I was checking out Discount Steering. Com.

They have manual to power steering conversion kits for 1966 and newer, 2 and 4 wheel drive pickups.

The 1966 was about $ 850, I'm guessing bendix box.

The 1972 was about $ 450, I'm guessing Ford box.

Has anyone ever tried one, and if so what all was included ?

 

sno, 73-79 Ford parts are all bolt up and depending on your hunting & barganing skills, you should score for a lot less money. Buying a donor truck and selling parts that you don't need can get you the upgrade for no out of pocket money at all.

John

 

How much of a parts truck is actually useable?

Back when I was running Mustangs, it was common to get a parts car. I found thru trial and error that brakes(drums or rotors) and some of the steering was so wore out. I ended up buying new parts.

Thanks

 

It depends on the parts truck, and the part of the country that you are in. Our trucks are in a lot better shape in the south than they are up in the rust belt. You can find trucks out west in the desert areas that are cherry. You can find them with blown engines and decent sheetmetal, others that have been in accidents with good engine & trannys.

I think I gave $600.00 for my first 76 donor that had a newly rebuilt C4 in it. I think I got $400.00 for the tranny and about that for the bed, and sold many other parts.

That is the reason of my claim of getting my 66 upgrade parts for -0- in cost.

John

 

Good point concerning location, I'm in Florida about 100 miles away from the shoreline.

Any vehicle 15yrs or older is usually rusted-out.

 

Red, you are absolutely correct - except that we are not usually looking for parts that either wear out or rust out.
Mostly, we are looking for upgrade parts which don't wear out. For example, to upgrade to power disc brakes, you need both disposable and non-disposable parts. You need the spindles, proportioning valve, the bracket to hold the booster, the pushrods, brake pedal, and more, none of which are available at AutoZone. King pins, flexible brake lines, rotors, bearings, calipers, all these are replaceable, and should be replaced for safety and reliability's sake. But the brackets and specialized parts are hard to come by, and you will waste a lot of junkyard time trying to find and remove them. It is a lot easier if you have the donor truck sitting in your driveway.
There are 4 values to buying the whole wrecked or rusted out truck:
1. You get EVERYTHING, including specialty bolts and parts. Trying to find them all drives you crazy and wastes entire junkyarding days.
2. You can eBay the extras, like John said. I just bought a rusted out '77 F-250 for the 460 and C-6 to go in my '66 and I paid $300 for it. The cab is about ready to fall off - you can make it sway sideways - and there are NO useable body parts. Theyare either dented beyond repair, or are rusted out beyond repair. Sure the motor needs to be rebuilt, but I have everything I need to transplant the 460 into my '66. I'll sell the nearly new radiator, wheels and tires (already have a buyer for them), and I'll e-Bay the gauge cluster, the heater fan, the rear-axle (maybe someone will buy the silly thing). I KNOW I can sell the wiper delay system for a '65/'66 upgrade! (Or give it away to a needy friend.) Someone with a '65 - '72 F-250 might want to convert to F-250 disc brakes , and I can sell them the parts cheaper than they can get them from a junkyard.
3. You get the old calipers and booster and master cylinder to use as cores. Have you added up the core charges for 2 calipers, a booster, and a master cylinder? It's nearly $200!
4. Finally when all is said and done, you get the hulk and other junk hauled off for free. Ever see those "I haul junk cars and trucks for free!!" signs? Well, you can't beat that price.

There are two other options that some folks have done.
One is to transplant the entire front undercarriage from the '70s truck to the '60's truck to get disc brakes. Again, it works best if you have the entire truck at hand.
The second option is to transplant the '60s body onto a '70s frame. This gives you all the options pre-installed, and for some it is the easier way to go. Again, though, you have to have the entire truck to so it.

And I haven't even discussed rear brake upgrades, or power steering yet!

So you are correct and have raised an important point, but normally, we aren't looking for the friable parts, we are looking for the parts that are best used in a complete package deal, or that are hard to find.

 

Hey Banjo my friend

How much would you want for the wiper delay?

asahigo at yahoo dot crap...errr com

 

you can do it for a lot less than you think , check my post

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=288043

most trucks at pick and pull places are up on wheels or blocks, move the wheel
back and forth and see if the box is tight. that all i had to do.

 

The first thing is ya gotta start looking around, and not jump on the first thing that you see, because in most cases the first one aint the right one.

Diligent looking over a few days can put you on the right donor. Be careful to look for one that is most like what you want to end up with. You will need little things like engine brackets for the ps pump, and a 302 will have different ones than a 360.

I'm sure that John will give you a good price on the delay setup, I see them go for $75.00 on Ebay often.

John