'66 200 Power steering

[Greg Gaitens]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and am hoping some of you inline experts can help me out. I want to add factory power steering components to my '66 Stang. The car did not come with power steering. Is my understanding that the crank pully is integral to the harmonic balancer and that I will need to find a balancer specific to a 6 with power steering or are the crank pullys/balancers universal, meaning they do not have mutiple groves for multiple belts. Maybe just one long belt drives all three accessories, A/C compressor, P.S. pump and water pump?

Pumps are not hard to find but appearantly the brackt to mount a pump to a inline six is. Any suggestios on where I can find one? Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[wsa111]

Greg, welcome back to the forum. I am not an expert on the 66 model, but i believe you need the 2 sheave balancer & of course the ps pump brackets & lines, also the power steering centerlink & will need to attach the ps slave cylinder to a bracket to the frame.The best bet would be find a doner in the junkyard for some of the parts.
I now there are other members of the forum which can give more detailed information than myself.
Rather than give you the cold shoulder, some info is better than none, Bill

 

[Greg Gaitens]

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at using the new integral P.S. box from MPB or a Steeroids power rack & pinion. With either of these approaches I can use the stock power steering pump. So I believe I need only the correct pully/balancer to drive the pump off the crank and the correct bracket to get the pump mounted to the block. The P.S. hoses will be unique to either set up and will come with their repspective kits.

That's my plan anyway. It's always easier said than done. Thanks again.

 

[ludwig]

If you will be using the stock brackets and can't find them at the bone yard, you could order them new from NPD (National Parts Depot). They will cost more than salvage. Apparently the pump bracket somewhat hard to find, judging by the queries on the forum these past months.

 

[CobraSix]

Good luck finding a 2 groove balancer. I looked high and low for one on my last project. That will definitely be a boneyard find.

Also, not to desway you, but why do you want to go with power steering on a 66 6 cylinder? The front end is already so light there isn't much resistance. I toyed with it for a while myself but decided against it as power steering systems just add one more thing to go wrong on the car.

Just my 2 cents anyways.,

 

[ludwig]

What he says it true. Try a ball bearing idler arm first, AKA 'the poor man's power steering'. Much cheaper and easier to install. All you get from PS is the ability to crank the wheel from lock to lock without moving the vehicle.

 

[Greg Gaitens]

I have the front end converted to V-8 steering components so I could do the Granada disk brake swap and run a dual res. master. In addition, I wanted the 5 lug pattern. I have 16" Al wheels and some pretty wide tires. My wife drives the car more than I do and it is a real effort to turn it at a stand still. I also added a longer arm somewhere in the process of the steering conversion. I think it was called a "Quick Steer" arm. the idea was quicker turning response with a compromise in turning effort. Can't remember if the longer arm was idler or pitman. Idler I suspect. If a roller bearing arm would make a noticable difference I would give it a try but, I need a pretty big change from where I'm at. The cost and hassel to install stock power steering seems to be close to the cost of the Stearroids rack & pinion. The integral power steering box from MPB doesn't require any other change to my factory steering components and it's $500. I figured if a could score a pump, pump mtg. bracket, and the right flywheeel pully cheap it would be a simple bolt on minus the custom work I need to do to make the factory steering column and shaft work with the integral PS box.

 

[falcon fanatic]

Greg,
I'm in the midst of such a conversion on my falcon. I got the integral box from ABS Power Brake. It's not a great match for a falcon, but several people have used it successfully and without too much heartache on Mustangs. You can read about my progress in the suspension & steering section.

The Damper Doctor has the two groove damper you need.

Any junkyard with a late model Fairmont or Fox Mustang will have the PS brackets.

If you buy the kit from ABS, forego the GM pump. Get a For pump instead, it will be much easier to install on the Ford Brackets you get from the Ford in the junkyard.

ABS will sell you a high pressure hose. Make sure you get one with one straight, and one 90* ends. The one they sent me has two 90* ends and I can't use it.

 

[ludwig]

The cheapest solution is to not grind the wheels to the locks while the car is standing still. It is MUCH easier if you move the car slightly as you turn. This is a technique we learned as part of driver ed in the late 60s. Now convince wifey of this fact.

 

[CobraSix]

Quick steer = big arms.

When I did my V-8 suspension upgrade, I used a ball bearing idler. Works pretty nice.

With your 16" wheels, quick steer set up, I agree you'll probably want to either put power steering on or change out the idler to a regular ratio, but roller bearing idler.

 

[BIGREDRASA]

I received my Steeroids R&P kit yesterday. Still waiting for pump and part of the mounting bracketry. I can't start until I get done with my header headaches, but will post progress as I go along. On the good news/bad news side, my kit was delayed in shipping because customers had reported problems with brackets, and they redesigned. Hope it is as easy as they claim.

 

[ludwig]

Hope it is as easy as they claim.

They got it done in only five pix in the magazine. Must be easy.

 

[Greg Gaitens]

Guys,

This drive pully situation for these 6's is very confusing to me. I have a 66 fbk with a 200 with factory A/C. The harmonic balancer has 2 belt gooves. My 66 cvt has no A/C and no P/S. If a want to add P.S. to the cvt. I can buy a 2 groove balancer but, that only gets me to the A/C drive position. I found a bone yard that is teeling for P.S. the pully for the 6 is an extra pully that just bolts on to the balancer. I'm not sure this makes sense. Does any body know how the factory A/C and P.S. was driven on the 6's? Just bolting a pully in by single goove balancer sounds great but how would that work if a 6 had both A/C and P.S. ?

 

[wallaka]

On my '65, the A/C is driven by a pulley bolted on to the harmonic balancer, which is a single pulley unit. I'd post pictures but I'm at work right now.

I don't think that it would work well to run both A/C and power steering, one belt would have to stretch between three pulleys. I don't think that v-belts are good for that. At least, I've never really seen it done. It might work, but getting enough tension to run everything without stretching the belt or putting excess pressure on the bearings would be difficult.

 

[Bort62]

There is a '72 mav in the wrecking yard here w/ a 200 & PS. How much would you be willing to pay me to go yank it out for ya ?