Hi I’ve recently bought a 1967 Daimler 250 V8, which I absolutely love! The only thing I miss is it’s lack of power steering. I’ve seen an ad for a 68 car in the UK that has PAS. & I was wondering when this became available on the 250, & if it’s possible to retrofit it to my car?

 

I believe power steering was always an option, so if you can get the parts it should be fairly simply to retrofit. You'd need the box, pump, reservoir and hoses. I am not familiar with the small V8 to know how they mounted the PS pump and if you could use any pump that happens to fit. Does your car use V belts or the double groove belts like the 6 cylinder cars?

 

Thanks for the reply. So PAS was always an option. I certainly wish the original owner had ticked that box. I guess it wasn’t such an essential back then. I certainly miss it these days.
The fan belt is a V-belt, connected from the crank pulley up to the fan & then on to the alternator, which is located in the V of the engine. There doesn’t appear to be anywhere to bolt a bracket for the power steering pump.
Reading the Burman thread I understand that there were two types of power steering set ups, with the later type being preferable, as it does away with the ball bearing set up. Is this the same for the Daimler too?

 

I have no idea about the Daimler, but I expect the steering boxes to the same as a Mark 2. I asked about the belts, because it's much easier to fit another type of PS pump if you can use a standard V belt pulley. I suspect the GM style off an XJ6 would work fine.

Are there there no unsed bolt holes on the side of the block that a bracket could be bolted to? Here is what a pump looks like, appears to bolt to a bracket to allow it to pivot: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DAIMLER-V...-/174276244691

This looks like the same pump as a S Type or Mark 2.

 

Photos from the ebay listing for future searchers:

 

And a listing for the bracket: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/daimler-v...-/184516909388

From the shape, the bracket looks like part of the motor mount.

 

Your other option is to keep your present steering box & move to electrically assisted steering by EZ Steer. A number of people have gone that route. They are now speed & load sensitive & adjustable.

Click here.
Jaguar Mark 2

 

I like the look of that EZ Steer number. That’ll probably be the route I’ll go down. It should give the modern feel I’m aiming for. Muchas Gracias

 

Hi Gary,
I fitted the EZ unit to my 64 Daimler about 4 years ago and to date has not given any trouble. As my car was a column auto they provided the correct column with the mounting points for the gear lever. I had to swap over the gear lever.. The biggest hassle was the need to remove a section of the bulk head reinforcement using a small angle grinder fitted with a thin cutting blade. It was necessary to remove the drivers seat. The new column fits on to the original steering box. It has made the car alot easier to drive especially when parking.
Regards,
David Bruce.

 

Thanks for that David.. I don’t know if I want to cut up the old girl. It seems a bit butcherous to me. Though the benefits do appear to be worth it. Do you remember how much the system cost 4 years ago, & what they charged for freight? I’m on the Atherton Tablelands in Nth Qld, so it should give me an idea of the costs. I’ve contacted both the Aust distributor of the EZ system & a few Jag Wreckers, to see if they have the OEM system. & I’ll compare both availability & costs. I think the EZ system will give me a more modern feel, & it is fully adjustable to individual tastes. But the OEM system will keep it more original, & won’t require major surgery. So I do have much to think about.

 

While I have not done the job I understand the "bracket/reinforcement" trimming is minor. It is not butchering the vehicle. Maybe David could post a pic.

 

I had briefly looked at doing electric assist for my S Type, and I couldn't make the electronics work for the adjustable assist. I would have needed a vehicle speed sensor, plus a steering wheel speed sensor. I didn't see an easy way to retrofit that. This system looks like they have solved those problems, I wasn't aware of it when I manufactured an adapter to mount my PS pump to the back of an alternator.

