power steering

Thanks gong to just take it off the parts car I'm waiting for since I'm gettingnother stufff off it also.

 

I don't know about the term "REAL"; I have converted from OE PS steering to Borgeson conversion PS. Driving cars w/PS for many decades -- manual is not an option. I have finally got the setup working vry nicely after struggling w/ it for almost 2 yrs. I can't blame the conversion kit for all the issues, some where attributed to my inexperience. I am still in the tweaking stages of this setup, but not hesitant about driving anywhere.
I got rid of the rams, pwr valves, leaking hoses and noisy pump.
It was an expensive endeavor by some standards, but, at this point in life, I like options. So, I do what needed to have them, at what I consider reasonable effort and expense.

 

this is real power steering...

 

this is stock Mav/Comet...power assist...

 

I had not thought about it from that perspective -- I see what you mean! This conversion a lot less hassle on cars w/ front steering " GM" vehicles w/box at front of frame. I had the ram mount break at it's frame connection point leaving my house, one of the main reasons wanted to get rid of all of that hardware. Had several other reasons, but won't go into it. I was lucky it broke coming out of garage; cud have been serious issue breaking at highway speeds.

 

how much was the kit ?

 

The kit is rather pricey! Can go anywhere from abt $900-1200.00 depending on what kit u buy/need.
Knowing what I know now - I wud have rebuilt the PS setup that came on the car. Instructions for the sys. are almost nonexistent, steering column has to be modified, alignment caster has to be increased above 3 pos.
This is my experience after 2 yrs of tweaking this setup it still is sensitive on windy days over 65mph.
One other member on the forum currently working on this setup "Cometized" but not have to car currently on the road, I am interested in waiting to see how his works out and what I can possibly learn from his experiences.

 

Hello Everett:
Just fired up Kim's stroker Saturday .. Sounds Great .. NOW we're running the MC and the brake lines. We wanted to see what might be in the way before we did this. When the brake lines are complete we'll take the car down off the jackstands and we'll see if the Borgenson Steering is up to par . We ran the lines for the Steering weeks ago but had to wait until Saturday to proceed. We also ran a Power Steering COOLER just to keep everything in good working order. I'll send info and pics as soon as car is being ' driven ' .. I'm hoping for improved performance . I think the
bigger Sway Bar will also benefit the handling along with the new shocks . Also .. BORGESON recommends 1200 PSI on their setups. FORD has 900 psi , and GM has 1500. We run a GM on all our cars. It may make a difference .
Cometized
(Chip)

 

I do not have a cooler on my setup, have return line wrapped in reflective alum insul. wrap. I am anticipating seeing what results come w/ your setup. Drove the car to last car show of the season yesterday, a 100 mile rt., as mentioned earlier, @ 70mph the car's tracking is sensitive to crosswinds. Will take this matter up in another thread or PM -- don't want to get too far of topic.
One last question, did you have to make long PS hoses?

 

Hi Everett:
On Kims Maverick we made a custom serpentine belt setup with engine mounting plate and we positioned the
Power Steering Pump on the PASSENGER side to avoid the hoses being near the header . We routed them through
the inner fender wheel well and along side the frame . Then down "underneath" across the rear of the Front Cross member then up to the Pump. All the hoses were made by us and we didn't use the hoses that were supplied with
the kit from Borgenson. Worked out really well so far. We'll advise when we know more . Incidentally .. The swaying in the wind concerns me .. Possibly a 7/8ths Sway Bar would benefit the handling. How much Caster are
you running ? We have made 'mods' to get three or four degrees and we have yet to have an alignment. I'll send
pics after we get this car on the ground.
Cometized
(Chip)

 

Front Align specs:
Positive -- Caster - Lf. 3.6 -- Rt. 3.8
Toe ---.015 --- 0.15
Camber ---0.2 --- 0.3
Caster was gained by adding two 1/8" shims to inside of UCA shafts at the front mounting bolt and rest gained thru sturt rod adjustment. What mod's u did to get those caster numbers?

 

Hi Everett:
We used a QUARTER INCH thick shim instead of the two 1/8" inch shims ..??? Same result .. Looks promising onYOUR setup .. We wanted 4 degrees . Looks like with YOUR results , we should be able to achieve that on ours when we align the car. We'll let you know when we get it down off the rack. I'll be posting some photos of the setup we put in for the PS pump , Hoses , Coolers , etc. in case anyone out there is interested. It's a ' given ' .. there just ISN'T a lot of room in these cars and ' squeezing ' things to fit is almost expected . I understand that Borgeson has a "kit" for adjusting the pressure in the pump to 1200 psi which is what they ' recommend ' . If the steering is in Any Way ' Twitchy ' I'll invest in the kit to dial it in !
Cometized
(Chip)