is borgeson the only option?

Im ready to upgrade my power steering and have been scouring the internet for a borgeson box cheaper than right around $500 JUST for the box.
I want to know if theres another product that works as well.or am I stuck shelling out the $500?

 

The only other thing I know of is the uni-steer and that's $1599

 

There's another member of this forum that installed this setup on his Comet in Illinois , I'm planning an install on
my Daughters 72" Maverick after we finish the build we're involved in now . Already bought the setup .. it's sitting in
a box on my shelf .. it has GOT to be better than the " fork-lift" type steering that these cars have in place presently..
I'll post the results when " we" finish ours .
Cometized
(Chip)

 

very happy with my rack setups on all my cars, doing the work myself is around $400 for the parts

 

rack setups?

 

Yes could you elaborate on the "rack setup"

Also Junrai you could do the electric assist, there was a recent post on this forum about it. I am going to do it on both of my mavs when I get time I already have all the parts.

Here is a link to a post on a mustang site has lots of info
http://forums.vintage-mustang.com/mod-custom-forum/787114-best-200-mod-ever-eps.html

 

I installed one of the Borgeson kits on a 69 Mustang Vert at work a while back, I can tell you it did work really nice.....

 

I have posted here before on the cavalier racks, do a search or look up my posts. But, I use an 85 Cavalier rack, and it works great, you want the early 80's GM racks that have 3 turns lock to lock, and the splined input shaft.

 

ive done several borgenson steering box installs on mustangs. they are great in being able to provide a modern steering feel. the 3 things im not really happy about is the power steering hoses, the steering column modifications, and the ratio.
the power steering lines are just too universal for me. they get routed over the exhaust and they seem to need to tightened into the steering box with a crazy amount of torque to keep them from leaking. i have also ran into the fitting for the pump being wrong. that ended up being that the pump was from a different year of the car but borgenson was not willing to exchange the hose becase it had already been installed on the steering box end.
the steering column needs to be shortened. their is no way to get around this so its just the nature of the beast. on mavericks, the rag joint sits right at the fire wall if i remember right from seeing other members on this board doing this swap. this makes it more than a simple bolt in swap.
the ratio! this is why i dont have one on my car. it comes with a 15-1 ratio. this is the same as the stock power steering box ratio. in my autocross experience with my car, i want a faster ration than 15-1. thats what i have now. i am working hard to get the car to turn around the tighter bends. its just manageable but can be much better with a faster ratio. if they offered a 12-1 ratio, i would be the first in line to get it.

as for the rack and pinion conversion, i have a few reservations about them. 55crownvic's is a nice diy set up. the 2 problems i have is the inner tie rod location has been moved inboard from the stock location. this should create increased bump steer. thats a small easy issue to rectify. the mounting bracket for the tie rods would just need to be made differently. thats no big deal. if your not doing competitive driving that calls for the best handling then just getting it close will be just fine.
the other hang up i have with the rack and pinion conversions is that they usually decrease the turn radius of the car. this is due to the rack travel not being as long as the pitman arm travel of the steering box. the cars that these rack and pinions come from usually have shorter steering arms on their spindles that will make up for this. it is possible that 55crownvic's rack does have enough travel, but again for my use i cant loose any turn radius. some autocross courses have hair pin turns that i have had to have the steering against the lock to get around with out hitting the cones.

for a street car the borgenson box is what i would recommend doing. it will deliver the desired steering feel improvement that most people are looking for.

 

Hello Bryant:
Know what you mean about the hoses .. We make our own for Power Steering , Air Conditioners etc. in house.
We picked up a nice hydraulic crimper some time ago and it proved to be a real time-saver as well as a worthy tool.
We route all the AC lines from inside the car..under the dash out the side AND front then the lines are routed UNDER the fender up high . The dryers are ALSO under the fenders . Really cleans up the engine compartment and with the Vintage AC's you can get just about any fitting you need. Some Aluminum Hard Lines we modify ourselves when necessary. It's good to hear a positive report for the Borgeson .. We were already convinced but it's always nice to have confirmation. If you need any hoses crimped for your setup lemmeno.. You'd have to clock them with the fittings and SEND them to me with a return box. We would be glad to assist if you need .
Cometized
(Chip)

 

hey chip, ive been thinking about getting a hydraulic crimper. ive been having increasing need for one at the shop. the cost range on these are all over the place. i have the mastercool brake flairing tool and its aswome. they make a hose crimping kit that looks decent for a decent price. do you have any thoughts or experience with this crimper?

 

Bryant, those are all issues to deal with when using the rack setup, however, I dont notice any bump steer, and I do believe that these racks are the answer to quicker steering in a road course event, they are very quick. And as far as loss of turning radius, I can do a u-turn very easily, if a person gets the quicker rack(2 1/2 turns lock to lock) then there is a loss of turning radius. I'm not saying anything against anyones views here, just merely pointing out the facts as I see them,k? Also if you were here in town and wanted a test drive that would be good with me.

 

Hi Bryant:
We picked up a brake crimping tool also some time ago it does the fancy flares and I can't remember the brand
name .. I'll check the cabinets Monday and get back to you . We're happy with the "hydraulic" crimper . We bought a manual crimper earlier ..same brand .. and it was just too much effort to get a good result .. hence the hydraulic.
If you DO purchase the crimper .. you could always help the neighborhood out with THEIR hoses if the need arises. That's what we do .. I don't charge for the crimp.. just the fitting and hoses. Just takes a few minutes. Incidentally my email is cameocarclub@yahoo.com if you'd like to email sometime.
Thanks,
Cometized
(Chip)

 

did you loose any turning radius? I lost some in mine. I really need to figure out a way to shorting my steering arms. I am going to fabricate some adaptors for mine, a block so its an inch down and an inch shorter.

 

HMMM, I have heard of "bump steer eliminators" that relocate the outer tie rod to the spindle. Have not tried them, however. And if there is loss of turning radius in my maverick, I cannot tell, it still turns quite sharp....did you use a 3-turn rack? Also you might check to see if the spindle steering arm is hitting the lower strut brace, I have seen where using granada spindles can do this, causing loss of turning radius.