Silvermine Motors Electric Power Steering System

[wheee!]

https://www.silverminemotors.com/featured/electric-power-steering-kit-for-240z-260z-280z-datsun-1970-1978-s30

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Hi everyone! I am documenting the installation of the Silvermine Motors EPS system in my 1976 280Z Restomod.

My car is currently in the restoration and rebuild phase and I have purchased the system to help improve the steering and response of the 280Z. I will post pictures and document the system as it goes in and gets hooked up to the various components for all to see.

My first impressions are very good. The system is compact and looks extremely well made. 

I mounted the steering column into the firewall using the supplied firewall plate. I had a small alignment issue which located the steering column down and to the right of the mounting tabs on the pedal box assembly. A small amount of  pulling on the shaft allowed it to align with the mounting tabs and no further issues were encountered. No negative impact to the firewall or the adapter plate. This may have been due to the variation in positioning between different cars during manufacturing of the firewall etc, or it may have been a bad day for the positioning jig at Silvermine! Not that it really impacted the installation in the end...

The other side of the firewall was straight forward. Attach the U-joint adapter to the shaft and to your connecting rod and you're done! The connections were precise and well made with quality looking fittings. The splines were clean and fit perfect. The splined edges of the connecting rod are beveled to allow the connecting bolts to lock the parts together.

All that remains at this point is to:

- locate the proper place to mount the control box. This will wait till more of the underdash components are in place to allow proper placement.

- wire up the controls! Edan's @silverminemotors website has simple instructions for the wiring.

I will post more as the restoration progresses and the system gets wired up!

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by wheee!

[SoCalJim]

Looking forward to seeing more on this project.  Thanks Mark.

- from another Metallic Green Z owner!

[wal280z]

@wheee! Mark, did the unit require a core charge for the old column to be modified or was it shipped as shown with no exchange of an old column required?

[wheee!]

No core, no return of old parts. From what I can tell, this is a completely new fabrication, no use of old parts.

[wheee!]

Here’s a good shot of the motor and the clearance with the pedal box.

[wheee!]

And a couple more of the linkage through the firewall.

[wheee!]

In conversations with Edan @silverminemotors, it appears the offset firewall opening was designed to allow more room for exhaust headers. This is especially helpful for people with V8 swaps etc. The amount of change in mounting tab position is minimal, but he is looking into whether a small angle adjustment in the firewall plate will position the shaft closer to the pedal box mounting points. In the end, this should improve the design and make install easier, but not affect functionality or performance in any way.

[SoCalJim]

That’s interesting.  I’m surprised that he would prioritize V8 swaps as a design criteria over stock engines/exhaust headers.  Are there just more V8 swaps than straight sixes?  Just curious.

[wheee!]

I don't think it's a matter of prioritizing the V8's over the L6's as much as a design change that improved the fit for one and had little impact on the other. That said, there is room for improvement in the design, and credit to Silvermine, he is looking at modifying the plate to accommodate both with no negative impacts.

[SoCalJim]

Excellent!

[wheee!]

An appropriate place for the sticker...

[wheee!]

Update: silvermine is shipping out a set of the firewall and collars for me to fabricate a correctly positioned shaft support.
He wants to make sure it is correctly positioned in a car before setting the jig up to a different angle.
I will bolt up the shaft to the pedal box with the collar loose, poking through the firewall plate that will be bolted to the chassis, then tack weld the collar on at the correct angle while everything is correctly aligned.
Doing this in an actual car will ensure the fit and angles are correct. I will then ship the part back to silvermine to use as the template for the production line.