isn't a bad idea anyway.

@davidnunn posted:

For the number of times you're going to remove the dash, it's probably not worth the time and effort to put everything on quick-connects. I do think it's a good idea to do it to the gauge panel because you are much more likely to be removing that from time to time. In order to do it, you must replace the ammeter with a voltmeter, which isn't a bad idea anyway.

Agree!! The majority does have multiplugs  anyway! That gauge panel is a pain!

Getting ready to bolt the Powersteering in for the last time ( recovered dash thread : “interiors are like underwear…”)

Almost done…

notice how high the electric motor is

I need to point out that the mounting of the steering column is MEGA rigged!!

I contribute that to the @davidnunn upgrade with a tube welded in on the rear mounting bracket!!! There is zero give in any way!!! I put my weight on it in every direction.. it is absolutely solid!
The nut to hold the thru bolt (110mm) needed to be kissed with the grinder (no room for washer)  to make it thinner to fit! Zoom in to see the perfect fit of bracket and motor…  you see the thin light hairline of a gap..
Loctite on the nut!!

Plastic cover fits … bad pic🤪

Even your dashboard is clean underneath! Nice work!

@rocky posted:

Even your dashboard is clean underneath! Nice work!

Wasn’t when I started… couldn’t even tell wire colors…🧹🧼🧽🪣