Borgeson 999021 Power Steering Conversion Kit

These instructions compliment the Borgenson official instructions for the 1969/70 Mustang and generally assume one person working alone. Instructions, comments and tips address a typical installation whereas the only modification is installation of the Borgenson kit i.e., no other steering suspension changes. Tips, other parts and troubleshooting are also provided.Preparation - Before any disassembly, center the front wheels as precisely as possible. This step will be used to maintain the center position of the steering wheel, best as possible, on reassembly.Steering Column Modification – The steering column tube must be cut back to make room for the longer Borgenson input shaft. Although there are people who have cut the steering column tube in chassis, it is much easier to remove the column to make the cut. Removing the column takes 20-30 min and is summarized as such: 1) disconnect the rag joint from the stock steering box 2) remove the 4 bolts at the firewall plate 3) loosen the u-bolt near the firewall plate 4) disconnect the blinker switch harness 5) remove the under dash column support bracket 6) remove column. Following column removal, remove the column collapsible shaft by tapping on the shaft’s rag joint flange. The steering column is two tubes co-axially assembled therefore two tubes need to be cut back. Cutting both tubes is possible with a common hacksaw. Cut 1” off each tube. This may seem like a lot, however this distance is needed for the 69/70 Mustang to provide room for the longer Borgenson input shaft and rag joint. After you have cut the tube sections off, try to save the stock plastic steering column insulator by removing it from the cut portion of the tube by gently cutting the tube sheet metal off. If you can’t save the insulator, a new one is available (see parts list).It is not necessary to remove the stock Ford half rag joint flange from the steering shaft unless it is damaged, which is unlikely. The shaft is steel and the flange is cast iron. Ford heated the flange and then pressed it onto the steering shaft. The combination of the Ford to Borgenson rag joint assembly is functionally identical to the full Borgenson rag joint without the unnecessary complexity of attempting to remove the Ford half rag joint flange from the steering shaft.If there is corrosion, dirt or old grease on the inner surface of the steering shaft, remove it best as possible. Do not paint the inside of the female steering shaft or coat it with POR15 since it needs to slide on the male steering column shaft. Lubricate the inner steering shaft after clean up. Reinstall the steering shaft into the column. The steering shaft only goes on one way, so don’t be alarmed if it won’t start, just flip it over. Some light tapping may be required. Do not bottom out the flange on the column at this time as it will make re-installation into the car more difficult, leave about 2” extended. Re-install column. Once the column is re-installed, now tap the steering shaft all the way up until it contacts the steering column tube to make room for the Borgenson rag joint.Borgenson Gearbox - Install the rag joint onto the Borgenson box and then position the PS box onto the frame rail using long quarter drive extensions as alignment and holding pins through the frame rail holes. If using stock exhaust manifolds, the box will fit with some maneuvering without removal of the manifold. Headers may require removal. Attaching the PS box to the frame rail can be a difficult step with one person as all three holes on the Borgenson box are threaded, just like the stock Ford box, and starting one bolt can restrict movement of the box making the other bolts difficult to install. If this is the case, it’s usually because 2 bolts will thread but 1 will not. One option is to use a grinder to put a slight taper point on the first two threads of one or more bolts. Thread a die onto the frame rail bolts and run the die off the bolt to repair the threads after tapering. This may sound extreme but the tapered threads will extend well past the Borgenson box flange threads once installed. You can also very slightly enlarge the holes in the frame rail although the alignment problem is probably being caused by the frame rail’s internal spacers so care must be taken not to enlarge too far as to avoid breaking off the internal spacers.Steering Interface - Prepare to install the pitman arm back onto the centerlink and Borgenson sector shaft with the centerlink centered in the wheels forward position. The Borgenson box has no internal stops so there is no default “center” or wheels forward position. However, the Borgenson sector shaft has three key slots to engage with the one key slot on the pitman arm. This allows for the Borgenson rag joint to be rotated to the closest steering wheel centered position and attach to the pitman arm. Attach the Ford steering shaft rag joint flange to the Borgenson flange. Using the centered draglink as the datum point, install the pitman arm bolt into the draglink and position the pitman arm onto the Borgenson sector shaft. Rotate the steering wheel, or from underneath the car, turn the Borgenson rag joint left or right as required until the best Borgenson key slot aligns to the pitman arm. Best is defined as the key on the sector shaft that most closely centers the steering wheel. It may not be possible to perfectly center the steering wheel as there are only 3 key slots on the sector shaft. Torque pitman arm to Borgenson sector shaft when satisfied. Borgenson recommends getting the car re-aligned after the upgrade even if no suspension components were changed. Any change in toe can alter the steering wheel’s position so if you get the steering wheel close, the alignment shop should be able to center the wheel.Borgenson PS Pump – Install pump and bracket. One criticism of this kit is that the two bolt bracket lacks stability and people have reported broken bracket bolts. If using the smaller 3/8 bolts for stock cylinder heads, upgrade the bolts to grade 8 and use thick flat washers and split lock washers. Ensure that the bolts do not bottom out in the heads but tighten up nicely on the bracket. Install PS pressure hose first and then the return line. Borgenson uses old school flared fittings which are not the most leak proof, therefore use liquid thread sealer as I and others have had problems with minor fluid seep past threads using common T-tape. I also used a slip over thermal barrier for the PS return line as it ran close to the exhaust manifold (see parts list).Initial Startup - Prefill the Borgenson reservoir to approximately 1 inch below the inlet neck and leave the cap off for initial startup and bleeding. Start engine. Fluid will not be ejected but rather be sucked into the system immediately. Top off reservoir with engine running. Turn wheel lock to lock 15-20 times topping off as required. There should be no pump whine, smoking or obvious frothing of the PS fluid. Install cap and check for leaks.First Drive – Drive car slowly moving wheel left and right listening for pump or gearbox whine which you will be able to hear in the car if air is present or fluid is low. When the system is bled and operating normally, you will not hear any pump or gearbox whine. Drive car further making several turns lock to lock. Return to the garage and remove the cap with the engine running. Top off as required. If you effectively bled the system prior to driving, you may not need to top off at all. If pump whine, smoke or frothing from the reservoir is persistent, install a PS cooler in the return line. This is a very common upgrade used with the high pressure Borgenson 1200 psi PS pump as more pressure creates more heat. Manual shift cars can use the radiator’s cooling loop as the PS cooler. My neighbor accomplished this on his chronic Borgenson PS overheating 66 Mustang and it was immediately effective after bleeding. Installation of a PS cooler will greatly reduce temperatures, increase fluid capacity as well as improve system life (see parts list).Driving Impressions - Exceptional steering response without the feeling of being over-boosted. Road feel is positive but not jolting. It does not feel exactly like modern car steering but much closer to it. On my 1969 Mustang, I used the recommended street alignment specifications (see tips) in combination with a rear sway bar and the Borgenson upgrade. This set up dramatically reduces understeer. The understeer is so far reduced that it took some time to recalibrate since I was used to the car wallowing around from turn to turn with little to no positive road feel.TipsConsider converting from power to manual steering components in conjunction with the Borgenson upgrade. This avoids the added complexity of the Borgenson PS draglink adapter & reduces centerlink weight. Specifically, install a new manual steering idler arm, centerlink and pitman arm. Inner and outer tie-rods are the same for PS or manual.Also consider adjustable strut rods in conjunction with the Borgenson upgrade so you can get closer to optimum alignment specifications (see parts list).Once fully bled and operational with a PS cooler, the system only takes about 1.25 quarts of PS fluid.Use high quality PS fluid. Do not use any type of ATF as the conditioners are wrong for PS and may foam excessively when hot.The stock Ford PS pump will not work even if it is new as it is nowhere near 1200 psi. Use the kit with the Borgenson SBF Saginaw PS pump which can produce 1200 psi. A PS cooler should be considered mandatory with this high pressure pump.In most cases, it is not necessary to remove the brake booster/master cylinder. Most of the work related to R&R of the gear box and rag joint can be accomplished under the car.Toe setting – If a rough toe setting is required on jacks, this is best done with the wheels on and yard sticks taped to the wheels. Once on the ground, it’s easier to see if the toe is adequate for a test drive. Slight toe in is much better than slight toe out. Re-check toe visually after first test drive and expect to adjust 2-3 times to optimize the rough toe setting prior to a professional alignment. Do not exceed 35-40 mph prior to a professional toe set.Alignment: Camber 0° to -0.5°, Caster 2.5° to 3° (with adjustable strut rods), Toe 1/16” to 1/8”Parts List* Street or Track Adjustable Strut Rods: STSR68-73* Borgenson full rag joint (ref only as not strictly required): 052534* Firewall seal: C9ZZ-3513* PS cooler: Derale 13200 or similar* Steering column insulator: 27601* Thermal barrier: Design Engineering 010404 or similar* PS fluid: Prestone AS261 or other high quality fluid* Thread sealant: Loctite 567 or similarTroubleshooting* Problem: Steering wheel will not auto-center after turn (needs to be steered back to center). Cause: Worn out or unlubricated idler arm. Incorrect toe or other alignment issue. Note: a roller bearing idler arm can cause the wheel to not re-center (Borgenson system or not). Fix: proper alignment and/or a new idler arm. A working idler arm and proper alignment re-centers the steering wheel independent of the power steering system.* Problem: Pump or gearbox audible whine while driving. Cause: Air in system, low or overheated fluid. Fix: Bleed, top off and/or install PS cooler.* Problem: PS pump or bracket appears to be wobbling during operation. Cause: Bracket bolts bottomed out in the heads and did not tighten up on the bracket. Fix: Install slightly shorter bolts or use thicker washers.* Problem: Threads persistently seeping fluid. Fix: If using t-tape, clean threads and switch to liquid thread sealer. Do not use thread locker or PS fluid with stop leak.

Installed on a 1968 Mustang 351 w with power steering. Also had to use the manual drag link in place of the PS valve. Car has full tube headers. Had to remove the brake master cyl to fit the box. Also had the grind small bit on the box so it fit tight against the frame. Everything cleared the headers fine. Bracket for the pump fit perfect. Everything works fine on the car. Not over boosted and the new steering box is soooo much better than the original one. Very tight. Good setup and I recommend it. Cc

This kit has completely changed driving my 68 mustang. Steering is no longer a hassle. The company also is the cheapest I've found and shipping was fast.- ONLY drawbacks: the pump is huge. If you have factory ac, the cap to the pump will be right up on your compressor making it to where you have to unbolt to be able to open the cap. Also, there aren't any hose instructions so make sure you're putting them on correctly. We accidentally put them on wrong and it caused the steering wheel to go haywire when touched due to the pressure being swapped. Definitely do some research (video) on install!

Mechanically a good product. Just beware, this is a LARGE (will add weight to your vehicle) steering box, very expensive custom headers required to fit my Mustang. All said, and done this power steering upgrade set me back over $3,200.00! This is not a simple plug, and play "bolt on" upgrade. 3x the expense I was willing to invest for this system.. It gets 2 stars because it does perform well. If you have a standard performance car, and do not intend to venture away from stock type exhaust manifolds this system is much better than Ford's original power steering system.

I've had my 68 Mustang for 18 years with manual steering. This conversion was most instant relief that I've ever purchased. So much easier to handle the car now.