Mike7447

Thanks guys…wondering if anyone was out there.

I absolutely hate the factory auto shifter. Way too faded, way too tall, and just too damn dorky looking for my taste. So,… I removed it. And cut it up. I shortened the shaft by 2.5”. Inside that shaft is a little weenie actuator rod that unscrews from the gear selector part of the mechanism. Initially I used it as a reference for where that part would have to be cut, but ultimately unscrewed that dude, and discarded it. The conversion kit I bought uses a 1/4” diameter rod instead. The problem is that the base that the weenie rod unscrewed out of didn’t have enough meat to support a 1/4” re-thread. All It would accept was an 8-32 tap. That meant I’d have to drill and tap the other end of my 1/4” bolt that now rides in the middle of the shifter shaft…..By hand…with just a regular hand held drill. Ultimately, I managed to get it centered and straight “ enough” to put a short section of threaded 8-32 rod in place in the 1/4 bolt, so that I could screw the bolt into the base. The kit is cheap. Purchased from a C-3 Corvette supplier it comes with an adapter to allow a conventional manual shifter handle/ball to screw onto it that screws onto a 1/4” shaft that controls the shift selector pattern. There’s also a sleeve that screws to the adapter that slides over the shaft to control the up/down movement of the handle…30 bucks. https://www.speeddawg.com/universal-automatic-shifter-adapter-with-16mm-x-1-50-threads-polished-aluminum/#gallery it only comes shiny……I don’t like shiny, so I painted mine. Hopefully that’ll last. I also had to deal with the factory gear position indicator decal that was cloudy and peeling away from the back side. I just eliminated it, sanded it smooth and painted the back side black. The pattern decal that is on top, is from B&M, and comes with 5 other pattern decals that you’ll never use. Big waste as far as I’m concerned, but at least it gives some sense of the gear it’s in. presently is no longer illuminated, but I may change that w/a small tiny light that will light from the side once the console is back on top. Also, the O/D button needs to be moved, and I’ll just relocate that switch to the console itself too.

I absolutely hate the factory auto shifter. Way too faded, way too tall, and just too damn dorky looking for my taste. So,… I removed it. And cut it up. I shortened the shaft by 2.5”. Inside that shaft is a little weenie actuator rod that unscrews from the gear selector part of the mechanism. Initially I used it as a reference for where that part would have to be cut, but ultimately unscrewed that dude, and discarded it. The conversion kit I bought uses a 1/4” diameter rod instead. The problem is that the base that the weenie rod unscrewed out of didn’t have enough meat to support a 1/4” re-thread. All It would accept was an 8-32 tap. That meant I’d have to drill and tap the other end of my 1/4” bolt that now rides in the middle of the shifter shaft…..By hand…with just a regular hand held drill. Ultimately, I managed to get it centered and straight “ enough” to put a short section of threaded 8-32 rod in place in the 1/4 bolt, so that I could screw the bolt into the base. The kit is cheap. Purchased from a C-3 Corvette supplier it comes with an adapter to allow a conventional manual shifter handle/ball to screw onto it that screws onto a 1/4” shaft that controls the shift selector pattern. There’s also a sleeve that screws to the adapter that slides over the shaft to control the up/down movement of the handle…30 bucks. https://www.speeddawg.com/universal-automatic-shifter-adapter-with-16mm-x-1-50-threads-polished-aluminum/#gallery it only comes shiny……I don’t like shiny, so I painted mine. Hopefully that’ll last. I also had to deal with the factory gear position indicator decal that was cloudy and peeling away from the back side. I just eliminated it, sanded it smooth and painted the back side black. The pattern decal that is on top, is from B&M, and comes with 5 other pattern decals that you’ll never use. Big waste as far as I’m concerned, but at least it gives some sense of the gear it’s in. presently is no longer illuminated, but I may change that w/a small tiny light that will light from the side once the console is back on top. Also, the O/D button needs to be moved, and I’ll just relocate that switch to the console itself too. supposed to be a vid,…but I don’t know what’s required here to make this work.

Well I’m gonna say the column is done. It’s mounted, but unwired. All that’s required to do that is a 10 ga. 12v constant, and 10 ga. gnd, and a switched 12v to make it operate in failsafe. At the bottom of the column, I had to put another rod end to hold the column at the proper angle. ( gave me a chance to try out my new riv-nut tool)👍 I had to re-do the exit coupling on the engine bay side, as I had placed the rack too far forward, it had to be moved back about an 1.25-1.50”, which made the old setup no worky. Painted just enough of the bay to get that all placed… on to the reinforcement of the steering rack mounts

nawww too many mini-melt downs during that process there’d be 57 beeps in the vid.

