|
Post by Phil Nottingham on Feb 6, 2010 10:27:22 GMT
It looks a very neat and useful conversion where the unique Rover/Hydrasteer box cannot be sourced/repaired
|
|
|
Post by frans1950 on May 9, 2014 20:49:32 GMT
Dave, I did change the Roverbox for the box of a Volvo164, no more problems.
|
|
|
Post by Jens Munk on May 21, 2014 4:05:27 GMT
How well did the Volvo 164 box fit? Considering how few LHD P5B were made, it is probably a lot easier to get LHD parts from the Volvo. Jens. Dave, I did change the Roverbox for the box of a Volvo164, no more problems.
|
|
|
Post by frans1950 on May 21, 2014 18:57:06 GMT
The Volvo steeringbox fits very well. I found the whole procedure on this forum. The first time it was done in Australia, Warwick wrote very good abuot the swap. I suggest look here on the forum and do you want to know more let me know. One thing, look for a Volvobox with the leads on the top I think its the later type, this one is much easier to fit. Good luck, regards, Frans
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on May 21, 2014 23:52:28 GMT
If you are patient, a Rover P5 enthusiast in OZ who is comprehensively rebuilding his coupe with many very useful upgrades will post the whole procedure for fitting a Volvo PS box on this forum.
|
|
|
Post by Warwick on May 23, 2014 4:53:23 GMT
If you are patient, a Rover P5 enthusiast in OZ who is comprehensively rebuilding his coupe with many very useful upgrades will post the whole procedure for fitting a Volvo PS box on this forum. If that's me Vince, then I think you meant to say "began" rather than "is". And you'll need to be very very patient! I've tried all sorts of searches and I can't find the thread.
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on May 23, 2014 5:16:55 GMT
No Warwick...it's not you (don't stress)It's not me either, but I'm sworn to secrecy at the moment There's someone doing a whole lot of interesting work to their P5B Coupe....virtually as we speak
|
|
|
Post by vincentacres on May 23, 2014 9:40:34 GMT
Ok, Ok - It's me!
Details coming soon….(ish).
|
|
|
Post by vincentacres on May 23, 2014 14:21:32 GMT
|
|
|
Post by harvey on May 23, 2014 16:18:34 GMT
if the bodyshell is used (but is altered) for example to a 2 door configuration..or even a Convertible! . Does the car still get 5 points for the original bodyshell being used? Or are those 5 points lost would you say? Roy They're lost.
|
|
|
Post by Steve P5b on May 23, 2014 16:45:29 GMT
That looks really nice work, great.
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on May 24, 2014 6:12:24 GMT
Thanks for the reasoned response John. Hopefully now that Owen has identified himself to the board he will still want to outline the details of what I believe to be a very worthwhile modification. As an aside (this is prior knowledge to Owen's work) the Rover PS pitman arm is a virtual direct fit onto the Volvo box splines. Given this and the physical similarity to the Rover PS box, it begs the question whether the Volvo factory (or who ever designed it) had knowledge of the Rover box and carried out some reverse engineering and improvement modifications. All componentry and steering paraphernalia from the pitman arm down to the steering arms remain all original Rover.
|
|
|
Post by vincentacres on May 28, 2014 5:59:24 GMT
roverp5.proboards.com/thread/2699?page=1There you go Warwick! And thank you for your kind welcome the other day. In fact I do drop in most days but have been trying to nurse my project to completion before posting some contributions to the forum. As with most things what started out as a simple project to take a month or two has snowballed into a year so far... Now - how about that radiator? ?
|
|
|
Post by vincentacres on May 28, 2014 6:11:45 GMT
Roy of the Rovers,
Details and photo's are coming soon.
I also have the details of a few people who from time to time may be able to supply a Volvo box. They are quite scarce but if you are patient and persistent you should be able to source one and the associated bits and pieces required.
|
|
|
Post by Steve P5b on May 29, 2014 13:02:25 GMT
More input from Owen needed now maybe.
|
|
|
Post by johnwp5bcoupe on May 30, 2014 4:50:36 GMT
|
|
|
Post by johnwp5bcoupe on May 30, 2014 5:02:02 GMT
Trying to help here New Topic in Modified "Alternative to the Rover Steering Box" if not Volvo
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on May 30, 2014 12:15:09 GMT
You doing a great job too John. Moving on. I don't want to pre-empt 0wen's excellent work or efforts in fitting this box to the Rover P5 sub-frame, but would like to clarify some previous drawings and extrapolations that I made with regard to 'the adaptor plate" prior to Owen's work. Some of the dimensions and a sample template I made were close but still slightly off as they were based on measurement and extrapolation on my car whilst it was still being used as daily transport. I have since, obtained a mounting plate from Owen, so have firsthand knowledge of what is required with regard to its mounting points, welded and threaded bungs where required. According to Owen a couple of holes on the plate are slightly out of register. I will if Owen is agreeable to it, provide an accurate, dimensioned drawing of the plate at a suitable time.
|
|
|
Post by vincentacres on May 30, 2014 13:31:03 GMT
Vince AKA Enigmas, the short answer is yes but I cannot take the credit for any of the development of the adaptor plate so here is the long answer and a little history;
There is a skilled vehicle restorer who resides fairly close to me who has restored Rovers for many years and has also developed various solutions for various problems. I have been very fortunate that he has shared some of his extensive knowledge with me.
