Can anyone tell me what's involved in installing power steering on a 65 Chevelle, 6 cylinder? I know I need a pump, but what else is involved? thanks. smile.gif

you will need a steering sector also and pitmin arm, lines or hoses, pump and brackets, belt ,posible differt pulleys on the motor and some free time

I converted my -69 a while ago, and I don't know if there's that much of a difference to do it on a -65, but it was fairly easy. I had to get pump with brackets, pulleys and belt, hoses, the steering box, and all fasteners to go with it (think that was just about it). The steering linkage was the same, so fortunately I didn't need to change anything there. Here are a few tips you may find helpful:

Best thing would be to find a complete setup off a donor. Trying to piece it together with one part from one place, and another from somewhere else is usually a PITA, especially if you're not exactly sure about what you need. A complete setup is especially valuable when it comes to pulleys, brackets and special fasteners, finding all those parts is the most frustrating and time consuming part of conversions like this IMO. You should also try to take it off the donor yourself, so you get a feel for how it's supposed to be put together again.

In my case, I think the whole operation could have taken about 2-3 hours, but of course, I ran into a few bracket and pulley snags. I started out trying brackets and pulleys first, which later proved to be a good idea. You can still drive the car while your'e trying these parts on, changing pulleys and brackets doesn't take much time, and they're easy to take off again if you have a problem with them. Once you have all that straightened out, pump in place, correct belt and belt alignment etc., you can go for the steering box. If you start by changing the steering box, and later discover that you don't have the right pulleys, your car will be sitting there for a while (if you don't want a good workout by driving with a power steering box and no pump smile.gif ).

I might also add that I couldn't find the right pump bracket, but I just happened to find another type on a -70 something GMC pickup truck, and it bolted right on. You might be able to find something like that for your car too. But surely enough, someone here can tell you exactly what to use. Good luck!

Thanks loads. This is very helpful information.

Did the same thing on my '64. Follow Olle's advise and find a complete setup. I was fortunate to have been thinking about this swap for a few years - and I saved about 3 setups from varying years of GM products. I was able to piece a working system together, but if I need a replacement part I'll have to dig in the memory banks to remember what car and year a particular piece is from! graemlins/clonk.gif

Originally posted by John D:
I was able to piece a working system together, but if I need a replacement part I'll have to dig in the memory banks to remember what car and year a particular piece is from! graemlins/clonk.gif If I remember correctly, all pulleys and brackets had a part number on them. Always careful not to follow my own advice, I didn't write them down when I did my swap, but it's a very good idea to do so. I used to keep books on my cars, always kept instructions and part numbers handy, in case some thing broke and had to be replaced. It can be very helpful, for example if you convert to modern brakes, after a while it's time to buy new rotors and pads, and then you have to remember where those darn things came from. But I'm getting old and lazy, haven't even started a book on my latest Velle... Maybe that means that I'll have to keep it original tongue.gif