Hey guys. Merry xmas from Australia. I've been looking through the threads and can't seem to locate what model Falcons or similar have manual steering components the same as the Mav / Com. Do they actually interchange? Reason I want to know is I would prefer to locate a box, centrelink and pitman arm from an Aus vehicle such as a Falcon to save on shipping etc. Any ideas would be great. Cheers.
And Merry Christmas!! Steering components are same as '70-'71 Torino/Cyclone and excepting for the box(smaller & mounting is different) '70-'73 Mustang/Cougar... The center link is unique as the track of Mav/Comet is narrower, no other vehicles I know of fits... The '68/'69 components also work as above but tie rod end pins are smaller...
Thanks for that Tom. You have answered some other questions I had for another day too. That would mean Australian XW and XY Falcons are my reference for steering gear including the box. Looks as though I will have to have the arm and link sent from the US. Anyone out there that can sell them and box up ready for a pickup in CA? Price? Cheers.
You guys have some very interesting cars and engine choices that we never had in the USA. Maybe someone else from Oz knows if there is an option for you over there or not. I always wanted to get my hands on a Boss 290 ...............
Unfortunately for our older stuff there were not as many made as your cars, smaller market. As for the 290. I had the pleasure of driving what was then called an XR8 Ford Falcon as a HWP car. We had the old 302 injected engines up till then so getting back to the bigger cubes was great. Best part was I was in my early twenties and got to have alot of legal fun in a new car that wasn't mine.
I'm a bit confused. My Mav will stay lhd. Am I right in saying a rhd aust box will have the same result on the opposite rail?
Yeah I think we're on same page, a RH drive box isn't going to fit a LH drive vehicle or vice versa... You can keep the current sector, just the steering will be rather stiff during low speed maneuvers... I've used exact same P/S box pictured fo my Comet(externally there is no difference) on my '69 Cobra Jet Fairlane without P/S since 1991... I've more than grown tired of the stiff steering, it has a P/S system in it's future... BTW the steering is so slow with the manual box, I'd never consider reinstalling the orig on the Fairlane(it's never had P/S)...
Would you say that I would be better off adjusting the control valve as you have previously discussed? It seems a few on here prefer the manual steering and I do like the thought of eliminating leak points. I did see that you once said adjusting the valve makes a huge difference.
What the adjustment on valve does is center the stud so power assist is equal in both directions, it can be too loose causing excessive play in steering... To adj, tighten nut under end cap till it starts to get snug then back off 1/4 turn, it's set... If there are still power assist problems, the valve likely has internal issues(like my Comet, only had assist in one direction when I bought it)... The Mustang suppliers sell a manual replacement coupler that allows eliminating the valve, cylinder, hoses etc but still uses all the other original components... With the replacement it's far easier to revert back to P/S if you change your mind in the future... If you have excessive play in the steering sector, there is a adjustment on top of box that sets preload on the gears, if this is really loose the box is worn internally(or someone that didn't know what they were doing was messing with it)... Also it's common for the upper coupler(rag joint) can have excessive motion...
Thanks guys for your input. I will give all adjustments a go. Given everything is pretty untouched im guessing no one ever adjusted the steering. I'll give it a try first. Thanks guys.