Soooo many things going on to talk about with this car.. I’ve decided that I’ll use this thread as a talking point, and individual modifications will get their own thread(s). Once I get enough of them, I’ll edit the front page and insert links to each one individually. But for today, ( since I’m almost 300 miles away from home) All I can do is write/talk.When I get back home, Labor Day should get me well back on track. This is what’s going on behind the scenes: SHIFTER MOD I hate the factory shifter. It’s way too tall, faded from the sun, with a button for OD that can be relocated. I cut 2” out of the shaft and shortened it. I got a kit from a C3 corvette supplier that eliminates the side button to take it out of gear, and allows the use of any manual shifter knob. Now instead of the side mounted button, you push down on the shifter knob to move it in/out gear. I’ll get a button and mount it on the console to switch it in/out of OD. That mod is just about done. SHIFT LINKAGE: Using whatever o ring/insert/doo-dad to use as a shifter linkage bushing lasted exactly one month in this car. I will be using threaded rod ends and rod to build a new linkage. Brakes: Im gonna completely replace the factory booster and MC with ford and Wilwood junk. The factory rusty cast iron MC with the remote reservoir is just too damn ugly. The aluminum Wilwood MC is already at the house, I’ll order a Ford Fairmont single diaphragm booster tonight. ( because the MC fits the booster). Additionally, I’m using a Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve w/an integrated brake switch built in. VACUUM RESERVOIR: I’m using an aftermarket vacuum canister to hold vacuum for the necessary things that need it. PCV: Another frank-n-stein project. I’ll use the factory PCV outlet location, but with a in-line PCV valve instead. From there, Into, and out of an oil separator/catch can, then into the vacuum canister. The pass-thru of the vacuum canister will pull vacuum from a “ log” that will have taps for the AC, Trans, the MAP sensor and finally the PB booster. The other end of the valve cover will have a T that has another pcv valve with a small filter on it that will allow the engine to vent both ways. When under vacuum the crankcase will breathe thru that pcv valve, when under boost it’ll blow the pcv valve closed and the crankcase pressure will be vented to a breather/puke tank that has an inline vent solenoid that is triggered open when it sees boost. Otherwise that path remains closed when the engine isn’t in boost. The charcoal canister will get its normal tie-in the the pre- turbo air inlet. * Whew! I’m glad I put that on paper, I had no idea how the hell I was gonna route all that.🤔

When I can get back to it, I’ll look at it. On one hand, the fact that there are 3 u joints between the steering shaft, and the steering rack input shaft, there really isn’t a “ straight” shot from the steering to my chest anyway. And as you stated, a head on collision hard enough to worry about any of this is probably moot

since the plate was only secured with two bolts on the input side, I made an “L” bkt that bolted to the output shaft side. That bolt threaded in, and didn’t feel like it was hitting anything, but clearly it did. I’ve been considering repurposing the crush shaft and welding short sections of the double d steering shaft on each end. That way it will still bolt up, and bend or crush if I ever needed it to. * Now I gotta figure out what the hell im gonna do with this giant disc of 1/4” plate now…🤔

I lied. It’s not gonna be two weeks before I update this thread. I was able to get my machine shop to get the inner shafts machined so they could be pressed together. That all happened today. This morning I started with this: The Prius shaft is on the left, where the area in front of black arrow at the top can be seen was cut off, and the remaining stub was machined down to fit into the CQ shaft on the right. Upon picking it up, and by the power vested in me by my machinist, I proudly made the two pieces one. You’re looking at it preweld. This was pressed together, and probably was enough, but where steering is concerned, it got welded. The top goes through the factory column, and the bottom slides over the splined input shaft on the motor, and over the stub standing off the Prius motor assembly. What got left at the alter was the remaining Starion factory shaft w/the crumple zone. I will not be using this in any part of the remaining mod. to avoid the steering column impaling me in a front end collision, I’ve decided to just wear a 1/4” thick plate the size of a 14” pizza pan around my neck. It only weighs 53 pounds. The butchered Starion column looks like this now that I’ve added 3 legs so that it can be bolted to the motor. So,…. Three little pig legs that bolt to a plate that bolts to the motor. Only 2 bolts on the motor hold the plate, so I used 3/16” plate and made two overlapping sections that stack on top of each other in an attempt to make it strong enough. I slid the inner into the the column upper and secured it with the snap ring. Then slid the column over the Prius motor assembly, and bolted it up. If you’ve ever had one of these columns out, you should now be able to visualize where this thing hangs……….. Directly in front of the brake pedal. It was at this time ( for whatever reason) I decided to check that everything spun normally. Cept, nothing spun. It was like it was welded solid. Fear set in, what if the minimal welding I had done had fused something?…..I took everything back apart . For no reason. It all came down to a bolt that was 1/4” too long. This bolt MOF. After finding an appropriately short enough bolt, everything spun as it should…. Crisis averted. I bolted everything back together. That brings up the what if thingy that’s should be floating around in you head about now…….What if the “electric” part of this thing fails? Ever driven a car that was supposed to have hydraulic power steering with the belt off? Same. So…. what do you need to finish Mike? Im glad you asked. The output shaft of the Prius motor is 17mm x36 spline. There is a solid coupler on order for that that will secure a 3/4” DD steering shaft to it. I will put another 3/4” rod end at the firewall to hold the column at the right angle as it exits through the firewall. Something like this: ( Done to one of my 3 previous cars that had a Prius P.S. conversion.) Which brings me to my “ hands tied” conclusion. I will not be here to complete this this weekend. What I’ll need will be here though. Soooo….2 weeks?