Some time ago a P5B owner here took and showed him the original thread of 7 odd pages mainly featuring Warwick and yourself Vince and asked him to perform a similar conversion. He invested considerable time and effort in improving on this original solution and has since performed a number of conversions for clients here in Perth as well as converting his own coupe.
He does not involve himself in the cyber world nor does he visit the forum but is happy for me to post details of the work which will benefit others if they choose to perform the same conversion and are able to source a Volvo ZF box.
The improvements I refer to mainly relate to achieving a better alignment of the box with the steering column, creating sufficient space for the brake lines to remain uncompromised and utilising the existing Rover rubber steering coupling in tandem with a a Triumph one as opposed to the metal universal join used on Warwicks conversion.
These points will become apparent later when I upload some detailed photos to cover the process...
I was fortunate to be able to get two plates machined but I am not in a position to obtain more. Vince I have one and you have the second.
I did discover a minor alignment issue of about half a mm which required some further machining prior to fitment but this should be easily resolvable.
I accept no liability in relation to anyone attempting this conversion but will post the information for the benefit of all who are interested and to try to give back something to the forum and members as over the last few years they has provided me with an endless source of knowledge.
At the same time I have installed a 4.6 motor with 4.0 pistons, 3.9 efi camshaft and running straight LPG, performed a conversion to a ZF4HP22 auto box and fully rebuilt the front subframe.
So far I have uploaded 550 photo's to Dropbox so now I need to sort these into an order such that I can post details as 4 separate projects for interested members to refer to.
My motivation for performing the steering box conversion was that the rebuild of the subframe was a bigger job than I anticipated and I was fearful that the Rover box would inevitably leak undoing my good work and destroying new bushes etc. reports from others suggested the Volvo box makes quite an improvement to the driving experience and already having the subframe out suggested the conversion would be simple and straightforward to perform.
Ok, that's enough words for now...
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on Apr 20, 2016 8:37:35 GMT
Here's a well overdue update to the forum on this topic. It's made available to all P5 owners world wide for research and investigation into improving the steering quality of their P5 Rover with a special focus on the P5B due to it's much lighter front end and subsequent effect on steering directional quality at speed. Note: A caveat over the reproduction of this item is that it's presented purely for the purposes of research and investigation only. A certified mechanical engineer should evaluate the product for the purposes outlined. The onus of responsibility for any outcomes using this information is on the individual accessing it and applying it. PS. There is a mix of both metric and imperial measurements. The adaptor plate is metric, the P5 imperial and the Volvo metric. I acquired the plate as is and am not responsible for the cacky welds of the bungs...something to be remedied.
|
|
|
Post by Phil Nottingham on Apr 27, 2016 19:13:54 GMT
NOW A STICKY
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on Apr 27, 2016 23:08:20 GMT
Thanks Phil, there were quite a few contributors to this lengthy thread some of whom remain anonymous and in the background. Without the technical specifications provided by their real world experiences of the system, this conversion would be purely anecdotal speculation.
NB. Here is an excerpt of the evaluation of the system from my anonymous source.
"Hi Vince....so with the steering box I think I have just become used to the 'lower' level of assistance at parking speeds. I haven't devoted any time to addressing it as I haven't found it to be an issue but it is noticably different to the Rover box which is excessively light.
For high speed stability the volvo unit is a total revelation - I have sat on 140kmh with just a single hand on the wheel and the car has felt rock solid and stable so in this respect the volvo/ZF unit is a major transition and a great safety upgrade.
I can say this with some confidence now having put over 5,000km's on the old girl since getting her back on the road."
|
|
|
Post by johnwp5bcoupe on Apr 28, 2016 7:38:20 GMT
This is a swap I really like vince but Volvo 164 over here are very rare
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on Apr 28, 2016 8:24:46 GMT
Would you like me to locate a PS Box for you John?
|
|
|
Post by enigmas on Apr 28, 2016 8:32:12 GMT
Here is some further information just come to hand. (Same source)
Hey Vince,
A few things you may recall from our earlier communications;
1 - Some Volvo steering boxes were supplied with a different coupling and this will not work in the conversion below so it's important to get the correct coupling - mine didn't have it and I had to get the right one from a supplier (Gerry Lister - Volvo's down under). Mine was also missing the hydraulic connections and Gerry supplied these too.
2 - The rubber coupling used is from a Triumph from memory and available off the shelf - Rimmer Bro's etc. etc. It requires slight compression in the vice to line up with the Rover part…. but nothing critical. I think I had to reduce the allen bolt head a fraction to fit within the block - or did I expand the holes?
3 - Longer bolts are required for now noting the conversion plate - one of these was quite hard to source and took some chasing around. Earlier emails to you will have the spec's in them.
4 - The Rover and Volvo hydraulic connections require modification. I recall you were not impressed with my friends brazing of the part but it has held up fine so far…. touch wood.
5 - You will see in a few of the pics that it is necessary to drill a small (very small) arc out of the bottom of the inner wheel arch to provide the necessary clearance for the hydraulic fittings and bolt heads.
6 - The plate was not perfect - there was a slight disparity between the subframe holes, the plate holes and the steering box holes and I had to enlarge one hole with the parts in situ by drilling a slight realignment. This annoyed me but it was very minor and once the whole thing was bolted up tight across all holes etc. I really don't see it being an issue - but I know it's there and it wasn't perfect - Grrrrrrrrr.
7 - Drop arm fits straight on and I think some adjustment of the steering rods was required but nothing major (just to get dead centre at dead centre of steering box rotation) as I think the drop arm might sit at a different clock setting if that makes sense?
I think that was pretty much it Vince….
|
|