Mustang Borgeson Power Steering Conversion (1965-1966) Installation Instructions
This Power Steering Conversion from Borgeson will fit 1965-1966 289 Mustangs.
Upgrade or convert your Mustang's steering with a Power Steering Conversion Kit from Borgeson. This kit, for 1965-1966 Mustangs, includes a Saginaw power steering pump with brackets, a power steering box, power steering hoses, steering coupler and a replacement steering column shaft with floor mount. Installs easily, with only hand tools!
Tools Required:
- Lift or Jack Stands & Jack
- Wrenches and Sockets
- Steering Wheel Puller
- Tie Rod/Pitman Arm Puller
- Crank & Water Pump Pulleys (with additional groove for power steering pump)
- Power Steering Fluid
- Power Steering Pump Belt
Install Difficulty:
- Moderate Project
1. Start the installation of your new Mustang Borgeson 999020 Power Steering Conversion inside the car by removing the steering wheel. To do this, remove the center horn section by rotating it counter-clockwise and pulling it off. Watch for the large spring between the horn assembly and the steering wheel hub, as it might fly out! Next, remove the retaining bolt using a 15/16 inch socket. Remove the steering wheel from shaft with a steering wheel puller.
2. Measure the distance from the end of the steering column shaft to the column bell. Write down the distance, as this measurement must be maintained with the new Mustang power steering conversion kit column shaft. (In this example, the distance was 1-5/8 inches.)
3. Under the dash, unplug the two wiring harness connections that feed the steering column. One plug is a rectangular 6-pin plug, while the other is a smaller 2-pin plug. Next, remove the two bolts that secures the column tube to the bottom of the dash.
4. The column tube bracket has two parts: One U-shaped piece around the bottom of the tube, and another flat piece between the tube and dash. Once the bolts are out, remove both parts of the bracket. Then, remove the column tube by pulling firmly on the tube. Depending on the age/condition of the vehicle, this may require a few good pulls to get free. Note that when you pull the tube off of the shaft, you might have some grease residue along the shaft; you might want to protect your interior with some rags to avoid a mess.
5. With the column removed and only the shaft remaining, we can now move under the car to continue the removal of the old system. Be sure to properly secure the vehicle on a lift or on jack stands; removing the front wheels will provide easier access to the area.
6. Disconnect all of the Mustang steering hoses from the power steering pump and the existing power steering components. Use open-end wrenches, sizes 7/16 inch and 5/8 inch, to disconnect the power steering hoses from the power valve. Note: Power steering fluid will leak out, so be prepared to catch the fluid with containers and/or rags.
7. Remove the Mustang power steering pump from the front of the engine. Loosen the mounting bolts (5/8 inch bolt on top, 9/16 inch bolt on bottom), pull aside the power steering pump belt and then remove the assembly. It will continue to leak power steering fluid, so watch the hoses when you pull it out of the engine bay.
8. With the power steering pump removed and the system drained, move back under the car and remove the rest of the power steering components. Disconnect the two control valve to the power valve hoses on the power valve end using 1/2 inch open ended wrenches. Then, disconnect the Mustang power steering control valve from the vehicle where it mounts to the frame bracket by holding the center bolt in place with pliers and removing the 9/16 inch nut.
9. Next, remove the Mustang center link. It’s easier to leave the control valve connected to the center link and remove them as one assembly. Disconnect the tie rods by removing the cotter pins and castle nuts (11/16 inch), then use the tie rod/Pitman arm puller to separate the tie rod ends from the center link.
10. Using the same technique as above, remove the center link from the Pitman arm (steering box end, near the driver’s side frame rail; 3/4 inch nut) and the idler arm (passenger side frame rail end, 3/4 inch castle nut). Remove the old power steering center link assembly.
11. At this point, we are ready to remove the Mustang power steering box. Keep in mind that the steering box and the shaft are a single unit. If you want to keep them together, their removal will require removing the engine. Since we will not be keeping the original setup, the easiest way to remove the old system is to cut the steering shaft off near the steering box. To make room for cutting the shaft, remove the shock-tower to firewall bracket (if equipped, 9/16 inch nut and bolt). It is recommended to remove the spark plug wires so that they do not get damaged.