No room. The steering angle has to turn immediately as soon as it exits the firewall. And besides,……I’m already there, it fits under the dash. Just waiting for two weeks from now so I can finish it.

The Prius EPAS unit arrived yesterday, and I dove right into making it work. This is another mod that requires yet another set of irreversible hacks to a fairly expensive factory part on the car, and when you start, there ain’t no turning back. MOF, not only are you gonna butcher the steering column, you have to butcher the Prius PS assembly before you even have a prayer of getting the thing in there. The steering wheel has to come off, and the column removed and gutted.It has to be cut short, leaving only about 1.5” to extend past the tilt mount point. The factory brake light switch is in the way, it has to be eliminated. For me, and acceptable sacrifice. I intend to put an adjustable brake proportioning valve that has a pressure sensing brake light switch in instead. When you remove the steering shaft from the Mitsubishi column, you’ll see the factory “crumple zone” built into its length. The purpose being to help minimize the chance that the steering column becomes a spear that impales you in a front end collision. When you do this mod, the shaft becomes so short the factory crumple zone is completely cut away. The factory steering column steering shaft is originally like 36” long, but after the butchery, the remaining “ factory” part of the shaft will end up at 12” or less. All this has to happen because you gotta fit this thing up under the dash..Hopefully all of the required u joints required to make this thing hook up, eliminates the “ column thru your sternum” thingy. I got this pic from the Ranger Station. The guy that did that write up should be your go to if you aren’t scared away from doing this. The info, options and detail he provides far eclipses anything I intend to do here. I’m just letting you know what you’re gonna run into when, and if you decide to do this. Anyway……I cut the above Prius contraption about 1.5” to the right of the motor. Inside is a splined shaft with a male/female thing going on inside. It will slide apart. At the far right end there is a clip that allows the shaft to be removed from the outer tube. you can remove and get rid of the outer, it’ll serve you no purpose. You keep the shaft. When you cut the mitsu column 1.5” beyond the tilt mount plate, it is conveniently the same size as the Prius outer….it will slide over the remaining stub coming off the Prius assembly. From there, it’d be so easy if you could just weld the Mitsubishi column to the Prius motor,…….but there’s plastic, and electrical thingys on the Prius assembly that cant be removed to safely weld the thing together. So things get ugly from here. I made a plate to bolt to the motor so I could build tabs that would allow me to bolt the two sections together. It still requires tack welding in order to get the thing lined up well enough so when you remove the plate and column you can weld it securely, and no heat gets transferred to the plastic inside the motor assembly. If that little torque sensor processor thingy ( that you can’t remove) doesn’t tolerate any kind of welding current even be it tack welding, I won’t know until after I try it out. For now the ugly little btch can be bolted together. I have to cut and weld the inner shaft, and splice the Mitsubishi shaft to the Prius shaft as a still left to do… after that I’ll hang the assembly and make the shaft that connects the 17mm splined output of the motor to a 3/4 double d shaft that’ll allow me to mate it to the manual charger rack. Thatll be two weeks from today though.

all future progress updates quarantined to the Darkstar thread. Thanks

Maybe if you’d contribute, South Caroliny would be included in th’ fracas.

In anticipation of the major PITA that trying to Frankenstein a Mitsubishi and a Toyota steering column into one, I decide to remove the dash. Not having the first clue as to how to go about that, I get online and find a YouTube “ tutorial”. It comes up short. Bottom line, I got it out….but no thanks to what’s out there online. IDK if it’s because my dash is an 89 or whatever, but bolts and screws that the vid said needed to come out didn’t need to, and the ones that shoulda came out, got revealed to me only after using the “what the hell” app. ( not an actual app,….But its the one you wished you had when you decide to remove the dash from an 89 starion). I’m gonna stay on the front suspension conversion this weekend, and the following weekend I’ll be in Florida at my future retirement home maybe….. that will earmark end of month for my FRANK-n-STEER conversion.

The Prius epas isn’t that sensitive. It still will take a minimum amount of one handed effort to steer. W/ the control module hooked up to sw12v, w/o the benefit of other computer/sensors to help it, it’s actually in limp mode. Fully functional, but w/o the benefit of speed related effort sensitivity.