Mustang II Question #997

[coupla48s]

Been a while since I have posted, but here goes.  I have a '48 Chevy pickup with power Mustang II steering.  I have been plagued with too much sensitivity (partially fixed with RB's valve), leaks (put in a rebuilt rack), and now extreme notchiness when doing gradual medium-speed turns. It feels in the wheel like the pressure is surging.  Is there another secret to getting all the air out.  I did what the directions said, turning slowly from lock to lock.  I also had a buddt tell me to turn it hard lock and shut the engine down, wait one minute and go hard lock the other way and then shut it off again.  Didn't help.

I'm about ready to push the whole thing off a cliff.  What would it take to convert to a manual rack?  Outer tie rods the same?  Mounting location the same?  Would it be too hard to steer around town or while maneuvering a loaded car trailer?  Thanks in advance for the help.  I know this question has been addressed before but I couldn't find it in the archives.

Kevin in Seattle

[enjenjo]

I would switch to a later Mustang rack. Most crossmembers have one slotted hole for the difference in mounting bosses. On the manual rack, it all bolts in, mounting, tie rod ends, are all the same. The shaft spline is different though, so you will need a different U joint.

[WZ JUNK]

Been a while since I have posted, but here goes.  I have a '48 Chevy pickup with power Mustang II steering.  I have been plagued with too much sensitivity (partially fixed with RB's valve), leaks (put in a rebuilt rack), and now extreme notchiness when doing gradual medium-speed turns. It feels in the wheel like the pressure is surging.  Is there another secret to getting all the air out.  I did what the directions said, turning slowly from lock to lock.  I also had a buddt tell me to turn it hard lock and shut the engine down, wait one minute and go hard lock the other way and then shut it off again.  Didn't help.

I'm about ready to push the whole thing off a cliff.  What would it take to convert to a manual rack?  Outer tie rods the same?  Mounting location the same?  Would it be too hard to steer around town or while maneuvering a loaded car trailer?  Thanks in advance for the help.  I know this question has been addressed before but I couldn't find it in the archives.

Kevin in Seattle

I have heard that you can plumb from the pressure inlet to the return outlet on the rack, you fill the rack as full of power steering fluid first.  Then just use the power rack as a manual one.  I think there is a difference in the ration between the two.  You need to find out more about this from someone else.

[coupla48s]

How difficult would this AD truck be to steer with a manual rack?  I also use it to haul my Anglia to the track.  This rack replacement and alignment is getting expensive after doing it twice.  How does one tell if the pump is going south?

Kevin in Seattle

I would switch to a later Mustang rack. Most crossmembers have one slotted hole for the difference in mounting bosses. On the manual rack, it all bolts in, mounting, tie rod ends, are all the same. The shaft spline is different though, so you will need a different U joint.

[enjenjo]

It's been my experience with the Mustang manual rack that it steers pretty good as long as you are moving, but when setting still, they are a bear to turn.

[coupla48s]

Thanks, enjenjo.  I'll have to mull this over for a bit before I decide what to do.

Kevin in Seattle

It's been my experience with the Mustang manual rack that it steers pretty good as long as you are moving, but when setting still, they are a bear to turn.

[alchevy]

Kevin, I have a manual Mustang II rack on my '40 Chevy Sedan and it is hard to turn at slow speeds (while parking and such) but works great while cruising at highway speeds. I have a Fatman IFS front crossmember. While at the Nats at Louisville, KY one year when I was trying to decide what kind of rack to put in the car, I asked at the Fatman booth which one to use and the first question they asked was "Was my wife going to be driving the car?" I said that I did not have one...they said use a manual rack then. They were worried that it would be too much at higher speeds with the power rack. I have since met folks with '40 Chevys with power racks and they said it was "oh so fine". Let me give you a tip: I went to a local parts house and asked for a '74 Mustang II manual rack and they found one for me...was a lot less than what I had seen in catalogs for aftermarket ones. Also, when my friends drove my car, they remarked how well it turns and the only thing we could figure out compared to other cars they had driven was that a real Ford MII rebuilt manual rack is much better than an aftermarket one.

Oh yeah, if you are going to push that '48 Pickup down a hill, then push it my way, HA! I am South of you, I'll catch it.