That's fine. and I would not.

 

That sounds like my experience with the stock Thompson system. Mine is so easy to steer that I steer too fast at times and hit the stops pretty hard while using just one finger.

Definitely a division in system popularity here. No offense meant here but if someone's experience with a Thompson pump system left them wanting an improvement, it was most likely worn out or had unseen issues. I've been driving these old Fords since when they were new and know exactly what power steering is supposed to feel like. I've driven some old worn out fords and poor engine performance played a huge part in low performing power steering. Turning the steering wheel with a poor running engine and the steering sucks. I've seen it plenty.

 

I agree. people are comparing their new mod to a worn out 45 year old set up . just like some guy dug a worn out Holley out of the bottom of a box on their uncles back porch 30 years ago and it didn't work perfect so they are all junk.

And some of it is we've become soft and spoiled. so it takes 7 ounces more brake peddle pressure to panic stop your '77 f250 than it does your new pickup, oh the humanity.

90% of the mods people do are just as necessary as the mods the low riders put on their '64 Impalas . and if you're into that then fine it's your rig , but don't try to justify it that's never going to sell.

 

Sooo,in the late 60s,early 70s,a lot of my crowd were driving fast big block cars,mostly Fords and Chevys..Admittedly,most ordered manual steering but quite a few had ps. Thompson pumps had problems way back then in the Fords...leaking,squealing,locking up and throwing belts.These weren't worn out 40 yr old pumps. The Chevy guys had no problems with the Saginaw. Ford,themselves,used them in quite a few vehicles.Installing a Saginaw conversion isn't close to doing the chain steering wheel or the skull shift ****.The Saginaw is the best option,for many reasons,and everybody that knows,knows it.

 

Sent a question to Wild Horses regarding the Saginaw. They Specify 77-79 F150 4wd so I would assume this would not fit on my 2wd? I am in need of power steering repair. Its a 351M

 

Yes, I know of racing people who broke these Thompson pumps along with everything else. Doesn't that kind of put those problems in the abused category? Hard to compare racing or abusive use to ordinary driving isn't it?

It's really interesting how I have one 45 year old and one 49 year old Ford with original Thompson pumps and just had the first leak on one and the other is still going like it always has.

 

I might not have worded it exactly like this but I do feel kind of like this too. I like to upgrade or modify some too, but I am getting lost in the latest craze of modifying just about everything. I am just not on board with it while just keeping my truck roadworthy. Its still ok to keep it mostly stock and it'll work. If I were into restoring an older say model A that is completely inadequate for modern roads, then yes I'll be going full bore on modifications to make it safe to drive today.

One last thing and I'm done with this thread. I remember when the younger generation was becoming interested in these old trucks about 20+ years ago. The common complaint then was the power steering was too loose/easy and they hated the feel of it since they were used to the stiffer steering feel of cars they drove. They started asking questions and debating on how to modify the steering to make it stiffer. And now here we are today getting into a debate about how to make it steer the easiest or with one finger. HAHAHAHA. This is what I mean about the modification crazes or attractions. This decade it goes one direction and then the opposite direction a decade later.

 

The TRW ( Thompson ) pumps had no problems worthy of mention. then or now.

Ford used this pump from 65-78 and I'm pretty sure if they were smart enough to know if they had a turd in their pocket. Carrol Shelby used them and how did that work out ? everyone says man what great cars but those damn exploding steering pumps made just them a dud. now nobody wants them.. whatever.

This is a dumb debate I'm done with it.

 

Some of you seem to be acting as if the other persons experiences mean nothing. In both directions!
For those that have never had an issue with the old pumps, great. I know lots of people that have had this experience including some of you here in this discussion. But you can't discount the experiences to the contrary because you weren't there and didn't have the same experiences. Same for the other side. I know plenty of people too, who would never put another one of those on a vehicle even if you paid them. But they can't argue that the old pumps didn't and can't work fine for others, because they can.
From my standpoint at least then, both schools of thought are perfectly fine and correct. No argument in either direction.

Personal experience rules. And it's good to give personal recommendations based on your own personal experiences. That's what the forums are for. Just don't try to beat down the others' experiences based on your own.
I've experienced tons of reasons to not use the old pumps, mostly when off-roading and with larger tires. But on the flip side of that, I know that there are still some out there running the original pumps, just like the OP was until a few days ago.
If someone wants to go one way or the other, that should be fine with the rest.

Paul

 

i bought one of these, they are cheap china junk and doesnt work well. better off taking old one to nappa and they send it out to be rebuilt. the problem with ps pumps and brake boosters is there are no more cores around , original rebuilt is better than this crap anyday.

 

Paul said it very nicely and well put!

The factory Ford pumps vs the Saginaw pumps....from what I was always told...the Ford pump puts out less psi vs the Saginaw.

My 77 with the original pump and I did buy a rebuilt pump thinking the pump was bad....just did not put out enough psi at an idle to turn the 33” tires on my truck. If you gave it a little gas then you could. I’ve got more time and experience with the Saginaw pumps. I had a spare sitting around so I bought a new bracket kit and installed the Saginaw pump. No issues at an idle etc...now. Also being as I had plans on doing the hydro boost brake conversion (which I did with the kit from WH4x4) the extra psi was only going to help and not hurt me. When I did the hydro boost conversion....I took the Saginaw pump back out for the extra room while working on the Hydro set up and bought a rebuild kit for the pump and rebuilt it myself. So I shouldn’t have to mess with any of it for a while.

Later, Frank

 

Just finished a power steering swap on my '72 F100. Went with a new Thompson pump from Napa. Nothing but good things to say about the performance it provides as a daily driver.

sbf with converted p/s

 

Thanks for your feedback. And a nice looking truck too!

Paul