datty240Z
Well-Known Forum User
At last I've finished the installation of electric power steering in my 260Z 2+2. The transformation is unbelievable, like driving a totally different car. Set to its heaviest (least assisted) setting it feels perfect. To be honest this was a much longer job than I had anticipated and definately not for the faint hearted. Quite a bit of fabrication and moidification skill is required but most definately well worth the effort.
I started with a steering column from a Vauxhall Corsa C. I also had to buy an electronic controller in order to mimic the signals that would be sent to the steering ECU from the road speed sensor and engine speed sensor in the corsa. I now have a rotary knob to vary the amount of assistance I need.
The Corsa column was stripped of all the unnecessary bits and pieces such as switch gear, steering lock, immobiliser and adjustment bracketry. There is a bearing inside the column switch gear that had to be welded on to the end of the column once it was stripped bare. Next the switch gear and ignition lock from the Z had to be mounted onto the new column. This involved reprofiling the inside faces of the mounting brackets as the Corsa steering col in slightly bigger in diameter thn the Z column. I also had to extend the outer sheath of the new column towards the steering wheel because the switch on the Z was closer to the steering wheel than on the Corsa.
The bracket for the 2 main mounting points for Z column had to be removed from the Z column and welded onto the Corsa column after much careful measurement to make sure that the steering wheel ended up in the same position. A 2nd mounting point had to be found since the new column would not be bolted to the bulkhead like in the Z so I fabricated a bracket to allow me to bolt the new column up to the horizontal steel angle that runs accross the top of the pedal box on the Z. This mean't also having to reposition the brake light switch lower down since the new steering column bracket got in the way of the original mounting point.
The top hat shaped steel pressing that carries the steering column in the Z is just a little too narrow at the point where the electric motor comes in from the side to allow the corsa column to lift up to its highest point so I had to modify it slightly.
After removing the centre console I had to modify the RH bracket that supports the dashboard off the transmission tunnel so that the electric motor could swing up under the dash. Also the RH tip of the centre console had to be trimmed slightly as had the bracket that carries the radio to allow the centre console to slide forward to its correct position without hitting the electric motor.
In order to connect the new column up to the oroginal steering rack I kept the original rod that runs from the rack up to the flexible couple (replaced with a solid coupler) and connected another of these rods end to end to extend to the end of the electric column under the dash. I had an engineering workshop weld the end of the corsa universal joint that splines onto the end of the column onto the Z steering rod that I had extending to under the dash. The new mechanism ended up about 3mm too close to the edge of the original hole in the bulkhead so a little filing in that area allowed the mechanism to rotate without rubbing on the side of the hole.
Finally, or atleast temorarily, i used a Corsa steering wheel as the splines on the Z column are different to the Corsa column. As the steering wheel was from a damaged corsa whose airbag had popped I had to make a new centre for the steering wheel and I fitted the original 260Z centre pad into the new centre. It looks a little too modern for the Z but it will do for the time being and is much nicer to hold any how. I've been told that it is possible to have new splines cut into the original Z steering wheel but its very expensive. A job for another time I guess.
I started with a steering column from a Vauxhall Corsa C. I also had to buy an electronic controller in order to mimic the signals that would be sent to the steering ECU from the road speed sensor and engine speed sensor in the corsa. I now have a rotary knob to vary the amount of assistance I need.
The Corsa column was stripped of all the unnecessary bits and pieces such as switch gear, steering lock, immobiliser and adjustment bracketry. There is a bearing inside the column switch gear that had to be welded on to the end of the column once it was stripped bare. Next the switch gear and ignition lock from the Z had to be mounted onto the new column. This involved reprofiling the inside faces of the mounting brackets as the Corsa steering col in slightly bigger in diameter thn the Z column. I also had to extend the outer sheath of the new column towards the steering wheel because the switch on the Z was closer to the steering wheel than on the Corsa.
The bracket for the 2 main mounting points for Z column had to be removed from the Z column and welded onto the Corsa column after much careful measurement to make sure that the steering wheel ended up in the same position. A 2nd mounting point had to be found since the new column would not be bolted to the bulkhead like in the Z so I fabricated a bracket to allow me to bolt the new column up to the horizontal steel angle that runs accross the top of the pedal box on the Z. This mean't also having to reposition the brake light switch lower down since the new steering column bracket got in the way of the original mounting point.
The top hat shaped steel pressing that carries the steering column in the Z is just a little too narrow at the point where the electric motor comes in from the side to allow the corsa column to lift up to its highest point so I had to modify it slightly.
After removing the centre console I had to modify the RH bracket that supports the dashboard off the transmission tunnel so that the electric motor could swing up under the dash. Also the RH tip of the centre console had to be trimmed slightly as had the bracket that carries the radio to allow the centre console to slide forward to its correct position without hitting the electric motor.
In order to connect the new column up to the oroginal steering rack I kept the original rod that runs from the rack up to the flexible couple (replaced with a solid coupler) and connected another of these rods end to end to extend to the end of the electric column under the dash. I had an engineering workshop weld the end of the corsa universal joint that splines onto the end of the column onto the Z steering rod that I had extending to under the dash. The new mechanism ended up about 3mm too close to the edge of the original hole in the bulkhead so a little filing in that area allowed the mechanism to rotate without rubbing on the side of the hole.
Finally, or atleast temorarily, i used a Corsa steering wheel as the splines on the Z column are different to the Corsa column. As the steering wheel was from a damaged corsa whose airbag had popped I had to make a new centre for the steering wheel and I fitted the original 260Z centre pad into the new centre. It looks a little too modern for the Z but it will do for the time being and is much nicer to hold any how. I've been told that it is possible to have new splines cut into the original Z steering wheel but its very expensive. A job for another time I guess.
