Saturday, August 27, 2022

Power Steering, Master Cylinder, Parking Brake, and More (Part 6)

The Borgeson power steering system I ordered (#BRG-99920) is for an early 1967 mustang with a 1" sector shaft on the steering box.  The kit adds a rag joint similar to the style used on 1968 and later model Mustangs (shown to the left of the new, black steering box below).  This is an improvement versus the long steering shaft originally used that so many refer to as the spear-o-matic.  However, this improvement requires the steering column be cut down to allow space for this rag joint between the steering box and the steering column.


Over the last couple of days, I've been working to test fit the various components and cut down the steering column as needed.  I started with mounting up the power steering pump expecting to have some trouble as it mounts using the same head bolt holes that are currently used by the Classic Auto Air compressor.  Thankfully, Borgeson supplied two sets of stand off sleeves for installing the pump for those with with A/C and those without.  The stand-off sleeves worked perfectly and installing it was a breeze.

The next step was to determine the best way to run the belt for the power steering pump.  I already have a three groove crank pulley but installing power steering also requires a two groove water pump pulley.  Without a two groove water pump pulley, the belt makes contact with the water pump pulley in a bad way.  My water pump pulley was purchased specifically for the A/C system and isn't very old but I'll be swapping it out with a Scott Drake C6AZ-8509A which appears to be the correct 5 13/16" pulley with the right offset.  At this point, I expect to use a 48" belt for the power steering system so I went ahead and purchased one from AutoZone so I have it ready.  

With this handled, I turned my attention to the power steering lines as I have heard others found them to not be long enough or make contact with the headers.  I found mine fit rather well with a few tweaks to the hard line bends near the box.  They are still relatively close to the headers at points.  I don't want to risk it so I ordered some 3/4" DEI Fire Sleeve which fits perfectly over both lines to keep them safe.  





The last part of the project was to take apart the steering column, mock up the column with the new steering shaft, and determine how much of the column to cut away.  I started with cutting a 6.5" piece off and ultimately cut off another 1.25" to get it just right. 

I sanded down the column as it has taken a few beatings being removed and reinstalled and put another coat of the stock style paint on it.  I then used a Mustang Steve roller bearing at the end rather than the plug Borgeson provided.  This is much better than the rubber plug and worm clamp that Borgeson supplied to use (showed in column picture below).  The finished product looks good and is ready to install.



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