I converted my car from factory power steering to rack & pinion using a well known kit. I am going to pull the rack setup off and sell it at a swap meet, trade it or something. There is nothing wrong with it, but it is a nightmare to get working with factory clutch linkage. I am going to rebuild the cylinder and control valve. How difficult is this? What is the deal with the idler arm bushings? Is there a good source for reasonably priced inner tie rod ends? Are the hoses the same for 62-64? I can find the hoses for a 64, but not for my 62. I am sorry for all of the questions, but this is my first time dealing with non integral power steering.
Going from rack & pinion to factory power steering on my 62...
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Well, I'll pitch 2 cents on the PS hoses. I've about given-up on finding some of them, and now I just make my own from AN fittings and hose, or for the original look, I have them made-up locally as I need them. Doing another set next week in-fact.
What I do is use pics of originals in manuals for basic routing ideas, and then hand-bend 1/4" copper tubing to the shape and length I want. Haul that squiggled tubing to the local hydraulic hose shop, and they whip-up a duplicate out of the correct end fittings and hose to match my tubing shape.
Try to make ends in even angles (straight, 45°, 90°, 135°, etc.) if possible, and put tape or marker lines where you need the hard ends to become hose. Be sure to put the tubing in a big box to carry it so it doesn't get bent at all before they handle it.
David
PS: Check around as prices are all over the map. Some shops are dirt cheap, and others price them like gold. It may be worth driving an extra 20 miles for a good and friendly shop.
What I do is use pics of originals in manuals for basic routing ideas, and then hand-bend 1/4" copper tubing to the shape and length I want. Haul that squiggled tubing to the local hydraulic hose shop, and they whip-up a duplicate out of the correct end fittings and hose to match my tubing shape.
Try to make ends in even angles (straight, 45°, 90°, 135°, etc.) if possible, and put tape or marker lines where you need the hard ends to become hose. Be sure to put the tubing in a big box to carry it so it doesn't get bent at all before they handle it.
David
PS: Check around as prices are all over the map. Some shops are dirt cheap, and others price them like gold. It may be worth driving an extra 20 miles for a good and friendly shop.
Then I will also have to get a new set of headers since the ceramic coated Sandersons will not clear the Steering joints on the rack. I have all of the factory power steering parts, but I am going to rebuild them before I put them in. I figure I can rebuild all of my stock stuff for $300.
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Make sure your steering box is free of play and is not hard at the center point? I have been unable to find one that is acceptable or even rebuild able for a modest amount.
I have found that on my 60's and 61's the factory toe setting does not work well with radial tires. If you close the setting up some the steering will tend not to "self center" making constant steering input a must. You can open up the setting a little and you get more rolling resistance, more tire heat, more tire wear and less fuel economy. I have not converted any of my cars to a rear steer R&P system but I have converted two of them to a MKII front steer system and was able to use factory settings for the MKII without any of the issues listed above. I am hoping the rear steer R&P will do the same?
When you remove the R&P system would it be possible for you the take a few photos of the brackets that locate the rack on each side?
A template would be great also if possible but that is asking a lot I know.
I need to make a set of brackets for my rack but I am not using the GM rack so I will have to adjust to make any brackets work.
Scott...
I have found that on my 60's and 61's the factory toe setting does not work well with radial tires. If you close the setting up some the steering will tend not to "self center" making constant steering input a must. You can open up the setting a little and you get more rolling resistance, more tire heat, more tire wear and less fuel economy. I have not converted any of my cars to a rear steer R&P system but I have converted two of them to a MKII front steer system and was able to use factory settings for the MKII without any of the issues listed above. I am hoping the rear steer R&P will do the same?
When you remove the R&P system would it be possible for you the take a few photos of the brackets that locate the rack on each side?
A template would be great also if possible but that is asking a lot I know.
I need to make a set of brackets for my rack but I am not using the GM rack so I will have to adjust to make any brackets work.
Scott...
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For the steering gear, if you're not going to do rebuilding yourself (from simple to needing a machine shop depending on condition), I suggest Redhead Steering Gear. Others on this forum have had good dealings with them. There are other companies as well, but none I have dealt with recently to recommend. With the pitman disconnected, if the output has play (worn) or you can feel little 'crunchies' (internal corrosion) - it's rebuild time. Otherwise I have found most boxes to tighten-up to near-new performance when adjusted exactly per the manual sequence with proper tools.