12. Once you have room to access the steering box and shaft, use a cutoff wheel or reciprocating saw to cut the shaft near the input to the steering box. Location does not matter; these parts will be discarded once removed. Note: Protect the seats/interior from the falling shaft once it’s cut.
13. Disconnect the steering box from the frame rail by removing the three 5/8 inch bolts that go through the frame. Note that the steering box is heavy. Also, depending on the header location, it may be easier to remove the box from the top of the car instead of the bottom. Here are the two pieces we just cut and removed (Pitman arm is still attached to the steering box):
14. With the old steering box out, disconnect the Mustang Pitman arm from the box by removing the 1-1/4 inch nut and then using the tie rod/Pitman arm puller tool.
15. Remove the control valve mount, located on the frame rail. It is secured with two 9/16 inch bolts on the bottom and one 9/16 inch bolt/nut through the frame (only on power steering cars).
16. Now that the old system is removed, we are ready to install the new Borgeson kit.
17. Bolt the new Mustang steering box to the frame with the supplied bolts and nylon lock nuts (5/8 inch bolt/nut). Make sure the steering box isn’t touching any exhaust or brake lines.
18. Center the steering box and reinstall the Mustang Pitman arm on the new steering box (1-1/4 inch nut). If you removed the power steering center link, install the new manual center link to the tie rods, Pitman arm and idle arm.
19. Install the dust cover and Mustang rag joint on the steering box; this is easier from the top. Slide the rag joint onto the splined shaft of the steering box, making sure you go all the way down (at least 1 inch). Use a 5/32 inch Allen wrench and a 1/2 inch socket to secure the rag joint on the shaft.
20. Moving back inside the car, install the new floor mount bracket with the ears pointing towards the inside the car. When the column tube is reinstalled, you will secure the column tube to the bracket using the supplied worm-gear clamp. (Suggestion: Install loosely until you get the shaft and tube mocked up, so that you have some room to adjust.) Next, install the new shaft into the rag joint and tighten via the 5/32 inch Allen wrench and 1/2 inch socket (access from engine bay side of the firewall). Hint: Loosely reinstall the column tube support under the dash to hold up the end of the new shaft while working inside the car. This will help during measurements and also keep the shaft from damaging the interior.
21. Now, we have to cut the column tube to length. From the end of the Mustang steering column shaft, measure and mark the distance from the end to the column bell that was noted in Step 2 (our example was 1-5/8 inches). Then, measure the distance from the outside of the firewall to this mark on the shaft. The key here is to make the column tube just long enough to extend through the firewall for support, but also not interfere with the new rag joint. In our example, the distance came out to be 28-1/2 inches.
22. Transfer this measurement to the column tube and cut the end off of the tube. Then, reinstall the tube over the shaft, making sure to line up the column bell end with the mark you made on the shaft. After this is lined up, secure the column to the dash with the the column tube bracket and plug in the wiring harness. Secure the column tube to the new floor mount via the worm gear clamp. You can now reinstall the Mustang steering wheel.
23. Next, install the Mustang power steering pump. The bracket that comes on the pump is designed to mount on the head using the supplied spacers. The top bolt is larger (5/8 inch head) while the lower bolt is smaller (9/16 inch head). All hardware is supplied with the pump assembly.
24. Install the power steering hoses between the pump and steering box. On the steering box end, the return line is closest to the rag joint. Note: These hoses are cut to length and are very tight; it’s easier to mount the lines in the following order: Pressure line at the pump, pressure line on the steering box, return line on the steering box, then the return line on the pump.
25. Install the new belt to the power steering pump. In our Mustang power steering conversion kit installation example, we had to buy a new belt that was two inches longer (50-3/8 inches).
26. Flush the Mustang power steering pump by disconnecting the return line from the back of the pump and routing it down into a waste container. Fill the pump with new power steering fluid and start the car, letting the fluid circulate through the new pump and steering box into the waste container. Reconnect the return line to the pump and fill with power steering fluid.
27. Installation of your new Mustang Borgeson Power Steering Conversion is now complete. With the engine running, check for leaks; in our example, the pressure hose connection to the steering box required additional work to tighten. Borgeson recommends a complete front end alignment and increasing caster to 3-4 degrees positive.
