converting to manual steering

[therieldeal]

can it be done? what do i need to do?

i hate the feel of power steering, i always remove it on all of my vehicles. just wondering if i need a different steering box or if i can just unhook the lines, loop them together, and remove the pump.

thanks

 

[BlackBII]

You would have to get a new box.... from what..I dunno.

Turning with an unpowered powered steerring box is a royal PITA.

 

[therieldeal]

ive depowered power steering racks before and its been fine, but ive never owned anything with a steering box...

 

[BlackBII]

ive depowered power steering racks before and its been fine, but ive never owned anything with a steering box...

You must have bigger arms than me

 

[therieldeal]

haha, maybe... but doubtful. i have also only owned small escort-sized vehicles so theres a little difference there too lol

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

You would have to get a new box.... from what..I dunno.

why, from a ranger with manual steering, of coarse. believe it or not, power steering was an OPTION up until '98 in the rangers. meaning junkyards (rarely) and auto parts stores can get manual steering boxes.

you could just disconnect the lines...but i believe the manual box has better driver-favored leverage and less parasitic drag...making parellel parking a little less like hell.

 

[therieldeal]

should the manual box bolt right in?

i think i'll try looping the lines first, if its unbearable i'll look for a manual box. after driving my escort at the drag strip with 12psi in my 225 50 15 drag radials.... i dont think it could get much worse lol

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

no, especially since escorts torque steer like crazy...and your truck is 2wd.

the manual box will bolt right in.

 

[metalmacguyver]

You will need to get the manual steering box pitman arm as the powersteering pitman arm will not fit on the manual box.

 

[chvlfrk]

Fyi>>>

can it be done? what do i need to do?
i hate the feel of power steering, i always remove it on all of my vehicles. just wondering if i need a different steering box or if i can just unhook the lines, loop them together, and remove the pump.thanks

=================================================
Ranger steerin box will swap right in, but you will also have to change the pitman arm............I got one out of a 84 Ranger with pitman arm for $50 for my 94, and FYI, standard steerin is easier to steer than disabled power steerin.

They aren't as easy to find as you would think, as PS was pretty much standard by the late 80's. I found 2 within an hour of here for my Son & I.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[therieldeal]

no, especially since escorts torque steer like crazy...and your truck is 2wd.

the manual box will bolt right in.

yeah, last year it was 275whp and i still had an open diff... sometimes pretty scary! i have a quaife lsd in there now, it tracks straight for the most part.

thanks for all the tips guys

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

man i wish those quaifes werent so expensive. id love to load both the escorts with one. those old GT's have plenty of power for putting around town...but try to accelerate while turning into traffic or around a corner and your done. my measly 110hp and daily driving often finds the annoyingly low traction limits of FWD, i cant imagine 275HP and race-style launches

 

[therieldeal]

yeah even with the quaife 1st and 2nd gear are useless on my street tires... and in cold weather it'll sometimes even light up 3rd around 80-90mph.

what gen escort gt do you have? i'm doing a group buy right now to get helical lsds for $650 shipped for the 2nd gen GT trannys.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

gen 1's...both '89's.

i was under the impression that the transaxle internals were basically the same between gens 1/2?

either way, i paid $700 for one car and $600 for the other....i cant justify putting the worth of the car into a LSD when its just an eco-beater. ive just had to learn to lighten my foot some (better on gas anyways).

i have thought about picking up a junkyard diff and messing around with it...grinding on it to see if standard LSD parts (clutches and a spring from maybe a 7.5 or 8.8) could be made to fit. making it LS shouldnt be hard...any amount of drag in relation to the spiders and carrier will aid in traction....its just a matter of making it not eat itself alive.

 

[therieldeal]

nope, 1st gens use a ford tranny... 2nd and 3rd gens are 100% mazda.

i have a friend locally whos building an 88 GT... fully forged bottom end, huge turbo... he's trying to give me a run for my money. aiming for 11's, same as me.