Got the engine into the bay last weekend and I'm currently getting all the bolt-on components on to hopefully start it soon.

I hit a major snag when it came to the headers, however. I had purchased the Sandersons as by all accounts, they hug the block the closest. The passenger side went in without a hitch. The driver's side however was a different story...

The gearbox for the power steering interferes with the rear-most header tube and the rear of the header wouldn't bolt up. No worries, I thought...let me remove the steering gearbox, bolt in the header and then slip the gearbox in. Now the gearbox won't bolt up.


View from the top - gearbox bolted in and headers won't slide up at the back

Picture from below showing the interference

Now with the headers bolted in, the gearbox won't bolt into position

Pict from underneath with header in position showing the interference with the gearbox

So...my questions are:

• Do I have to give up on these headers and go back to the logs?
• Is there a smaller power steering box available?
• Is my only option if I want headers is to go to manual steering?
• If I am dead-set on using these, am I looking at getting the rear tube cut and welding in a custom tube that clears the steering box?
• Is there something that I did wrong with the engine installation? I know folks have had trouble with the starter, but nowhere have I run into this issue.

What an expensive mistake this may have been...

Thanks in advance for your help.

Geoff

 

Geoff,

What a bummer. Hot rodding is a sport and sometimes you win and you always lose money at it.
I heard you can call Sanderson and get the driver side swapped out to fit from a camper special model or other model. You can always upgrade the power steering to the smaller unit that the later bumpsides used.

good luck!

Here is what Sanderson site tells you "The FF427CS combines the standard FF427 passenger side header with the FF393 driver side header to compensate for the narrow frame rails and larger steering gear that appears on "some" Camper Special trucks."

 

Pcmdub,
Thanks for your reply. Based on your suggestion I sent out some pictures and an explanation of the issue to Sanderson late last night. Gotta say that I was completely impressed that I got multiple responses from a "SamS" at 1 and 2am on Sunday morning!
He went through the process and we looked at engine alignment and through looking at more pictures I sent to him, concluded that if the engine was off in alignment, it wasn't by much - I'm using the original perches and mounting holes.
Then he suggested that from my pictures, that my Bendix box wasn't correct for the F100 and was more for the F250 and F350 and that my box was perhaps the issue with fitment. When I researched Bendix boxes for the F100 however, only the one I have comes up and I am not aware of any smaller boxes meant for just the F100.
Lastly, he concluded, as you did, that to fix my problem, I need the camper special header for the driver's side and asked where I purchased it from and to start going through those channels for replacement. So I have my marching orders and a plan for the road ahead which is a darn-sight more hopeful that how I felt yesterday!

Thanks for your help!

Geoff

 

Geoff,

This is the best pic I can find to show you the difference.
https://www.fordification.com/tech/i...ix-vs-Ford.jpg

The newer steering box doesn't stick out as much and clears the header runner. MUCH easier to swap the header than to swap the PS thou.

 

Time to upgrade to the Saginaw box.

 

Here's the latest: Sanderson Headers (great communication, BTW) strongly recommends that I go through the vendor I purchased from - and they should take back my UNSCRATCHED header and replace it, no problem. Welp...too late for that. After a healthy day of trying to squeeze it in a couple of different ways, there are a few battle scars, to be sure. Sanderson said: no problem - sometimes they'll assess a refinishing fee for scratched headers that are returned. If all else fails, Sanderson sells the SINGLE header that I need. If I want to be dumb, I gotta be tough...
As an epilogue, I'm just glad that I didn't go the route of this impatient (but resourceful) soul which I found sold on eBay recently. Check out their solution to my predicament...

Thanks for your help.

Geoff

 

And Christmas:

I absolutely would consider resolving this issue with the newer, thinner steering box, but the whole "two-inches-longer-and-gotta-shorten-the-rest-of-the-steering-column-to-compensate" kinda turns me off from going that route...

Geoff

 

Hopefully you will be able to get the header that clears the box.
If you start looking you might luck out for a Saginaw steered truck with the steering column. As you probably know by now the Bendix box likes to leak.

 

And they are expensive to repair or replace. Manual boxes I do believe are a direct replacement.

 

There are 2 good companies that could set you up with a manual steering box if it comes to point that the Sanderson left cannot be made to fit.
Blue Top & Red Head.

 

Thanks Kenny, but I love my power steering! Saying a prayer that the modified header fits!

Geoff

 

My 68 was manual steering and transmission. I added power steering in 84 and it was converted to automatic in 80.
It had a 460/ 4speed set up in75 and the wife used to drive it to work. Sometimes one of my friends needed it and would say, “how in the hell can you drive that thing”? Then I would say, well my wife likes it!

 

This is an issue that's been run into before... Sanderson actually created a set of headers especially for those of us with the Bendix steering box. The difference is the drivers side header has the aft most header tube running tighter to the block so it clears the steering box. Its their "CS" (camper special) option: https://www.sandersonheaders.com/ff4...e-engines.html

 

So, would there be any reason not to use these anyway - even if you don't have power steering?
Does it create interference somewhere else?
My '68 is manual steering, but there's a whole lot of stuff going on in that area with column shift and clutch linkage.
It seems like these may be the way to go... unless they create a problem with something else.

 

Yes it has. The different left side will bolt in.