As far as "hard at center point", that is either the box adjusted improperly, or if smooth with the pitman arm disconnected (or on the bench), the control valve needs adjustment per the manual or rebuilding.
For the front-end alignment, the toe-in does not primarily control the auto-centering of the steering wheel. The caster is where you will find most of your auto-centering and highway stability, and offset caster also accommodates crowned roads if prevalent in your area. HTH
David
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I HAVE several OEM NOS Galaxie PS hoses that fit 62-64 Gals. I have the shorter of the two, part numbers are listed on the forums somewhere...
I figure I will start with rebuilding the control valve. Then I will rebuild the cylinder and then clean everything else. I will put new bushings in the idler arm and all new hoses. I have been looking for an exploded view of the 61-62 power steering setup. The cylinder is different and apparently uses a bushing on the end. Does anyone know anything about this bushing?
FE-Once I get to the point where I need hoses I will probably get them from you.
Once I get the rack system off I am going to sell it and then work on finding some of the other parts I have been wanting. I still want a door mounted spotlight.
FE-Once I get to the point where I need hoses I will probably get them from you.
Once I get the rack system off I am going to sell it and then work on finding some of the other parts I have been wanting. I still want a door mounted spotlight.
I think you are referring to the ball socket-
This will cause slow PS assist and wandering.
On the 61-62 power cylinder ram, the end that mounts to the center link has a loop on it. There is a bushing that goes in there that I am looking for. In 63 they went to the tapered stud type. I have been reading up on the cylinders and it appears that they have to be cut open to rebuild them properly. I may just replace what I can on it and let it ride. I figure the control valve is where most of the play comes from due to slack around the ball stud. That is where my attention is going to be focused for now. I found the inner tie rod ends in a Dennis Carpenter catalog for $50 each. That beats the $95 I have seen everywhere else. It looks like I will have:
$50 in the control valve rebuild kit
$20 in the cylinder rebuild kit
$100 in the inner tie rod ends(outers are already new)
$50 in hoses
$20 in seals and new fluid for the steering box(is this just gear oil?)
$20 in idler arm bushings
$20 in misc(pressing in bushings and such)
and the learning experience alone makes this worthwhile to me.
$50 in the control valve rebuild kit
$20 in the cylinder rebuild kit
$100 in the inner tie rod ends(outers are already new)
$50 in hoses
$20 in seals and new fluid for the steering box(is this just gear oil?)
$20 in idler arm bushings
$20 in misc(pressing in bushings and such)
and the learning experience alone makes this worthwhile to me.
I am away from the house this weekend so do not have access to MPC.
Let me look all of this up MON night.
Did you find all of the seal and hardware kits? Most is still available.
Here Is Info You Need;
- http://www.stangerssite.com/steeringsysteminfo.html
- http://www.stangerssite.com/CanIPowerCylinder.html
It might be easier-
http://www.stangerssite.com/PCrebuilding.html
I'll get you a PN on that bushing MON night.
I may do that. That is a good price to have the cylinder rebuilt. I would really appreciate that part number. If anyone has an exploded view of the 61-62 steering components I would appreciate it. It is slightly different from the 63-64 setup in that the center link does not have and wear items. Unless my center link is bent I can just reuse it after I clean it up and put a new bushing in the end.
