1978 359

@wore out

 

@SmallPackage also knows this stuff well. I'm sure between Wore and him they'll get you sorted out.

 

Yes. Just plumb it to dry side of air. Full time air goes to it. When it senses the wheel being turned it opens the direction valve and allows air through it to push the cylinder in the needed direction. I recommend installing an extra 5 gallon tank somewhere just for the steering. It will help the rest of the system keep up with its demand if it has its own reserve. Is it an old Air-O-Matic? Parts have become so hard to find for them it’s like they never existed. Military truck surplus suppliers still have some but serious mods are needed for all non military fitments.

 

Good recommendation. I drove a 1974 Diamond Reo Royale with air assist steering. If you had to do a little wiggling to get into a spot you had to sit and build air half way through.

 

Those air-o-matic steering were just junk. I had one on a 78 freightliner cab over. I just threw it all in the weeds. Then I had the same thing on a 79 Peterbilt my little black one that I pictured here a few times. I just put power steering on it. It was a whole lot better.

 

I agree, air steering was a half baked attempt at easier steering, as in '78, a lot of trucks still had "Armstrong steering". I wouldn't waste a dime on it, and just convert it to hydraulic power steering.

 

Sometimes putting a power steering box on an old truck isn’t an option. Like on both my Diamond-T and Pete 351 the steering shaft goes straight down into the box as one unit with no couplers. So a lot of major changes has to be done that really isn’t worth it. That’s what that Air-O -Matic was originally developed for. The oe’s made it an option later on and thats were they became specced wrong in most cases. They did it back in the days before radial tires when 95% of trucks did not have steer brakes and no one trusted the “artificial” feel power steering gave. ” I agree that on a lot of later model trucks p/s box swaps are the easier and best way to go. But on many you had to do some good jerry rigging. Lol.