Thinking about deleting the power steering in my 89

tank76 · Nov 22, 2022

Hello all,

So I bought an 89 Fox a few months ago. It was an automatic and I plan on swapping that out with a T5. Along with this I was thinking about getting rid of the Power Steering and going with a Flaming River manual rack setup or equivalent and wanted to get some opinions on it. For people who have gotten a manual rack, how is it, how much of a pain is it to do slow turns. how is the sensitivity of it.

A little about my car plans as to know what im doing with it:

Car is NOT a daily driver but will be mainly driven on the street and sometime the strip. MAinly a weekend warrior.

car will eventually be turbo'd (if that matters)

Thanks for the opinions

General karthief · Nov 22, 2022

JMO
Don't do it, the only benefit would be for drag racing, the 5-7 hp (maybe less) you gain and few pounds you lose will not be noticed on the street, the effort steering at low speeds will be noticeable.
just for fun, cruise through a parking lot at about 4-5 mph, turn the engine off and turn into a parking spot or turn a corner, keep in mind though, it takes a little more effort to turn a non functioning ps than non power, also tire width, steering ratio and tire pressure effects effort

Mstng93SSP · Nov 22, 2022

I have to agree. There is almost no benefit to deleting the power steering. Juat for reference i feel the same way about deleting AC.

ChaseRoads · Nov 22, 2022

I’ve owned a couple manual rack cars. They suck.

nickyb · Nov 22, 2022

Going from your daily with p/s to your weekend warrior without will suck the fun put of it.
Sausages own, we will all get blown.

90sickfox · Nov 22, 2022

I'd go Volvo EPAS. It's one of the best things I ever did to my car. It's an electric pump that you can use with mustang factory PS lines. Mine is mounted behind the front bumper support.

TOOLOW91 · Nov 23, 2022

Don’t delete it . Either use the Volvo pump or the stock pump . I’ve been mid 9s with power steering pump still. Not worth it

Gs1987GT · Nov 23, 2022

Agree with the others. Years ago installed a manual rack in an 86 I owned at the time and I hated it. I nearly immediately regretted it. It's not worth any minimal performance gain.

tank76 · Nov 23, 2022

Ok thanks everyone

LILCBRA · Nov 23, 2022

I'm going to try to remain neutral, but I went with a manual rack in my II and have 0 regrets. I agree with most everyone, though, that keeping power steering in a car that you're intending to use as you've described wouldn't hurt much of anything. Tire width would be one of the biggest factors when swapping to a manual as @General karthief mentioned. I have 165s on the front of my car and have absolutely no problems with slow speed maneuvers. To highlight some of the benefits; there's no power steering fluid to worry about, no annoying pump whine, one less thing to worry about malfunctioning, and one less thing "cluttering" the engine bay. One con would be that if you ever decided to go with a wider tire you'd probably end up getting a good workout when you take it for a drive.

Another thing to consider - I know that the input shafts for rack and pinions in IIs are different lengths between power and manual. That would most likely require a different intermediate shaft or that you fabricate one to work. Again, apples and oranges in some respect, but I had to modify the intermediate shaft in my car to make the manual work. Now, there is no going back to a power rack unless I either locate a different one or fab a new one. That might be different for Fox cars, but it's something to watch out for. It might not be as easy as swapping one for the other if you choose to go that route.

96pushrod · Nov 23, 2022

I’ve had manual racks in several mustangs and I like them. Is it harder to turn into a parking spot at the grocery store? Yeah, you’ll probably need two hands to do it, but that’s not something I have to do terribly often. If the car is actually moving anywhere over 5mph then turning really isn’t difficult.

We all have different levels of things we can put up with though, some people don’t like the manual racks. The reason I go with them is they’re just simple, easy, and they always work.

If you do decide to go manual get the flaming river rack with a maximum motorsports shaft. Way easier install than the FR shaft you have to assemble.

tank76 · Nov 23, 2022

Thanks guys. I have owned a few cars w/o power steering but not in a while. Still kind of ion the fence as the car will be more on the street Than the strip. The main reason for considering it is for more room to install an on3 turbo set-up. Just wanted to make room for ease of installation. I'm also moving the battery Over the back tire and may...MAY go with a tubular K-member also.

96pushrod · Nov 23, 2022

See if there’s someone local to you that has a fox converter to manual rack. Maybe they’ll let you put it around a bit. I’ve put 10s of thousands of miles on manual steering mustangs, and I’m sure I’ll put one in my next car.

TOOLOW91 · Nov 23, 2022

tank76 said:
Thanks guys. I have owned a few cars w/o power steering but not in a while. Still kind of ion the fence as the car will be more on the street Than the strip. The main reason for considering it is for more room to install an on3 turbo set-up. Just wanted to make room for ease of installation. I'm also moving the battery Over the back tire and may...MAY go with a tubular K-member also.

Just do a Volvo pump then and hide it somewhere and done .

tank76 · Nov 23, 2022

is there a kit or would I have to source all the parts to make the Volvo system work. I don't really know a lot about it.

Mstng93SSP · Nov 23, 2022

I have an on3 turbo in my 93 with power steering and AC with ZERO fitment issues. I didnt have to modify anything at all to do with PS or AC.

Mustang5L5 · Nov 23, 2022

tank76 said:
is there a kit or would I have to source all the parts to make the Volvo system work. I don't really know a lot about it.

Good thread here. Someone finally developed a controller for it. The volvo pump defaulted to 70% capacity, but with the controller it can now be tied into a VSS or manually controlled.

https://www.corral.net/threads/volvo-electric-power-steering-conversion-full-write-up.2499503/

I barely drive my car, but I kept PS. I need it for the hydroboost. With an SN95 rack, i like how it feels. I drove a manual rack car once and just wasn't a fan.

AeroCoupe · Nov 23, 2022

90sickfox could probably walk you thru the Volvo power steering pump install. I bought one for my ‘70 F100 that’s getting a Coyote so my use is way different. I did find an install on the Corral that made it seem pretty easy.

https://www.corral.net/threads/volvo-electric-power-steering-conversion-full-write-up.2499503/

AeroCoupe · Nov 23, 2022

Jinx.

tank76 · Nov 23, 2022

Mstng93SSP said:
I have an on3 turbo in my 93 with power steering and AC with ZERO fitment issues. I didnt have to modify anything at all to do with PS or AC.

That is awesome! I knew it was a good setup was just trying to eliminate any issues I may have ran into but it looks like a good fit. How was it to install! .

Thinking about deleting the power steering in my 89

Member

wonder how much it would cost to ship you a pair

You have a nice rear end there Dave.

do I need to lube this area?

I gotta say i never painted my nuts, Never Ever

Wasn't a pretty sight...and I've got big hands

If you're the village idiot what's that make me?

Active Member

Member

I wish I didn't have all of these balls in the air

I think they're a little easier to get off

Member

I think they're a little easier to get off

If you're the village idiot what's that make me?

Member

You have a nice rear end there Dave.

That is…until I whipped out my Bissell

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

lube between the nut and the face. I know my lubes

Member

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency