Upgrade Your Manual-Steering Muscle Car With Electric Assist

Electric power-assist steering, or EPAS, is a common feature on modern vehicles. These systems reduce weight and improve the steering response. While there are conversions available for classic cars, what if you could easily convert a classic with a manual steering box to electric assist? Flaming River showed off just such a system at the 2026 SEMA Show.

The key to the new Hot Rod Power Assist Mounting System (P/N: FR4020) is its approach to adding electric assist without replacing the existing manual steering box. Developed by Flaming River, the kit provides a mounting solution for the company’s Microsteer electric power-assist unit, positioning it at the firewall and supporting the steering column and shaft assembly.

“We had customers who wanted to modernize their vehicles and eliminate the hydraulics. With traditional power steering, you have pumps that can leak, racks that can leak, and steering boxes that can develop leaks,” Jim Stanfield, of Flaming River, explained. “As people became more familiar with electric steering in modern cars, they wanted to incorporate that technology into their own vehicles.”

For traditional hot rods and muscle cars, that opens another avenue for reducing steering effort without committing to a rack-and-pinion conversion. Keeping the existing steering box also means builders can retain their current steering architecture rather than reworking the front suspension and steering linkage around a different steering system.

Mount Up

The kit includes the Microsteer motor, electronic control unit, wiring harness, potentiometer, bushing insert, inner and outer mounting plates, connecting hardware, and metal column shroud. Two universal joints are supplied: a 3/4-inch DD-to-11/16-36 spline joint and a 1-inch DD-to-11/16-36 spline joint. The Microsteer output connects to the included U-joint for integration with the steering shaft.

That hardware helps make for a tidy installation, too. The metal shroud conceals the column entry and U-joint connection, keeping the added steering components neatly packaged. However, this isn’t a universal bolt-in solution that leaves every existing component untouched. The steering column must be shortened or replaced with a new column available from Flaming River.

“We used to carry an electric-assist system for the street-rod market about 10 years ago, but that system was much more advanced and offered additional capabilities for racing,” Stanfield added. “We wanted to find something simpler and less expensive for the customer. I think we hit that niche.”

Flaming River a Microsteer-equipped muscle car tilt column (P/N: FR40020CA69BK), and its Watertight Floor Mount Series, which includes a fitment for classic Mustangs. The latter uses a swivel mount, laser-cut aluminum plate, and neoprene gasket to help keep moisture out of the cabin.