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Gerry | Vanagon
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Subject:P/S into air cooled Van?
Date:Tue, 11 Mar 1997 22:27:37 +0000

Thinking about P/S has brought something to mind, anybody want to 
conjecture on the addition of power steering to an air cooled 
vehicle, the opposite swap is a bolt on, so mechanically everything 
would fit, running the lines is a SOB from my prior replacement 
experience but might be greatly simplified via soft hydraulic lines.  
Finally there is the pump, and this is what stumps me, a nice way to 
integrate and locate a pump on a vehicle that already has and wants 
to keep A/C.  As to those worried about taxing the engine I'm 
thinking already on a bit better than stock engine so don't worry.  
What I'm looking for is a bit of conjecture as to the addition of 
another drive pulley and a place to mount the pump, perhaps running 
off the alternator, using a double pulley and removing the stock 
heater fan in favor of electric?  To increase engine speed at idle 
during turning you could use the waterboxer vacuum valve solution 
plumbed into the same bypass as the bypass air valve.  Any conjecture 
on a better/cheaper pump while we're at it as the VW model is hardly 
cost efficient.

Anyway, something to get the ole wheels turning.

John
vwbus@netbiz.net