PaulW
11-02-2015, 08:22 PM
When I ordered my engine I had my builder install power steering. It was a fairly rare 1969 Mustang Mach 1 setup and it was perfect. Well, perfect except that it didn't fit in the engine bay as it wouldn't clear the steering shaft. I thought at that time perhaps I would need to abandon the whole idea. After talking to Mark at Breeze I decided to order one of his small Mavel units and see if I could find a way to mount it. The unit itself is not much bigger than my fist so that in itself seemed doable. However I had to find a way to fabricate all the mounts and to make it adjustable to tension the belt as I am using V groove belts.
I set everything in place with scraps of aluminum and mocked up a mount first in paper and then with 1/8" plywood and stacks of washers as spacers. Once I got it mocked up in place I made a mounting plate from 3/8" aluminum plate and a matching additional support arm at the front. The fact that this pump has threaded mounts both front and rear helped a lot. Working with my drill press, bandsaw and belt sander I made the plate with slots for the pump. Oh, yes an hour or so of filing to turn the series of holes into slots! I ordered some aluminum spacers to replace the washers and mounted everything.
The next step was to cut the hose and assemble the AN fittings which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I mounted the reservoir on the F panel and ran the lines. As you can see by the pictures the steering shaft is surrounded and everything clears well.
I used Lucas PS fluid and upon starting it took less than 30 seconds for the system to bleed itself and after topping up the reservoir (leaving lots of space for expansion) I went for a drive.
All I can say is .............I LOVE POWER STEERING.
Next step this winter is take all the brackets off and have them powder coated black to match the rest and find something like a cloth wire loom to hide the too blingy stainless steel lines
I set everything in place with scraps of aluminum and mocked up a mount first in paper and then with 1/8" plywood and stacks of washers as spacers. Once I got it mocked up in place I made a mounting plate from 3/8" aluminum plate and a matching additional support arm at the front. The fact that this pump has threaded mounts both front and rear helped a lot. Working with my drill press, bandsaw and belt sander I made the plate with slots for the pump. Oh, yes an hour or so of filing to turn the series of holes into slots! I ordered some aluminum spacers to replace the washers and mounted everything.
The next step was to cut the hose and assemble the AN fittings which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I mounted the reservoir on the F panel and ran the lines. As you can see by the pictures the steering shaft is surrounded and everything clears well.
I used Lucas PS fluid and upon starting it took less than 30 seconds for the system to bleed itself and after topping up the reservoir (leaving lots of space for expansion) I went for a drive.
All I can say is .............I LOVE POWER STEERING.
Next step this winter is take all the brackets off and have them powder coated black to match the rest and find something like a cloth wire loom to hide the too blingy stainless steel lines