The power steering install has been completed thanks to the valuable assistance of Jim (race-it) and Ray (1blackbb66). I have been collecting all the required parts over the winter and we finally got everything installed. It did not go smoothly! Rather than use the stock Mustang pressure and return lines, I decided to order custom braided AN fitted lines. Not worth the expense. I ended up with local manufactured lines at 1/3 the cost.
The next thing to go south was a pulley, that at first glance, appeared to be OK, however when installed, and rotating at 800 rpm, it was quite apparent the pulley was bent.
During this time we noticed, what appeared to be a leak at the return line where it attaches to the pump. It looked to be either a loose clamp or a defective line. Additional clamps/tightening did not fix the problem so a new return line was installed with negative results. At that time the consensus was a leak in the pump. The pump was removed and sure enough a small crack was found in the plastic housing where the return line attaches to the pump. So………rebuilt pump from Shucks, new pulley from March and we were good to go.
With a new alignment, it was time to see if it was worth all the expense and trouble. Yesterday was nice and sunny, so I called Jim and asked if he wanted to do a shakedown cruise. As he had run out of things to polish on old 98 he thought that his time would be well spent in seeing how the upgrade went. We headed out from Jim’s place to Yelm where we stopped for a quick beverage and snack. (We have to keep our strength up)
WOW!! What a difference. The steering is much more responsive, the turning diameter has been reduced and the ability to maneuver has made the driving experience so much more enjoyable. The only down side I can see is that now at it’s easier to maneuver, Eileen will be driving a lot more.
