I'd get that pulley put on while it's on the stand and you got more room to work.

 

Happening as soon as I finish my coffee! Still have some more power steering lines to run as well.

 

Ill stop in and give my review. I do A LOT of tight low speed turning, a ton of backing trailers into super tight spots, and let me tell you, while this is a substantially higher price vs a reman pump, this setups blows it the heck out of the water, not to mention, you wont have to deal with 2-3 leaky pumps right out of the box as has been my experience in the past. I think I may have a little air still working its way out of the system (I did all new hoses, and a new blue top box at the same time). This little setup right here, is money well spent. Turns super smooth, brakes feel 100% better, and I don't have to look at the ugly ford reservoir anymore.

I think however, the bluetop steering box I received is a little "loose" out of the box, and may need adjusted, I plan to call them this week and get there opinion. I don't want to point any fingers or anything like that, as it COULD very well be something else further up in the steering system. When I grab the shaft going out of the box to the steering wheel, and have someone turn the wheel back and forth (engine off) everything "seems" tight, however the shaft on the box moves, with no movement to the pitman arm. Maybe I'm expecting too much, I honestly don't know, however with this box the truck tracks straight as an arrow, and switching lanes is no longer a life and death experience. I'm simply super happy with both purchases.

 

Thanks for sharing your review.

Your Bluetop should have zero play. I purchased a steering gear from Ford and it had a little play in it. I used a dial indicator to measure the play. I called bluetop to ask whether a steering gear should have any play in it, the owner said NO. I returned the Ford steering gear and ordered one from bluetop. I again used the dial indicator and there was no measurable play. I did my measurements with the steering gear off the truck. I did later find there was play in my steering shaft from steering column to the box. It was very difficult to figure out. I had replaced every component in the front steering system, so that was the only part left. After replacing the steering shaft, it was like a brand new truck.

You say that the steering pump blows the other out of the water. Obviously, there is no way to know, but do you attribute any of the improvement to the new steering gear? It appears you did not install the pump with your old steering gear.

 

My biggest gripe with the old pump, was simply poor quality options for a replacement. On my 2000 many years ago, it took 3 remans. That’s 3 installs, uninstalls and reinstalls to finally get one that didn’t leak, squeak, or whine out of the box. Not to mention the fight that ensued after the 2nd one getting a warranty replacement. Had to literally show them the leak in the parking lot. I don’t run big tires or any crazy lifts, but after that hassle I swore to never again go that route.

I’ve never ran or used a bluetop or redhead before, but this in combination with the new pump feels better than I can ever remember one feeling.

 

@JohnDeereFarmerUSMC what brand pump did you buy for the Saginaw conversion?

 

Id have to confirm the number tomorrow, but I got the rock auto one recommended with the kit.

edit— still in my email Cardone 968757

edit 2 - I’ll contact bluetop either tomorrow or Friday. Just want to see what they think and that if maybe it just needs a little adjustment. Again this very well could be the lower steering shaft, and I need to do some more investigating, because last I checked that was like a $300+ part.

 

That's the same pump I used with my saginaw swap also. 0 issues so far.

 

How is the power steering hose routed? Does the one recommended with the bracket work well or is something else needed?

 

I tried about 15 different power steering hoses and the one that's recommended in the kit instructions fits the best. It fits good.

 

I am finally getting around to installing this kit.

@DAWEST do you have any photos of the mod you did to the AIS airbox. In my install it looks like it needs a bit of massaging in order to clear the cap of the PS pump. Can you also post some photos of the final install - specifically the clearance between the airbox and PS pump. That would be very helpful.

 

Hope these help. A heat gun should work great here. I didn't have one and used a hand held plumbers torch instead and burnt a hole in the airbox. JB Weld to the rescue. I have a T4 also and it is very tight. I massaged my pipe a little but, after getting everything in I'm not sure that I needed to do that. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. I will do the best that I can to answer.

 

@DAWEST THANK YOU for the quick response and photos. It looks like my airbox is gonna need a similar mod. I am contemplating modifying the backet. Drilling some new holes, it looks like there is ample space to move the pump closer to the center of the engine. This would mean a different size belt, but it would free up some space and make things a bit roomier in the area.

Also, I ordered the pump from PSC. It was listed as for a Duramax, so I figured I was good to go. However, for some reason they used some other reservoir on the pump, that has the second nipple coming out from the side instead of the back. No way to get that to work, it would go into the CAC pipe. I looked at their website and now the same part number I bought (a year ago) uses the correct Duramax reservoir. So I have a reservoir on order from PSC.

 

Yeah, that drilling new holes and different size belt is way more complicated for me. You already have it in place. Mark that box, flip it over and grab a heat gun if you have one and a tool to press in with.
Just my 02 cents. You do you.

 

You are correct, I'm gonna modify the AIS air box. I started with the heat gun, but didn't like how it looked. I decided to cut a notch in it and then epoxied the inside of the notch. All good now.