Steering box

Hi,

Et oui  :whistling:

I come again to solicit you. It's true that in France, there is little information on 71-73 so...

My steering box is very very tired. I tried to fix it but nothing help. I have a really important limit dangerous trip while driving.

The rest of the direction has been checked and everything is in good condition.

I saw that there were reconditioned boxes on Rockauto like the original but...

I saw to a Borgerson steering conversion for the same price. Is it possible and easy to put in my car. Must adapt or modify ? :huh:

Or is better the original ?

The site : https://www.cjponyparts.com/borgeson-power-steering-conversion-gearbox-with-14-1-ratio-1971-1973/p/SB21/

 

Reviews on that unit are not good regarding how it fits. Scroll to the bottom of the product page.

I bought a Lares remanufactured unit from Rockauto, haven't driven it yet so no feedback there.

Here is another option https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/store/Search.aspx?SearchTerms=D3Z%20steering%20box

Reviews on that unit are not good regarding how it fits. Scroll to the bottom of the product page.

I bought a Lares remanufactured unit from Rockauto, haven't driven it yet so no feedback there.

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I know a friend in France who buy the same, Lares in Rockauto.

He is very happy with. I think I'll do what you do.

Thanks,

Or, you can rebuild your own, Bentworker did an excellent job of documenting the process and variables.

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-playing-with-steering-boxes-spa-s-fixed-ratio-spa-af-variable-ratio-firebird-12-7?

There's also some more generic information in this post

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-power-steering-rebuild

or here is a link to a recent thread on steering pump options:

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-power-steering-box-conversions

The Saginaw pump I think is a good alternative because it is a proven design that it is used in many vehicles around the world. Hence it should be easy to find a unit.

https://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-adapting-a-saginaw-pump

Edit: my apologies. I just realized that you are talking about boxes and not pumps.

If you have mechanical skill, you can rebuild your own Saginaw 800 steering box. Rebuild kits are easily available on Rock Auto. They are all about the same quality, but I use the Edleman complete kit with bearings. There are lots of YouTube videos to research, some are good, some not so good, but you can find what you need and figure it out. If you have too much steering wheel play left to right, then the worm gear balls need to be replaced as well as the seals inside. Unfortunately replacement ball kits are no longer available to the public. Also you need a special torque indicator to get it set up correctly.

Living in France is a huge inconvenience for sure, but if you can buy a remanufactured Saginaw 800 Power Steering box for 71-73 FORD, then that is what I'd suggest. If you go that way, buy the 12.7:1 fast ratio conversion.

The box tag codes for 71-72 are; SPA-T, V = variable ratio 13:1 - 16:1, used on Mach 1's , SPA-S, U = fixed ratio 17.5:1 which is the stock steering ratio for most Mustangs. For 73 after 1/2/73 SPA-AD, AF = variable as above and SPA-AC, AE for fixed.

Hope that helps and not confusing.

Geoff.

The box tag codes for 71-72 are; SPA-T, V = variable ratio 13:1 - 16:1, used on Mach 1's  cars equipped with competition suspension & p/s, SPA-S, U = fixed ratio 17.5:1 which is the stock steering ratio for most Mustangs. For 73 after 1/2/73 SPA-AD, AF = variable as above and SPA-AC, AE for fixed.

Hope that helps and not confusing.

Geoff.

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Adjusted the info

The box tag codes for 71-72 are; SPA-T, V = variable ratio 13:1 - 16:1, used on Mach 1's  cars equipped with competition suspension & p/s, SPA-S, U = fixed ratio 17.5:1 which is the stock steering ratio for most Mustangs. For 73 after 1/2/73 SPA-AD, AF = variable as above and SPA-AC, AE for fixed.

Hope that helps and not confusing.

Geoff.

Click to expand...

Adjusted the info

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 Ah, yes my bad! Thanks for correcting. Kind of what I meant but a far better, more accurate description.

Geoff.