Correct 351C Power Steering Hoses?

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street rod mach 1

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Jul 28, 2015
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Location
Minneapolis, MN
My Car
I own a 1973 Mustang Mach 1, currently in the restoration process.
Hey all, 

I’m looking to buy new power steering hoses for a 351C, and I haven’t had any luck in finding some, wondering if anyone had any links or knows any keywords i should look up? Just reply below, thanks!!!!

 
Whatever you do don’t buy Scott Drake hoses, they are junk! Had a relatively new one blow apart on me when I was making a turn. Almost hit another car and had atf all over my perfectly clean engine compartment.  :mad:

 
Keep in mind if you are looking for the adapter from the pump to the pressure line (pictured below) they do not make them. You can try to find a used one or make your own.



 
I bought my replacement lines from Autozone. Wasn’t worried about getting the Ford part number for the replacement. They have worked great so far.

 
And the metal line that 73pony has pictured was missing on my car. Someone had used a high pressure line off of a 250, which will work without the metal extension tube, but rubs against the master cylinder.

The metal tube that is pictured, I ordered from West Coast Cougar. They sell good, used, hard to find parts. I highly recommend them.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 
Hey all, 

I’m looking to buy new power steering hoses for a 351C, and I haven’t had any luck in finding some, wondering if anyone had any links or knows any keywords i should look up? Just reply below, thanks!!!!
 71's are the long pressure hose that goes up on top of the shock tower brace. 72 and 3's are the short hose. But that may not be a concern to you. I got mine form NPD, but no idea who made them. Had no issues thus far, maybe I should check out what is available elsewhere.

Geoff

 
Bad Scott Drake parts again, who would have known? Just ill fitting JUNK!
I'm in the process of a total restore on a 71 mach. I continue to find Scott Drake parts as the only after market offered. Out of 8 different parts 7 of them was total junk. I called scott drake only to hear you must call the manufacturer not us. They want nothing to do with the customer, they only deal with the distributors. 

I've been in retail my whole life (retired now) and never seen such blatant disregard for the consumer. Ok....... I'm done ranting and raving. SORRY   :-/

 
Hey all, 

I’m looking to buy new power steering hoses for a 351C, and I haven’t had any luck in finding some, wondering if anyone had any links or knows any keywords i should look up? Just reply below, thanks!!!!
 71's are the long pressure hose that goes up on top of the shock tower brace. 72 and 3's are the short hose. But that may not be a concern to you. I got mine form NPD, but no idea who made them. Had no issues thus far, maybe I should check out what is available elsewhere.

Geoff
Geoff, the 72’s had the longer pressure hose too. At least till sometime after the mid production. My car had the long one and was built on 2-2-72.

 
Hey all, 

I’m looking to buy new power steering hoses for a 351C, and I haven’t had any luck in finding some, wondering if anyone had any links or knows any keywords i should look up? Just reply below, thanks!!!!
 71's are the long pressure hose that goes up on top of the shock tower brace. 72 and 3's are the short hose. But that may not be a concern to you. I got mine form NPD, but no idea who made them. Had no issues thus far, maybe I should check out what is available elsewhere.

Geoff
Geoff, the 72’s had the longer pressure hose too. At least till sometime after the mid production. My car had the long one and was built on 2-2-72.

MPC states the changeover date as 5/1/72. Personally, I run the short hose on all 71-73s, since the long hose is in the way of everything on the driver's side.

Bad Scott Drake parts again, who would have known? Just ill fitting JUNK!
I've never understood why people would buy regular mechanical parts from a restoration parts supplier. Ball joints, control arms, power steering hoses? All of that stuff is better left to companies that actually manufacture it, not those like SD that purchase from China and repackage.

 
Interesting post about power steering hoses. I had a badly leaking steering box in my Mach years back, and replaced it with a used standard box from a friend's convertible "parts car". Fast forward to today, that second used box has become a leaker, so I had my original variable-ratio Saginaw box completely overhauled to new specs. The original box was so worn out even the cast iron body of the box required "sleeving" to bring it into spec. The company who did the steering box overhaul, Lee Manufacturing, checked, replaced or corrected everything . Their rebuilt steering couplers are excellent too, and much nicer than anything NPD or the aftermarket seem to offer.

Anyway, I'm ready to have the new box installed next week by a nearby suspension shop. ( I installed the former 'box, but I can't give up garage space right now to do it myself. )

Back to the original posting about hoses. I bought new hoses from my neighborhood auto parts store, and they are the Edelmann brand, a known manufacturer and a good hose. However, just for comparison, I paid twice what Rock Auto is asking for the same . So, just a though regarding prices as Rock Auto has really good prices.

Lee Manufacturing also highly recommended that I flush all my old fluid from the system ( I've used ATF since I got the car ), and use the "clear" power steering specific fluid in the system. They said the clear fluid has more "lubricity", and the steering will operate more smoothly. O.K., I learn something new every day, so that's what I'll do from now on.

Lastly,...….I asked my boss years ago, when I worked at T&G Motors before I even owned my Mach 1, but I was tuning up a customer's Mach 1, why in hell was that pressure hose so darned long and looped up on top of the cowl-to-shock tower support. His answer was, that it was designed to quiet the pump, which would make a noticeable sound if the hose was short and direct. I've never tested this, but that's what he said, and I've never changed it from the way the factory did it to know anything otherwise . Anyone run a short pressure hose and hear any difference?

 
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I have the short hose on mine, and heard no noise from the pump. Because the pump is a vane type (Ford calls it a slipper type, with the vanes flattened out), and not a piston pump, the flow is fairly consistent and doesn't pulse, I don't see the benefit of a longer hose. If the flow pulsed I could see how a longer hose would smooth out the flow and quiet it. I've also heard the extra length hose was for cooling, but that doesn't seem logical to me, the rubber hose is too good of an insulator to provide much cooling.

So, I don't know the purpose, I would have to hear it from the original engineer and what the reasons were.

 
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