Domino - I couldn't find the power cylinder bushings on the orielly site, but I did find them on the autozone site. It comes with the cylinder rebuild kit. Here is a link:
Duralast/Power Steering Cylinder Kit (7875) | 1962 Ford Galaxie 8 Cylinders 6.4L 2BL | AutoZone.com
The power cylinder eyelet bushings are the two beveled shaped bushings. Some of the kits have parts that overlap other kits, so you will probably end up with some extra parts. Rebuilding a power cylinder is actually re-sealing a power cylinder. It is kind of hard to get the old seals out, but with persistence it can be done. I used various small pick tools. Stanley makes a set that is inexpensive. For inner tie rod ends, check ebay. I have bought some as low as $10 each and have seen them more than once for $20 each. From the work I have seen you do on this site, it will be a piece of cake for you to reseal the power cylinder and rebuild the control valve, power steering pump, and steering gear box. The shop manual has the exploded views of the parts and instructions on rebuilding. For the steering gearbox, I took mine apart and cleaned all the parts. Everything looked good, so I just replaced the seals, put it back together, and adjusted it with a inch pound torque wrench according to the shop manual. The short hoses may be being reproduced just recently, but I'm not sure. They used to be not reproduced or available before, but it seems like I have recently seen some for sale, but I can't remember where. I'll check around some more. I found some that were close, but the ends were too long. I cut off the ends and reflared them. I will try to see if I can find the part number. All the 62 hoses are different than the 63 and newer, so be sure to get ones for 62. If I think of anything else, I'll post it. If you have any questions be sure to ask.
Duralast/Power Steering Cylinder Kit (7875) | 1962 Ford Galaxie 8 Cylinders 6.4L 2BL | AutoZone.com
The power cylinder eyelet bushings are the two beveled shaped bushings. Some of the kits have parts that overlap other kits, so you will probably end up with some extra parts. Rebuilding a power cylinder is actually re-sealing a power cylinder. It is kind of hard to get the old seals out, but with persistence it can be done. I used various small pick tools. Stanley makes a set that is inexpensive. For inner tie rod ends, check ebay. I have bought some as low as $10 each and have seen them more than once for $20 each. From the work I have seen you do on this site, it will be a piece of cake for you to reseal the power cylinder and rebuild the control valve, power steering pump, and steering gear box. The shop manual has the exploded views of the parts and instructions on rebuilding. For the steering gearbox, I took mine apart and cleaned all the parts. Everything looked good, so I just replaced the seals, put it back together, and adjusted it with a inch pound torque wrench according to the shop manual. The short hoses may be being reproduced just recently, but I'm not sure. They used to be not reproduced or available before, but it seems like I have recently seen some for sale, but I can't remember where. I'll check around some more. I found some that were close, but the ends were too long. I cut off the ends and reflared them. I will try to see if I can find the part number. All the 62 hoses are different than the 63 and newer, so be sure to get ones for 62. If I think of anything else, I'll post it. If you have any questions be sure to ask.
Thank you sir for the info and the kind words. I will get that kit ordered. I am getting the control valve kit from stangersite.com because it looks like a very complete kit. I am using 1970 Galaxie outer tie rod ends since they have the longer stud to work with my 78 Thunderbird spindles and the right thread size for the 62 inners. I will keep an eye on ebay for the inners. I am going to have to order some idler arm bushings and get them pressed in, but I should be able to do the rest myself. I rebuilt the factory Eaton pump a while ago and that was super simple. I am hoping the box is in good shape and I can find both seals for it locally. I want everything to be as new as possible when it goes back in. FE has the cylinder hoses and I will probably get those from him. I still have the factory pressure hose and I can get it repaired if I can not find one. I figure I can get some of my money back on the rack kit. I figure I will take a loss, but that is how it goes sometimes.
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Idler arm bushings are no big deal, press in and out much like A frame bushings. Knock them out with and air chisel and press them in with a press or a large vice and a large socket.
I read that to change the seals in the power steering ram apply air pressure to the threaded ports and it would blow out the seal. All it did for me was almost impale me with the ram as it shot out with air pressure and the seals remained intact. I left the ram alone and the only leak I have is my home rebuilt control valve. I now accept that is part of her character leaving a mark where ever we visit.
Mike
I read that to change the seals in the power steering ram apply air pressure to the threaded ports and it would blow out the seal. All it did for me was almost impale me with the ram as it shot out with air pressure and the seals remained intact. I left the ram alone and the only leak I have is my home rebuilt control valve. I now accept that is part of her character leaving a mark where ever we visit.
Mike
I am making a mental note to not get impaled by the ram. I am pretty sure that would lessen the quality of my life and probably leave me with one less eye. I have the center ling end of the idler arm bushings ordered. I still have to find the other, but that can wait a little longer. To be honest, I am really looking forward to this. This is going to be a lot more educational than anything else I have done to the car yet. This is running a close tie with the rear disk brakes.
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