Hello all, new member here from Sweden with a 1966 F100 2wd automatic on the colum with a (I'll censor it for you) ch**y small block from previous owner.
I would love to have a Ford engine but as it runs and I have limited budget I focus on other parts of the truck for now.
I've owned the truck for about 2 years now and its time for an upgrade from manual steering to power steering if possible.
When i read all the posts on the forums most of them say "Buy a donor truck" wich isn't an option here in Sweden.
Same with parts, I have to buy them from the US so i have to be sure i get the right parts if possible.

What do I need to search for to convert it to power steering?
Steering gear box: 73-79 for best performance?
A pump: does a GM one work with the Ford box?
And hoses.

I know about that you need to cut the colum with the newer box, will it still work with the shifting on the colum?
And what about the pitman arm, will I need to get a new one or will the old one fit?

Sorry for so many questions at once.
Thanks in advance
Johan in Sweden

 

everything linkage wise, pitman arm, tie rods, steering box should be used as a unit from the same model year. discs and beams work as well. i used the 79 column in mine with the 66 mounting bracket swapped over.

cant help you on the pump as my fe had a stock pump on it already.

matt

 

Johan - sounds like you need the "Armstrong power steering system." That's the system where you go to the gym and build up the muscles in your arms to the point where your truck is easier to steer. It's a lot cheaper and easier than what you are proposing. Lest you take offense, that was intended as a joke. You really have a lot of things to consider, and it isn't helped by the fact that you have the "other brand's" engine and presumably transmission in your truck. Do you know what transmission you have? Was the steering column already changed out to support the (presumably) Chevy trans? So you could already have a Chevy steering column and shifter. My column is for a 4 speed manual trans and it was relatively easy to shorten the shaft. I have read that the guys doing it with automatics and 3 on-the-tree manuals have had a nightmare doing it because of all the extra stuff that's in there. If you were doing this swap with a Ford FE V8 in place, you would still have to change or modify the driver's side engine mount perch for the new Ford/Saginaw steering gearbox to fit. I have no idea what kind of configuration your motor mounts are in. You may not find out if you have to modify your engine mounts (or even if it will work at all) until you try to mount the new Saginaw box. While the Saginaw box mounts in the same place as the OE Ford box, their exterior dimensions are not the same. I'm not sure where the Chevy power steering pump mounts. It could be anywhere. That will impact what kind of pre-made hoses you will need. Probably it would be better to have them custom made in Sweden after you have everything mounted in its final resting place. Are you by any chance planning a trip to the US? I ask because your best chance of buying the Chevy engine pump mount bracketry would be in a US junkyard. You'll need to grab the belt pulley off the junkyard P/S pump before you turn it in as a core. You can buy the new/reconditioned Saginaw steering box and pump from a big autoparts chain store such as AutoZone. They come with a lifetime warranty, but that may not be convenient for you, living in Sweden. I say this because the first one I bought leaked and had to be replaced. You'll need the specific P/S Pitman arm and perhaps some other pieces off of a junkyard mid-'70s Ford truck. I don't think the pressure the Chevy pump puts out will be a problem, but I don't actually know that for sure. I'm sure that what you want to do is possible, but the logistics of it all has certainly become much more challenging because of your location and the drivetrain swap that your previous owner performed. I hope Garbz2 or one of our other resident engineer/mechanics sees your post as he/they will have some ideas that will help. I hope I didn't discourage you. Let us know how we can help.

 

Sorry to be so wordy - here's a picture of my (then) new/reconditioned Ford/Saginaw power steering gearbox installed as a trial fit, along with some new headers for my formerly stock FE engine. My truck is a '66 LWB with manual transmission.

 

Johan; welcome to the Family of Ford Truck Enthusiast, Welcome to FTE.

Initially posted links on front disc brake upgrade then realized the thread has nothing to do w/ the subject??? Anyhow, welcome to FTE, looking forward to your input and post pic's when you can. Again wecome!!!

 

Thanks alot for the replys.

It's given me some more to think about for sure.
And thanks for the picture, it gives me an idea of the size of the box and how small the gap becomes between the box and firewall.

And yea it's a th350 transmition in it and the steering colum is changed, not sure what make or model it's from tho.
The engine mount seems to be mounted lower on my truck then on your picture SuperSabre.

The biggest reason for why I want P/S is for those small parkinglots and garages.
My garage opening is only 4 inches wider then my truck and I have a parkinglot infront of it with only 1,5 car lengths to manover.
I have little issues with it in normal driving.

Another project I would like to do at some point in the future is to change my differential to a locking one, and I guess that might effect steering aswell.

 

Thanks for the welcome

Altho it would be nice with disc brakes it not that high on my wish list.

I got some early pics here but my camera is broken so nothing new is posted.
Garaget | Ford F-100 (1966)

 

You might try putting 7.00 X 15 tires they are what came originally. I am running them on mine and they work great no problems parking or going down the road. Bias tires have a smaller footprint and stiffer side walls. The larger footprint and flexible side walls make it harder to steer.

 

Nice truck! First question is how in the heck does one get in or out of the truck when it's parked in the garage???? Garaget | Ford F-100 (1966)
Great before and after pic's of speedo, came out looking great.

 

Lol, luckly I also have the garage space next to it and have the net walls removed between the two so that isn't an issue

Fixing the speedo was one of the first things I just had to do because it was awful.

 

I have another set of front tires close to the original size that will be mounted probably next week.
Previous owner had also cut to much of the front springs so the geometry was all wrong = excessive wear on the tires.
I recently mounted new front springs and the steering/ride got better with that and thats also why I'll put on the other set of tires, maybe that will help a bit aswell.

 

Johan - I have to admire your courage having a big old "Yank Tank" in a country where the infrastructure wasn't designed for such a thing. The U S Air Force sent me to England in 1972 and I took my Plymouth Road Runner, a medium size car by U S standards. Just as you say, I found parking it in British parking places, and in the garage of the house I bought, a nightmare. And it had power steering! Then there was the cost of gas (petrol). I ended up buying a Mini (the original one) for most of my driving and the Road Runner was used sparingly. You have a nice looking truck. I like how you recalibrated your speedometer to kilometres. Looks like you had some fuel gauge issues at one time. Converting to power steering will make it easier to turn the wheel, but won't improve the steering lock and may even hurt it a bit. You're lucky your truck is short wheelbase - LWB trucks have the turning radius of an aircraft carrier! Assuming the previous owner didn't change anything out back, converting to a limited slip differential shouldn't be difficult. Does your truck have its warranty information plate intact on the driver's door? If so, post us the codes and we can tell you how your truck was equipped when it left the factory, if not how it's equipped now. Good luck with your project.

 

Johan, google a site called "Fordification". It has a pretty detailed description of installing PS from a later model in a 1966 F100. For you, getting the parts is another issue, but at least it decribes the process and the parts needed. You will see that, according to the article, this can be a pretty simple swap if you can obtain the right steering gear (the early power Bendix), though most people seem to opt for the full swap (gear, column, etc.) because those are hard to get and not as reliable as the later Saginaw gear. I don't have any direct experience with this swap, but that's what I've read.

 

Well the new tires helped alot, didn't think it would do that much of a difference but it's much easier to steer now.
I will still be looking for a bendix box tho, so will see if I find one somewere.

And thanks for the link to the article on Fordification, it's a good read.