This is a question for those that have or have had a Mustang II set up in a post war car (40 and later) I am currently running a power rack/ps pump in my wagon but recently blew a hose (rubbed thru a stainless steel braided hose) and its a very tight fit on my set up (because I am running a flat cross member). My question, for those that did not run a PS rack (no PS pump) how was it to drive/ steer. did you wish you had power steering. I am thinking of swapping racks to a non-power to get away from the hoses and pain in the ass quick steering.
Had a P/S rack in my 50 pickup but I have also driven one with out one. To be honest with you, I really couldnt tell the difference. Those racks move very freely and I don't really think i needed one afterall. Did you try just unhooking the lines and seeing how it does without line pressure?
ken my 40 has a non power rack.. and it steers great.. i say ditch the power steering.. and then if the steering is too heavy for your liking.. swap out a larger diameter steering wheel jeff
I have a power rack in my 49 chevy, but to be honest with you, it isnt needed. after driving a couple other cars with manual, i wish i hadent gone thru all the trouble. ~aaron
Boones, I have th manual in my '52 Ford F1. Stock steering wheel. Its really not that bad to drive. Later,Bill
My Stude has MII, small block, no power rack and a 13 inch steering wheel. Steers great, even with one bad arm.-MIKE i
I am building a 54 Chevy. I used a power rack because I am building the car as a daily driver for my wife. I did switch the pump out to a low pressure pump. If I was building the car with me as the primary driver, I would not have used the power rack. My past experience has been that this front end works great without the power. I have heard that some builders use the power rack but fill it with fluid and connect the two line fittings together to use it as a manual rack. I think they do this because there is a difference in the ratios.
I have only driven one car with a power rack on MII and it was twitchy because the builder (not me) did't use the washers to restrict pressure. Manual is fine for me... even with a small steering wheel. I did have a hard time when my arm was broken though.
My Black 40 had a power rack and that was the most comfortable car I have ever had. It steered so nice when I was parking ect. I have had both in 40 fords and totaly prefer the power. But I'm old
My 40 tudor had a manual rack and it was just fine.Sure parking would have been easier with power, but it was just fine and it drove great.
I have the el manual and I like it just fine. I have never driven a power MII but I am perfectly happy with mine. I do have a large diamater steering wheel and I am sure that helps a bit. FONZI
Just replaced a manual Mll rack with a power rack on my '38 Ford Coupe. The manual rack was fine as long as the car was moving, but it was a bitch to park. The Flaming River power rack bolted on to the existing 16 inch on-center mounting holes, and a GM type ll pump that was modified for lower pressure was installed. It's very responsive but isn't at all over sensitive. I hear the 1979-1993 Mll power racks with 16.5 inch mount centers are a little slower ratio and work great even with unmodified GM pumps.
thanks for everyones feedback. THe car has had the power rack for a few years and it so easy to drive (I have a stock 59 Impala steering wheel) but can be twichy. The only reason I am thinking of switching is because of the very tight fitting (using a early GM PS pump). I may keep the rack and just switch to a Gen II and remote canister? to free up space. I just hate having to route the lines around the motor mount to keep the line from kinking (its that tight between the motor mount and PS pump). Like putting 10 lbs of stuff in a 5 lb bag. I have to undo the rack hardlines to get a wrench on the PS lines and I still may have to drop the rack to do that...
Boones, Your title makes it sound like a disease. "I got a bad case of the bird flu, but thank God I don't have any of that MII IFS:" haha.
MY 54 DONT HAVE APOWER RACK AND IT DRIVES AND STEERS GREAT. POWER RACK JUST COMPLACATES THINGS ESP WITH ASMALL BLOCK CHEVY.ALL THE MUS II WE DO IN MY SHOP WE USE ALL MANUAL RACKS MY APINION IS YOU DONT NEED A POWER RACK.
Boones, I've got a MII on my 51 Merc and wide tires all around. I had the nailhead PS pump hooked to the rack. It really helped out. I had to disconnect it because the pump leaked. I've learned the the narrower the tire the easier it is to steer. Mine is really hard to steer slowly (parrallel parking, parking in general). Also, run a big steering wheel is you don't do PS.
JK, your probably steers like mine does right now. I think a PS rack with no fluid will steer harder then a non-power rack. If I thought a non-power rack would be like my power rack, I would stick with a power set up because it is tough, even with skinny tires and a big steering wheel. Tingler. To some it is a disease they would not want to catch. To me the MII is a great thing and is what allow my wagon to have the stance it does. (could never get a stock front end to sit like my does and still ride nice). Going down this morning to the local spray wash, to power wash all the fluid that sprayed out of the pressure side hose. What a mess that stuff is. From there I will continue with the disassembly of the bad hose (disassembly of the rack to get of hoses off). i was using a set of the "Gotta Show" universal PS line kit. they are great, but like anything that is wearing against an edge, it wore thru....
Boones, My 54 Chevy with Fatmans ultra low MII, I used manual steering. I got the manual rack from Speedway. It was one of their 169 dollar cheapies. It was very pleasant, with the stock steering wheel. I aligned it with extra positive caster to make it drive "heavy" on the highway, and even at low speeds, it was still fine.
Here's everything you need to know: If you don't go with a power rack, build in a drink holder becuase you can't do one-handed turns froma stop, even with a suicide knob. And yes, you need to go with a drink holder instead of putting your coffee in your lap because you don't want hot coffee that close to your creamer.
Reminder that the rack gets lubrication from the fluid and just disconnecting a power rack will eventually wear it out. Just a thought, in a moment of cosmic enlightenment
WZ, thanks for the pics. Did you have those lines custom built?. I am using angle (90 degree) fittings out of the rack (see pic) as that is what the kit came with. In the pic I have pulled the lines from out under the motor mount and engine to allow me to remove the pump and undo the lines from the back. You can see how tight of a fit it is using an early GM PS pump being that it connection pouints sit at the leading edge of the motor.. i.e.. no room. So very true. (I have kept some fluid in the system and have driven it as little as possible because of the potential for damage.
I have an '86 T-Bird power steering rack on the MKII in my 1953 Chevy, but the first time I test drove it I did not have the power steering pump hooked up and the damn thing drove just fine. I don't mind the power steering, but it is absolutely not necessary in my car. You can only really tell the difference when the car is standing still. If that sucker ever starts leaking, I'm just going to take the belt back off the pump and forget it.
both 47 ford's i have owned had non power and both were great to drive. only time you would really notice the non power was in tight parking lots-etc.
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