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pressure line from the pump to the steering, return line from the steering to the pump, and one line to the reservoir.

I've never seen a hookup like this.  Since most pumps only have two connections, I'm guessing the reservoir line would be spliced into the steering return line with something like a "Y" connection.  Is this the way it's done?

Are you suggesting that if I make a spherical or cylindrical tank, that the lines be mounted in the very bottom of the tank? I'm just hunting for ideas.

Doesn't make any difference where the return line mounts, except the return fluid shouldn't splatter out of the tank with the cap off.   The supply line should exit close to the bottom of the reservoir so that most of the fluid is usable.

Since I am a newby I guess I should intro myself. My name is Roger & Im an old carnut. I live around Wichita Ks. Had my first hot rod in 1957 and am still at it. Am retired from over 30 yrs. in the aircraft industry.  Have lost count of how many cars I have had over the yrs.  
 Have been lurking on this site for several years just soaking up the knowage. Now I have a problem that I have not seen before & am hoping someone can help with some info. I have a 65 Ford econoline PU with a 302 Ford engine.  The stock steering box bit the dust so I adapted a 79 Toyota 4X4 power box. Got the pump & brackets off a 80 F-150  Had to have the hoses made (4ft.long) used 250 lb. hydraulic hose. Worked good for about a month & then split the hose down the side. New hose. One more month & blows the crimped end off the hose. More new hose. 2 days ago it splits the hose down the side again. I am an old retired fart & cant afford to buy this many hoses. How much pressure is a power steering pump put out? It has been suggested that the Ford pump does not have a relief valve in it. (built in the box?)  Maybe I need to adapt a Toyota or GM pump onto my engine?  Has anyone had this problem with Ford pumps? Anyone help me on this?  Thanks, Roger

You need a pressure hose that can handle a much higher pressure.  Power steering hoses usually are rated for 2000+ psi.  I believe Ford pumps are around 600-800 psi, but  the peak pressure might be a lot higher.  GM pumps are around 1000-1200 psi.

Do you use the standard old style power streering pump with the reservoir ?
Is there any modifications that should be done to the pump or it work fine with the late mustang rack ?
I have a SBC with the short water pump. I also have the power steering  pully and bracket from a 68 Chevy. Is this what you use ?
Thanks for the great info !  
Rick Harris

Not sure if this is directed to me, but I'll answer anyway.

I use a Type ll GM pump, that's the one with a separate reservior.  I got the pump from Auto Zone and the reservior from a street rod parts store.  My rack came from Flaming River and is a '74-'78 Mll design.  It is overly sensitive unless the pressure of the GM pump is reduced.  There's a way to cut the spring and add a washer to the pump flow control valve to lower the pressure, but I bought a modified valve that does the job nicely.  It's very easy to change the valve if the pump is accessible.  The modified valve came from Parr's automotive in Oklahoma City.  BTW, the early Mll racks are 16 inches between the centers of the mounting holes.  I'm told that later Mll and T-bird racks that are 15 1/2 inches between the mounting hole centers are fine with unmodified GM pumps.

Be sure to flush the hoses before installing them.  (I didn't and had a ton of problems until i got the crud out of the system).

Nope, they wear evenly. I've used this setting on several cars lately. Negative leans in at the top by the way.

One more question , Is there a pressure hose that will fit the GM pump to the Mustang II rack ?
Thanks Rick Harris.

You can buy made-up hoses from some of the street rod supply houses.  A better bet might be to have them made up by a business that has the capability to assemble high pressure hydraulic hoses.  I had hoses made up locally for my Mll power rack with a GM pump.  Got  pressure, return, and remote resivor lines made from standard high pressure power steering hose stock. The lines cost about $75.00 total.  I furnished the fittings that attach to the rack since they were included when I got the new rack.

If a 6 amp power supply is used for a 7 amp motor it's not going to hurt the motor.  Might take a little longer to start under load, and it might pump a bit less in a given time.  This is assuming that the motor rating is for peak load which will be of very short duration. If it's a continuous rating, peak load will be several times higher and a 6 amp power supply won't be able to start it.  In either case the power supply itself might overheat and/or trip a cb if the max output is exceeded.

Don't remember which of the fittings goes on the left side, but the pressure fitting is always the smaller of the two.  You might also try bleeding the system again.  It sometimes is a bear to get all the air out, but there's a step by step procedure recommended by Flaming River that usually works.

Early racks used a lower line pressure from the p/s pump.  Using those racks with a GM pump gives over-assisted steering.

Using an unmodified GM pump definitely makes the early racks overly sensitive.  But, even with the correct pressure the racks are quick.  I've got a '78 Mll power rack on my '38 Ford. It has a GM type ll pump thats setup to deliver the correct pressure for a Mll rack.  The steering wheel only turns 2 1/4 times lock to lock, and it was a little twitchy with the front end aligned to standard Mll specs.  Setting the caster to 5 degrees made it a lot more stable, but it'll still change directions in a hurry.   My understanding is that the later racks are about 4 turns lock to lock.

What I used was a '79 Mustang rack, which isn't a Mustang II and I don't remember who recommended it. Probably someone here on the board.
I'm happy enough with it, it just seems quicker.

The '79-93 power rack is slower than the earlier ones.  Fat Man Fabrications recommends the later power racks because the '78 and earlier ones are extremely quick and sensitive.   Only problem is the later rack won't bolt onto an early Fat Man Mll kit due to hole spacing.  Later Mll kits have cross members with an elongated slot that will accomodate both early and late racks. Don't know about Ford vs. TRW, I thought they were the same for a given model year.

One of the things no one ever tells you is that you should spot weld them on when the entire car is done.  Otherwise you could get a nasty surprise.  Good luck!

Absolutely!  Some of the manufacturers warn against welding because it might cause damage to the needle bearings.  But, it still can be done as long as it's done carefully.  An alternative is to put a spot weld on the shaft so it can't go too far into the u-joint.  If welding isn't done, at least put in roll pins so the shaft can't enter too far and bind up the u-joint.

I'm a newbie on the board and I'd like to pass on a frustrating experience I recently had after replacing the manual Mll rack on my '38 Ford with a power steering rack.  I had new hoses fabricated locally but didn't think to flush them out before installing them.   After hooking everything up, the steering worked great for awhile then all assist was lost.  The pump didn't seem to be producing pressure, so I got a new pump and installed it.  The new pump worked great for about 30 minutes than it too stopped putting out useful pressure.  I finally wised up and took the flow control valve out of the original pump and discovered rubber residue in the bore.  Pulled the new pump apart and saw the second verse of the same story.  After cleaning the new pump's innards and flushing the system, I reinstalled the pump and added an inline filter in the rack return line.   Everything seems to be working okay now.