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Power or manual ifs

2K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  Mitchman 
#1 ·
Hello. I have a 1936 Ford pickup with the usual 350 chev, TH400 trans. I need to replace my 1974 to 1978 Mustang II power steering rack and pinion. I bought it (rebuilt) from auto parts store. It sat around for a few years before installing. After install and a little use it now leaking from boots and right and left turn tubing fittings. I have read that on pre-war cars it is advised that you use manual rack and pinion vs power. The reason being that the pre-war cars are lighter in the front end and do not have the weight that the power system was designed for which results in over-steer. I would like a little more road feel and it may have a little over steer but it is not bad. I would not mind getting rid of the power steering pump and associated hoses just to simplfy things and gain some extra room but at the same time I don't want to end up with a pickup that steers like an old Peterbuilt. I guess my question is, have any of you converted from power to manual rack and pinion on a pre-war rod and how did it work out for you? Thanks and sorry for being so long winded here.
 
#2 ·
power or manual

I went from power to manual on a 38 Chevy sedan. The manual feels much better, in my opinion, and the effort required, even at quite slow speeds is not excessive. Once over about 10 MPH it steers quite easily and does not tend to drift or feel like you're not connected to the road.
 
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