hey everyone!
i wanted to know what kind of steering setup should i have in my mustang. ive seen some manual steering, power steering, power assist steering, rack and pinions that are power and manual and dont really know the difference between each.

i have a 67 mustang and im in the process of gathering information for a rebuild. so far my setup consists of a roush 347R engine, a TKO 600 5speed tranny, and a 9in rear end (not sure which gears to run, currently doing research on that as well) but basically, this car is going to be for weekend cruises but id like the car to be able to hand an aggressive drive if needed. what would be the best steering setup for this type of driving?

thank you!

 

Are you sure you can afford a Roush 347R? Those things are nice, but pricey. And for a weekend cruise car, I think it's kind of overkill. A basic 347 build should do just fine.

As far as steering goes, since it's only going to be a weekend car, I'd recommend stock manual steering. Manual steering gives more feedback through the wheel, especially when you're comparing against the OE power assist ram setup, which basically removes all road feel. You're not going to be parallel parking it every day, so you don't really need the power assist, and a R&P is overkill IMO for a weekend street car. A power R&P is a nice thing to have, but it's expensive, not always easy to fit under a classic, and you're not going to be driving it enough to take full advantage of it.

 

i already bought the engine, tranny, and rear end. got the engine at a great price, almost a steal. as far as the manual steering, would it be difficult to make turns and what not?
before stripping the car down, i drove it for about a week and noticed it was quite difficult to turn (compared to a 97 car), i figured that thats how it is on old cars. id like the car to turn easily? would the manual steering take care of that as well?

apologize for these "newb" questions. im new to the whole steering thing.
thanks!

 

Because your car is manual steering that is what makes it difficult to turn the wheel in low speed or stopped conditions, also the steering feels heavier than modern cars. If you convert it to a power rack and pinion it will just be like driving a modern car. A manual rack it will be more responsive and have alot of the slop taken out of it compared to the stock steering box setup.

If you are not concerned with price and not GT racing it go with the power rack, something from flaming river will fit right in. If price is a concern go with a manual rack but definitely upgrade from your original box if you can. Fatman Fabrications offers a kit to do your steering(power or manual racks), suspension and brakes for the cost of a flaming river kit that just does your steering. The Fatman kit is the way I am going, fits in with no cutting and bolts in.

 

I run manual steer on the stock setup but I have the Flaming River steering box. You can have your old one rebuilt if it has lots of play in it. I prefer the manual steering over the power steering much better road feel.

I suggest looking at some suspension upgrades. Not sure what the 67s have for anti swaybars but National Parts Depot has some nice suspension kits with lowering springs and swaybars that made a big difference and the price is not bad less than 500 I think...check into it at least.

-Gun

 

Yeah they have the Street Bandit kit for around $450. Plus tubular crossmembers, subframe connectors, improved export brace and monte carlo bar.

I love how they have their catalog and order form online now.

 

Check into the FF kit. I bought one when they first came out 5 years ago for my 70 convertible. They used a light weight R&P off of I believe a Dodge Omni. It was too light weight for the car. The rest of their kit was good and perhaps they have changed. I've used their front frame stub for several projects like my 54 Studebaker street rod and they are typically well engineered.

Now, back on topic. From everything you are describing, you want power steering. The problem with the stock ps set up is it takes all the feel out of the road. Power rack is good, but pricey. You will have to decide which is for you.

 

It seems it says a escort r&p now. I can't imagine a 67 weighing more than an escort.

 

The stock manual steering setup shouldn't have play in it. You can't claim a R&P will eliminate that extra slop when the slop shouldn't be there to begin with. If there's slop in the system, parts need to be replaced.

My steering has minimal slop, and what's there is a combination of a bad center link to pitman arm joint (new center link on the way) and an old, sloppy gearbox. A Flaming River or even a rebuilt box will get rid of the rest of the slop.

As far as difficult steering, my car is my daily driver. It can take a little effort to parallel park it, but I don't really have any complaints about the steering effort. I like the feedback I get while driving it. The only real complaint I have about the setup is the crappy non-GT manual steering gear, a 20:1 ratio. Something like 5 turns lock to lock means I'm constantly spinning the wheel around. The 16:1 GT/power steering gearbox wold suit me better, although it would require a little more effort to turn the wheel.

 

I was going off of my own experiences with slop, my car has some slop but I imagine its due to the fact that the steering box and associated parts probably have not been touched since it was new. So you are saying there is no real reason or benefit to converting to manual rack and pinion? Or would a manual rack require less effort?