steering renovation

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A.Nilsson

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 26, 2017
Messages
45
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18
Location
Sweden
My Car
Mustang Grande 1973 351Q C6
Hey all.
I will renovate the steering on may Mustang this winter, I intend to replace all joints and rubber parts and thought I would consult with you all for advice on which parts to choose.

Since I live in Sweden, I am a bit limited in where I can shop, I intend to order parts from Summit Racing as I have done this before and it has worked well.

They have parts from several different brands Moog, ACdelco, Delphi, Proforged just to mention a fewsome brands, any that you should absolutely avoid ?

Grateful for any advice
Andreas

 
While I have not had any problems with the front end rebuild "kit" I bought, other than it came with totally incorrect coil springs that I sent back and reused my original coils as they were still in excellent condition. I would suggest to avoid Scott Drake products. Not to say they are bad, but there are better. I think many will say US made MOOG are a good choice. Perhaps others will get back on this as well. 

It depends on what you want and your budget. You could spend thousands on a complete coil-over set-up, or just replace what you have with new parts.

 
thanks for the reply.
It's just the parts for the steering which is left to change, everything else is already new in the front.

So I intend to replace the tie rod ends, pitman arm, idler arm and steering coupler so everything is new and hopefully the car will be little more stable on the road

 
thanks for the reply.
It's just the parts for the steering which is left to change, everything else is already new in the front.

So I intend to replace the tie rod ends, pitman arm, idler arm and steering coupler so everything is new and hopefully the car will be little more stable on the road
 Ah, I see. Funny thing is I was looking today for the invoices for the pitman arm, idler, tie rods for someone else, but for some odd reason, I was unable to locate them. pisses me off, because I know I have them, somewhere. I usually buy from National Parts Depot (NPD) because I can drive to Michigan and pick up what I need. I am unfamiliar with Summit parts, but buy the best available and make sure they are for 71-73. Too many parts "say" they 65 -73, no way. Sorry  can't be more help.

By the way, you did not mention exactly what you need parts for. I assume power steering. 

 
I have the Rare Parts brand pitman and idler arms.  So far so good.  I'm a fan of MOOG and that is what my tie rod ends are.  As far as the rag joint goes there is not an exact reproduction made.  The Scott Drake one is hammered dog poo, the 5/16" & 9/16" diameter pins that engage with the steering column are too short.  Avoid that one at all costs.  Lares makes a rag joint that has two smaller pins, but at least they are long enough to engage with the steering column if need be.  I'm pretty sure it is a Lares 201 (for a standard column).  If you have a tilt column your rag joint is even more obscure- and I don't know what the part is off the top of my head.

 
I have the Rare Parts brand pitman and idler arms.  So far so good.  I'm a fan of MOOG and that is what my tie rod ends are.  As far as the rag joint goes there is not an exact reproduction made.  The Scott Drake one is hammered dog poo, the 5/16" & 9/16" diameter pins that engage with the steering column are too short.  Avoid that one at all costs.  Lares makes a rag joint that has two smaller pins, but at least they are long enough to engage with the steering column if need be.  I'm pretty sure it is a Lares 201 (for a standard column).  If you have a tilt column your rag joint is even more obscure- and I don't know what the part is off the top of my head.
Rare Parts, That was the name I was trying to remember for the pitman arm at least. I still can't find that bill for the Idler arm. I do know it was a Pro Grade one I bought from NPD, but it still needed the top slot hole enlarged upward for the upper bolt to fit properly. The Lares 201 is the best for a standard column (assuming he has the correct Saginaw 800 PS box)

 
Although I tend to stay away from anything that starts with 'Pro', because most aren't, Proforged seems to be well rated, and seems to be available in Europe, although probably not for our cars.

 
Although I tend to stay away from anything that starts with 'Pro', because most aren't, Proforged seems to be well rated, and seems to be available in Europe, although probably not for our cars.
 Don, Yeah, I should have put Pro Grade in quotation marks!! I agree, if these were "Pro Grade" I wouldn't have had to slot the top hole to make it fit. None the less it was a good quality idler arm with the correct geometry. Just wish I could find the receipt to confirm the  NPD part number. 

I found the NPD number, 3355-1A. In 2019 it was $149.95, now it is $189.95, so it jumped 40 bucks in the last year.

 
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To answer some of your questions, the car has power steering and a standard column.

I had planned to change everything while I had it all disassembled but maybe it's better to reuse the steering coupler and idler arm, because I can not see anything wrong with these.

Hate that it should be so difficult to get hold of parts that you know fit and work, there should be some law against manufacturing parts that are not correct

 
To answer some of your questions, the car has power steering and a standard column.

I had planned to change everything while I had it all disassembled but maybe it's better to reuse the steering coupler and idler arm, because I can not see anything wrong with these.

Hate that it should be so difficult to get hold of parts that you know fit and work, there should be some law against manufacturing parts that are not correct
Just from my point of view, if the idler arm bushings look good and it all turns with no sticking or binding, then probably good for a few more miles. It's not that hard to change later if needed. The coupler, well it's not that easy to change on the car, but if you're taking the PS box out, I'd replace it unless it's fairly new. Your choice of course and what you feel comfortable with.

As for your last paragraph, absolutely.  

 
Ordered parts last Friday, so now all that remains is to wait.

I really do not think it has any significance to my driving either, but I took Moog parts if they had otherwise it became the brand that existed.

Will try to come back with comparisons between the parts when I get them home

 
Took some time to get the spare parts due to covid but now they are in place.

I took some pictures of the new spare parts together with the old ones, the parts number i refers to is from Summit.

image.png

Pitman arm POF-103-10057 looked just like the old one and felt like good quality.

image.png

Idler arm bushes MEV-MS40490 and MEV-MS40490 fited well.

image.pngimage.png

image.png

Tie rod ends MOG-DS791 and MOG-ES387R did not look exactly like the old ones but fit nicely.

image.png

Steering coupling LSC-201 did not look exactly like the old ones but fit nicely can not see any problems with it.

image.png

Lower outer ball joints POF-101-10439 did not look exactly like the old ones but once they were mounted they fit without any problems but I definitely recommend that you change the whole arm.

hope someone can benefit from the info

 
Awesome info and thank you for including part numbers.

Have you installed all this yet and if so, what is the verdict on fitment?

 
Yes, everything is assembled and even though some of the parts did not look exactly like the original part did everything fit okej.

But instead of switching the lower outer ball joint if needed I recommend changing the whole arm instead..

How the quality is on the parts remains to be seen but all the parts gave an okay impression

 
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