another flaming river steering box ???

Fostang

Founding Member
May 8, 2002
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Stockton, Ca
Well seeing that the rack & pinion design isn't going very well I'm probably going to end up buying a flaming river box for my coupe so does anyone have any info on how they feel on the road???

I plan on running 245 45 17 up gront and need to know how hard it is to turn/ park with the 16:1 rack FR has.

Or is there one that is a lil more streetable?

Is it a direct bolt in Just reuse the old steering column and pitman arm??
 
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Yeah, turning in the parking lot is a pain, but who cares? (I have 16x8 in front and rear, so that doesn't help too much) It has gotten easier as I now have over 1000 running miles on the coupe. I am not sure if I had to break it in or I just got used to it, kinda like the lumpy cam I am used to and am not thinking about upgrading.

I really like the box. With my Mustangs Plus suspension set up, subframe connectors, the steering box, and fairly wide tires, the car is fun to drive.
 
So is parking just bad or overall driving in the city?

Anyone have ideas of how to get it set up for power steering? I've heard that you can buy the power steering components from FR but haven't seen them.
 
I understand you being a little bit apprehensive about a Manul Steering Box. You probably have a crappy one on your Mustang, just like I had. Plus, all of the TCP parts and stuff that you have seen in ads for rack and pinion, it makes you feel like you need it.

I love my steering box. Very simple design, very clean in the engine bay, very good feel to it.

Parking sucks, city driving is fine. Anything over, say, 8 or 9 mph is fine. Turning corners in a neighborhood is fine. I love to drive my car (especially after trimming up the upper control arm so my wheels don't rub).

I really do recommend the steering box man. I wouldn't steer you wrong. :banana: "steer you wrong"
 
No issues with the FR box I like mine, I too have 245/45 17 in front, they are tight and you will need to trim the lip on the front edge of the fender, rolling it wasnt enough for me. I still get a heavy rub on the drivers side when turning right. Im going to go down a size or 2.
 
as far as the power steering, it uses the same stuff as production. You can search for 66 stuff but thats tough to get everything but it's out there. Mustangs unlimted sells a brand new centerlink/control valve if you want that route. I personally am using a 67 control valve and slave with a new centerlink from mustangs unlimited for a 66. (must use a 66 centerlink as it is completely different) I tried using a maverick and 67 and neither are any good. As far as the pump, I am using a 99 taurus pump w/ remote resivoir and homemade bracket. I have not finished it yet, but all seems ok so far. BTW, I also have the FR box. I have'nt used that either but it is a nice piece.
 
Fostang said:
Well it seems that no one has anything to complain about on the box so I guess I'm about to fork over the cash for one.

Anyone know of where's a good place to get one at a good price?
There is a guy on Ebay. I paid alittle over 400 bucks shipped from ca to ny. So I saved about 100.00.
 
I ordered a Flaming River box for my '70. I had one of my painter's mechanics install it while the car was getting painted. When I got the car back, it had more play in the steering than before, and everything else was new. FR sent me another box which worked great.

I later got into a pissing match with an FR engineer whose people skills left something to be desired. The first box was out of adjustment. After FR inspected the return, this engineer claimed it was out of adjustment because the mechanic had messed with it. Unlikely. As I pointed out to him, if the box was in adjustment to begin with why would anyone mess with it? The answer, of course, is they wouldn't. An inch-lb torque gauge is required to properly adjust it. Anyway, I haven't bought anything from Flaming River since, though I did look at their rack and pinion. FR may be solving the teething problems people have experienced with this part (the stories abound), but I see it has cost them some degree of credibility.

Steve C.
 
I run a new F/R manual 16:1 box with the weight of a 351c on top of it..17x8 235 45 17 tires and effort seems just fine...no more no less than other manual steering cars I have driven with skinnier tires.

On the highway and ramps...I love the manual steering because of the excellent road feel as apposed to the power options that were available back then.

Parking lots are ok.

Parrellel parking is hard, but even then if you remember to roll the car while turning its a very doable excercise. Prob. not much fun deep in the city where you have to park by feel because of how tight the spot you have to put it in is though.