Re: IML: history of power steering

["A. Foster" <monkeypuzzle1@xxxxxxx>]

Kenyon;
  As far as I know the power steering system used by Chrysler was
manufactured by a company called Gemmer, who specialized in steering boxes,
I was called Hydra Guide not HydraGlide by the way. Another system popular
in the 1950s was used by G.M and manufactured by Saginaw. I don't remember
what Ford used on their cars but they likely bought them from Bendix or some
independent firm. Studebaker actually developed their own power steering
system in partnership with Borg Warner, it used a power takeoff from the
engine and a series of clutches rather then hydraulics. Studebaker used it
for about six months around 1954-55 and dropped because it was cheaper to
use the Saginaw power steering then to make their own. I don't know what the
other independent companies used if anything.
Best Regards
Arran Foster
1954 Imperial Newport
Needing A Left side tailight bezel and other trim parts.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenyon Wills" <imperialist1960@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2006 11:16 AM
Subject: Re: IML: history of power steering


Buried in the advertising (on the website) that I've
collected are 1951/52 ads explaining that HydraGlide
Power Steering was developed by Chrysler for their
heavy military vehicles (6x6 trucks?) and that they
then migrated it into their passenger cars.  -Your
military industrial complex at work!

There was a big push on this as the significant
driving improvement that it was, especially for
parallel parking.  They showed the fairer sex in
gloves, a skirt, and a hat daintily and easily using
the strongly boosted steering to navigate what before
would have been a very taxing excercise - landing a
car parallel beside a curb between two other cars with
minimal effort.  No comment on the required depth
perception and ability to point the car correctly, a
human deficiency that even today's microchip
superprocessor has yet to address.

The phrasing does not say that they were the actual
inventors as far as I can tell, just touting that they
had great experience.  Ad copy isn't the best place
for historical research, but with Chrysler being such
an engineering-oriented company, I'd bet that they
were definitely leaders in this area.

The question would be:  Did Chrysler beat others to
market as an early innovator, or did they cop the idea
off of someone else as a "me-too", must-have gadget?


-K

--- Gale jorgensen <gjorgensen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> when was the advent of power steering?
>
>
>
> -----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com
> -----------------
> This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing
> List. Please
> reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your
> response will be
> shared with everyone. Private messages (and
> attachments) for the
> Administrators should be sent to
> webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to
> http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm
>
>


Kenyon Wills
























-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm





-----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com  -----------------
This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please 
reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be 
shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the
Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm