Header Proximity to Power Steering line

So I've got a 1966 Fleetwood 75 with a 429 mill. They tend to have cast iron exhaust manifolds that tend to crack. Mine did. Alll over. Sanderson makes a set of shorty headers that are working as well as headers do. Which means I've had to fab an alternator bracket, and Cylinder #7's tube wants to occupy the same space as the power steering high pressure hose. Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr I've got the bits to make an AN-6 hose, which minimises the interference, but I'm sill going to have to relieve the tube...which sucks, cuz it's pretty with it's ceramic coating. The concern I have is any heat from the header is going to SERIOUSLY good the power steering fluid. Thoughts?

 

No problem with the fitting...replace it with a 90 degree fitting.

The header and steering box are close though. Maybe wrap that section of the header with header wrap. Is it feasible to space up the motor mounts just a tad? That'd get you a little more clearance. Even another 1/4" would help, and keep you from having to smash the header.

 

Possibly...lord knows, the steering box ain't going anywhere. I've been told I can't wrap a ceramic coated header...it holds moisture in and promotes rust...true?

 

Put high-heat insulation over the hose and keep it as far from the header as you can.

 

I had a couple of similar clearance problems on the woodie one was a fuel line close to a radiator hose, the other was a power steering hose. I used spark plug wire heat shield sleeves slipped over the hose and fuel line to protect them from heat. Might be worth looking at. They are available from Jegs, Summit etc.

 

Nice! Bet they're cheaper than the thermo-tec stuff, too.

 

sounds like a great idea, i am having problems with my steering clearing my exhaust also. i have a 50 chev with a 54 power steering box and one of the lines is sitting right next to my 70's 80s' sbc manifold on my 327. maybe i will wrap it with this for extra protection, i am already spacing the gearbox half an inch from the frame to clear but the extra wrap will give me extra protection

 

Ditto the 90 degree fitting.

4TTRUK

 

Man...it's so freekin CLOSE. I figure the back bolt is about a sixteenth away from starting. Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr FWIW, here's a better view of each side: Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr

 

I'd try the motor mount shim idea posted earlier.
Maybe a different fitting that doesn't have that long sweep.

What style threads and flair does it have in the steering box?.

 

Originally it had the usual double-flaired fitting, but they were nasty rusty siezed crap. I guess the unknown question is: If I get Xth's of an inch clearance with a shim, will I still have a thermal problem.

 

Can you do a banjo-bolt fitting instead?

I would worry less about heat transfer to the fluid (it's moving, and you DO have a power steering cooler and run a good synthetic ATF or PS fluid, don't you?) than heat transfer to the end of the rubber hose and to the box itself.

A good ceramic coating will do as much as wrap would to reduce heat radiation from the header, but a heat shield would be a good idea if you can find the room.

The quartz spark-plug insulation might be one option, but I've used some reflective/insulating tape from McMaster-Carr to good effect as well.

 

Air sucks as a thermal conductor
if you have nothing now 1/8" is 100% improvement.

I'm pretty sure that you can find a tight 90 fitting for that.

 

The thermal sleeves I used just because I had them and they were handy. I have ram's horn stock exhaust manifolds that have been HPC coated, that added to the thermal sleeves hopefully give enough protection. I use GM factory p/s fluid without an inline cooler. So far, so good. If it were mine I would want as much clearance as possible but remember that when the cooling fan is running you are getting a fair amount of air movement under the hood.
Shimming the motor mounts sounds like a cheap, smart cure and certainly worth trying. If this is a new build you probably need to consider that the motor mounts etc will settle slightly after some miles so try to get all of the gap possible.

 

As 31Vicky with a hemi said, a tight 90 degree fitting. A small, solid, one piece...not a tube.

 

Napa's got a low profile 90 degree, but it's pipe on one side and NPT on the other.

Now, if there was a female npt to male pipe thread, I might be able to bodge something.

 

Doubt you'll find it at a Napa. Maybe Parker store or hose shop or semi shop.
Grainger .
http://m.grainger.com/mobile/details/?R=5MTF2

 

I'll be swinging by Grainger today!

Any hints on getting it to seal, while 'clocking' it to the right orientation? Teflon tape?

 

Actually found the fitting I was looking for at a local Farm supply house! After some judicious application of force, managed to get everything to look like this:


IMG_1848 by Matey-O, on Flickr


IMG_1846 by Matey-O, on Flickr

Protip: Remember to isolate and nail down your braided hose, it makes a GREAT metal file!

 

Payoff! Time will tell if additional R&D is necessary.

http://youtu.be/TJsBRmuLl-w?hd=1

(better have good speakers.)

 

Just to close the loop. Found a guy to get the y-pipe fabbed, it's gorgeous, but I don't think I'd want to be taking any speed bumps at speed. I CANNOT understate how important it is for a stock-ish motor to get some back-pressure. Brakes and better, shifting is better, part throttle is better.


Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr


Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr


Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr


Untitled by Matey-O, on Flickr

 

You don't need "Back Pressure" (re restriction), you need velocity which is attained by using the appropriately sized tubing.

 

Maybe so, but the car with just headers could not be made to run without popping on deceleration. (Course, I'm more that willing to admit my lack of knowledge in the area)

 

That is reversion - richening up the carb a bit will take care of that usually.
If you reduce restriction or if you use real headers that will create a scavenge, you need to richen up the carb a bit, and probably recurve the distributor. This is a good problem to have.

 

I had the idle A/F screws as far out as they could go, my eyes were SERIOUSLY watering...and I'm still pounding out the last problems with the ignition, to perhaps is was an ignition issue...

 

adjust the idle screws out ain't going to do it - bigger main jets is the way.

Ignition issues are a likely source of problems as well.

 

I figured it was temporary, and thus not worth tearing into the carb.

This weekend we properly set the dwell and base timing, the car's got new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, coil...the vacuum advance is old, as is the springs and weights, but they're my next target of opportunity. The car is FANATASTIC from idle to 2/3rd throttle. When you downshift it, it falls on it's face and backfires up through the carb.

 

Again, that would be a lean condition.

 

Interesting. It's got a new Edelbrock 600 cfm carb, their take on it was: with a new, good carb, 99% of the problems are typically ignition related.

This is NOT a Hi-Po build, I didn't want to over-carb the motor, and it's actually 50 cfm bigger than the 4-jet it replaced.

 

Yes, lean meaning you need bigger jets not turns on the idle mixture screws.

But make sure your fuel pressure is correct at 2/3 throttle and above . And be sure the float level is correct before you start changing jets.