i was trying to install the drop down bracket on the power steering ram on my 75 and the nut on the end striped. so it seems to be time to replace it. here is my question, i removed the ram, and began to wonder. what happens if i just leave it off, put on a shorter belt, and run manual steering? is this not safe? my bet is this is a bad idea but i was just wondering.
You`ll have to lock the control valve or you will have a lot of play in your steering. Also you probably wont enjoy the effort required to turn at low speeds. I would just have the steering ram rethreaded and keep your power assist. Been there done that! I ended up putting mine back on.
Uhhh.....it is very dangerous IMO. What was once a power assited set-up is now a manual set-up and it is not desiged to be used that way. There is not a whole lot of metal holding the little ball into the control valve. I know people do it, but I sure wouldn't.
It's not going to steer very well without hydraulic pressure. You have couple choices. Lock the control as someone suggested. It can be donr but you have to do it just right or you will be wondering all over the road. You won't like it plus it's dangerous. There is a kit sold to allow you to remove the control valve and have solid manual steering without replaceing the center link. CJ Pony is one who sells the kit. part #MSA1. Then you can install a shorter belt and remove the pump and hoses or just leave the pump there. http://www.cjponyparts.com/manual-steering-adapter-1965-1966/p/MSA1/ Why not just repair or replace the part that stripped. By the way why not reinforce the drop down bracket as you are installing it. Want to see the see the reason I say this, go to: http://www.stangerssite.com/dropbracket.html and watch the video clip at the bottom of the page. Then you will understand why I say this. RS
If you want a design that will work properly send me a drop bracket and let me know what car ir will be used on and I will design one that will work. It seems to me that the bearing area is just too small for the strength of the sub-frame and all you need is a load spreader and a doubler plate.
It's just too flimsy the way it was designed. I added some length on both edges and added 3 more bolts to anchor it better. Haven't tried it yet but should hold it in place better than the original design. It 'is' pretty scary to see the video on how it moves under load. RS
I'll bet it doesn't flex quite as bad when the car is moving but that right there is enough to make you think twice about using their brackets.
They still have a chance to work, just need some beefing up then should work ok. If they move like the video shows it's got to make for sloppy control plus the possibility of impending failure. And of course that would be when you least expect it. Hang on to your hat! RS
I think I would start with a saddle (load spreader) that covered three sides of the sub-frame and bolted or welded to it. Then design the bracket to fit the lower corner (like angle iron) and bolt into the saddle. If you just use a plate on one side of the frame you are only working with 1/16" - 3/32" steel and it will flex at the edges of the plate. If you use the entire box of the sub-frame then it is not likely that it will flex toward the edges and the new mount could be built to load the first and last thirds of the saddle. Using a doubler plate is a good start but when you are working with thin metal to start with it is hard to design a doubler that doesn't flex the parent metal. That is why I said I would use a load spreader and a doubler plate.
On mine I added an extension to the inside that goes further up the frame. Then I drill anther bolt hole through that. Then add a seperator tube inside the frame to keep the frame from crushing when I install a long bolt all the way through. Then I extended the lower edge to come out flush with the inner edge of the frame lip. Then drill 2 holes through that and the frame lip and bolt them together along with the original 3 bolts. The whole thing should spread the load over a larger area which hopefully will stop the whole thing from wanting to twist under load. If that is not enough I will double up the plates and possibly extend the plates out wven further. Has to be better than the original. No pics but could take some. RS
i am running one of the steering to manual adapters which removes the power assist system. you will need to relocate your belt to turn the water pump and alt. I hear a lot of whining about how hard it is to steer on the internet, but my stock manual steering high boy is WAY harder to steer. not to mention i did have a manual steering mav with a small racing wheel and it was about the same difficulty as current for the grabber with stock wheel. One question on the linked adapter bracket, has anyone compared the play in it to the adapters sold by the mustang parts houses? my only complaint is i still have a little play at 65+ mph i would like to eliminate.....
