Corsa Power steering conversion pics

[Daxxie]

Well I just did this conversion and wanted to post some pics for people that want to attempt the same thing.
Mine is a LHD car and the EPAS unit came of a LHD corsa.
On a RHD car you will need a RHD corsa unit.










If I had to do it again i would make the lower shaft shorter and the upper shaft longer. So that the EPAS unit sits a bit more forward in the car.
That way you don't have to cut the TR7 Steering column bracket.
There is enough space to move an inch and a half more forward. Only thing that might get in the way is the brake light switch.

[rugbyref1]

excellent job and quality photos

[Brianc]

I know its a lot to ask for, but is there a 'written' set of instructions as to how to do this?

Also typically how much does it cost?

This looks a great mod which i quite fancy for my tr7v8

Thanks

Brian

[Beans]

Nice conversion, thx for sharing.
Pictures give quite a good image of how it has to be done

[prackers]

Looking at this conversion I doubt you really need a written set of instructions, apart from a few details (rhd/EPAS mounted on the bulkhead/I retained the corsa steering wheel boss and lighting/wiper switchgear) it looks nearly the same as I did mine.

The cost of mine was a tad under £100, £75 for the secondhand corsa unit and £15 for the electronic variable sensitivity control that makes the unit think it is still in a corsa. Then about 3 weeks to fit it! But I had to re-locate the bulkhead hole to clear the 1uz exhaust manifold and getting that rite took up the bulk of the time.

[sonscar]

Complete kits are available at around £500 but I cannot comment on them only envy them.L am seriously contemplating saving up for one as the steering ruins an otherwise enjoyable drive.Steve..

[John_C]

There is something wrong with your steering Sonscar. I don't know what will be the cause but for sure there is something wrong. Steering in all TR7s should be light, precise and almost like a quick rack.

Power steering probably will get rid of the notorious TR7 perpetual wheel wobble if you're suffering from that. Maybe that is what is ruining your enjoyment which I can fully understand.

[Hasbeen]

We are all different.

The very last thing I would change on a 7 is the steering, it's the steering of the 7 that I like most about the car. I have had a couple of 7s that were pretty heavy when bought. I don't think their racks had been greased since leaving the factory. Once the rock hard old grease was cleaned out, the pinion re-shimmed, & the thing greased, they were all a joy.

I could not stand driving my ladies Ford Fiesta, with it's ridiculously quick & light steering. I could not have hated it more. The over powered steering almost stopped me buying the Honda S2000. I find it bloody awful other than in the suburbs. On the expressway it is tiring as it requires constant attention, as the slightest movement of the wheel has you in the next lane. In fact I believe the reason most of them end their life backwards through a safety fence is because the steering causes people to put on too much opposite lock in an emergency.

My ladies new Peugeot 2008 has much slower steering, still pretty light, but not twitchy like a go kart. It is almost worth driving, & leaves every other modern I have driven recently for dead in most departments.

Hasbeen

[sonscar]

The steering is perfectly set up,adjusted and maintained.All the strut bearings are good and I totally eliminated any trace of wheel wobble.On the move it indeed steers beautifully but I dread having to park it anywhere as the parking effort is so great and I suspect the camber change on full lock is massive.I use my car as a daily drive and have to park it a lot on the UK congested car parks.Some modern drivers do not have enough life left to wait for an oldie like me to heave on the wheel with my puny arms.Steve...

[FI Spyder]

I concur with Hasbeen. And I am coming from a car (Spider) that has the TR8 power steering wheel (13") on a non power steering wheel car (not the 14" wheel most are using) with it's smaller mechanical advantage. It is a little hard to turn in tight parking lot situations but I grew up driving non power steering cars/trucks/tractors and I though I was hoisting bales of hay around the time I learned to drive (12) I am lightly built (I believe the PC term is wiry). I've ordered a 14" wheel so that should help some (won't know till spring) rather than getting the 13" recovered because it would be nice to be able to see the top of instrument panel with out ducking down my head. One of the reasons I won't buy a new(er) car is their no feed back power steering (electric and otherwise). I hate the steering of my sister's Mazda 3 and much prefer the steering of my '91 Integra variable assist hydraulic power steering. A friend just mentioned the other day that despite the many thousands of dollars he spent on his TR7 he likes it because of the steering and it's directness. No electric power steering for me.

[Sautie]

I agree with the comments re electric power steering having no feel. I am on my 5th Subaru since 1998 and recenlty was lent a new Legacy while mine was being serviced. A total fly by wire car, it frightened the crap out of me I had no idea where the wheels were point because there was no road feel.

[John_C]

I'm glad it's not only me. My neighbour made the mistake of changing his Freelander for an Evoque and whereas the Freelander was still driveable the Evoque will only be roadworthy once the remove the human element from driving altogether. There is absolutely no feel through the wheel and you don't know where you are on the road. The two times I drove it I found myself braking every time a car came in the other direction. I had long wondered why other drivers in front of me had been doing this for a few years and now I know - it's the lack of feeling from the road wheels to the dead steering.

If you're having trouble parking a TR7 then it's because you're turning the steering wheel without the road wheels creeping at all. Once the wheels are moving there should not be any problem.

[Dave Dyer]

Hi Daxxie,
Thanks for posting up the pictures and info. I'm sure there are a lot out there who want to do the conversion but don't know where to start. I am one of those people! But what you've done will change that.

I just have a couple of questions,
Did you have to alter the steering shaft that connects to the steering wheel side of the motor? Its just you only show the other side being altered.

And how did you manage to line up the 2 shafts that you welded together, making sure they were both in line?

Thanks,
Dave

[DNK]

I really like this project and I am sure that there are plenty of people who don't like EPAS
Me , I prefer it.
And just like when power steering was first used in cars, I'm sure there were plenty of people who didn't like it and pretty much said the same thing

[FI Spyder]

I'm sure there were plenty of people who didn't like it and pretty much said the same thing

Reminded me back in the early '70's when American cars had power steering so strong that you could turn the wheel with a finger, moving or not and at speed there was also no feed back. My '71 had feedback (centering action) at highway speeds (although I could have used more). Travelling from Calgary to Edmonton and back in the winter time you could see cars up and down the 180 mile stretch on either side of the road (4 lane divided highway with gentle slopped ditches) abandoned that had driven off the road in the slippery conditions were as I never lost traction once. I always attributed it to having enough feedback to sense the road conditions.