 

Hi Gary,
In reply to your questions. The kit was E 1900. freight was E 180. Converted to AUD $3108.34. The amazing thing it only took 5 days Holland to my home in Noosa. Date of purchase 14/02/2017. E for euro.
I will give you some further information. The amount I had to cut out of the box section was a bit bigger than the electric motor shown in Glyn's photo. This is to allow the assembly to be installed using the factory mounting points the cut out is to give clearance for the motor. The EZ company did not supply any fitting instructions but did supply about 36 color photos which enabled me to see each step of the process.
When installed you can't see the unit unless toy get on your knees and look up under the dash. As I may have said before my car has oversized front tyres and to park in a shopping center was almost impossible I am 80 years young. My kit has an adjustable rheostat to alter the amount of power assist I set it in the half way position and have not altered it since. On the road it is good to drive although a higher ratio stg. box would be nice.
Send me an email to djbruce7@bigpond.com if I can help further
Regards,
David Bruce..

 

David. Presume you mean the diameter of the motor?

 

Jaguar MK1:MK2 Steering Box New High Ratio Worm & Nut | ICS Steering Specialist
Jaguar MK1:MK2 Steering Box New High Ratio Worm & Nut Kit | ICS Steering Specialist
Jaguar Mk1 & Mk2 Close Ratio Steering Boxes

The links above are to a company that produce a version of the Burman manual steering box with a better ratio, around 3 1/4 turns lock to lock. You can buy a complete box or just the gears. If it's as good as they claim, it might make a very nice combination with the EZ system.

I have no personal experience of the company or their products.

 

I have a Daimler without power steering and looked at fitting an old style system.It appears that some systems need a modified front crossmember with a depression to allow for the mechanism. I have seen such a crossmember on e-bay for £150. Alec G.

 

Yes. Late models fitted with Marles Bendix (Adwest) Varamatic steering. Not required with Burman Types 1 & 2 PAS boxes.

 

I’ve been in contact with the Australian distributor of the RZ Steer system. The current Aussie price is $4995 (AUD) delivered. Unfortunately the only instalment pics they’ve given me are for a LHD car, which shows the heater box being modified. So I’d really appreciate any pics that members have of the RHD mods required, as I’m having problems getting a local Mechanic on board to install the system, without knowing exactly what needs to be done (understandably). I still think I’ll go ahead with the purchase, as it will probably be easier for Mechanics to get their head around the problems when they can see the parts to be installed.
Thank you so much to everyone who’s contributed to this thread. I hope it’s helped anyone who’s considering a similar upgrade.
I’m 66 yrs young. & while I’m still strong enough to wrestle the old girl into a parking space. I know that will not always be the case. & I’d like to keep this car until the powers that be decide I’m no longer fit to drive, which hopefully will be many decades hence!

 

Gary, At that price, quite a lot more than David paid, I'd expect a kit that provides a fairly straightforward bolt on fitting process. I've noticed a couple of youtube videos: one on fitting a GM Corsa electric column and one of someone driving a Mk2 with a UK made conversion (EasySteer.co.uk) that sounds similar to EZ. There are a lot of choices for converting Mk2 steering. It's best to think hard about what your objectives are: lighter steering, more precise steering, fewer turns lock to lock, sports or Sunday afternoon driving, ease of other upgrades... And search out the numerous thoughts and opinions from different owners on this forum and elsewhere before making a decision.

 

Things always get expensive by the time they get to Aus. Hefty tariffs, shipping etc. In my high end audio hobby I'm always shocked at what Aussie friends have to pay for the likes of Audio Research amplifiers etc.

RHD installation is a lot easier from what I've seen. David seems to have the required pics & he cut out the middle man & ordered direct. Peter's advice is wise however.

That said people fitting Astra pumps & having incontinent Burman PAS boxes refurbished also seem to run away with a lot of money in the end.

Like you Peter I would prefer approx 3 turns lock to lock or less.

I remained original & had the Hobourn Eaton pump rebuilt & Burman Type 2 PAS box rebuilt (with torsion bar operated quill valve). Fitted a new original/genuine HP hose & used Parker Push-lok hose for the rest. By SA standards this was not cheap by any means but works fine.