Maybe so, but when he looks past his brick at least he's seeing a functional cluster😏.
My Ford Truck Project (And Other Projects)
- Thread starter joesregalproject
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The upholstery shop called me yesterday and told me my drivers seat is all done. Then I lost track of time and didn't get out to pick it up. So I'll have to get it Monday. My fault for losing track of time.
Today the cabin fever was biting kinda hard and I had to do something to get out of the house so I went up to a local junkyard to look for some Ferd parts. I didn't find any very nice steering wheels but I did find one sweet upgrade item- Saginaw Power Steering Pump Conversion!
The background on this swap if you are unfamiliar- Ford power steering pumps are noisy as hell. Common problem. They work fine but they are loud. If you look back at any of the videos I have of the truck running, you'll hear it. Remans and brand new ones are available but they aren't any quieter. It's very annoying. Saginaw P/S pumps are a lot quieter and also put out higher pressure which makes the steering a little lighter and easier to turn, especially with big tires. My main concern is the noise though.
You can't just swap the Ford P/S pump for the Saginaw, the dimensions are different and it won't bolt up to the bracket. But E-Series Econoline vans came from the factory with a Saginaw P/S pump, and from 1992-1996 they used the same engines as the trucks. So you can get the pump and the bracket out of a 92-96 Econoline van with the right engine and it then becomes a direct swap.
This is a swap I've known of for a while but finding old Econolines vans (think pre-modular) is getting more and more difficult. But today at the junkyard, they had a 94 E-150 conversion van with a 5.0L in it. Engine compartment was still intact and looked relatively unbutchered. The fluid in the pump was pretty clean and the pulley turned smoothly with no play. So I grabbed the entire bracket with the pump and pulley still attached. Total cost was $30.
I think the pulley on the Saginaw pump is slightly larger than the pulley on the Ford pump and so the van belt is a hair longer. I've never changed the belt on my truck and I have no idea how old it is, so I'll probably just get a new one. The P/S pressure line is also a little different. I'm pretty sure a pressure line for a van can be made to work with a little tweaking. The return lines are the same.
So I'll be swapping this in sometime soon. I love junkyard upgrades. I guess I can now say "Built Ford Tough with Chevy Stuff" 🤣
Today the cabin fever was biting kinda hard and I had to do something to get out of the house so I went up to a local junkyard to look for some Ferd parts. I didn't find any very nice steering wheels but I did find one sweet upgrade item- Saginaw Power Steering Pump Conversion!
The background on this swap if you are unfamiliar- Ford power steering pumps are noisy as hell. Common problem. They work fine but they are loud. If you look back at any of the videos I have of the truck running, you'll hear it. Remans and brand new ones are available but they aren't any quieter. It's very annoying. Saginaw P/S pumps are a lot quieter and also put out higher pressure which makes the steering a little lighter and easier to turn, especially with big tires. My main concern is the noise though.
You can't just swap the Ford P/S pump for the Saginaw, the dimensions are different and it won't bolt up to the bracket. But E-Series Econoline vans came from the factory with a Saginaw P/S pump, and from 1992-1996 they used the same engines as the trucks. So you can get the pump and the bracket out of a 92-96 Econoline van with the right engine and it then becomes a direct swap.
This is a swap I've known of for a while but finding old Econolines vans (think pre-modular) is getting more and more difficult. But today at the junkyard, they had a 94 E-150 conversion van with a 5.0L in it. Engine compartment was still intact and looked relatively unbutchered. The fluid in the pump was pretty clean and the pulley turned smoothly with no play. So I grabbed the entire bracket with the pump and pulley still attached. Total cost was $30.
I think the pulley on the Saginaw pump is slightly larger than the pulley on the Ford pump and so the van belt is a hair longer. I've never changed the belt on my truck and I have no idea how old it is, so I'll probably just get a new one. The P/S pressure line is also a little different. I'm pretty sure a pressure line for a van can be made to work with a little tweaking. The return lines are the same.
So I'll be swapping this in sometime soon. I love junkyard upgrades. I guess I can now say "Built Ford Tough with Chevy Stuff" 🤣
Got my seat back today. It looks great and is so much more comfortable. Money well spent. I'm gonna clean up the two I got in the junkyard and sell them on Craigslist and that will probably pay for the upholstery shop bill.
I slipped the build tag that I laminated back under the seat too.
There seems to be no consensus on which if any PS pressure hose will bolt up to the Saginaw pump without bending or cutting. Possibly a '78 F250 4WD hose, but no confirmation on that. An Econoline hose will work but it needs cut and reflared on the gearbox side. The hoses are cheap from RockAuto, I'll probably just order both then figure it out from there.
And the steering wheel swap, I'm gonna make it work but its gonna take some figuring out too. Physically it bolts right up, getting the cruise buttons and the airbag to remain functional is what I'm gonna have to play around with, hopefully without an airbag exploding in my face.
And yeah, yeah, I got the Regal penciled in on the agenda here. Worry not.
I slipped the build tag that I laminated back under the seat too.
There seems to be no consensus on which if any PS pressure hose will bolt up to the Saginaw pump without bending or cutting. Possibly a '78 F250 4WD hose, but no confirmation on that. An Econoline hose will work but it needs cut and reflared on the gearbox side. The hoses are cheap from RockAuto, I'll probably just order both then figure it out from there.
And the steering wheel swap, I'm gonna make it work but its gonna take some figuring out too. Physically it bolts right up, getting the cruise buttons and the airbag to remain functional is what I'm gonna have to play around with, hopefully without an airbag exploding in my face.
And yeah, yeah, I got the Regal penciled in on the agenda here. Worry not.
If you need help flaring the Econoline pressure hose, send it to me with instructions and I'll be happy to do it for you with my hydraulic flaring tool.
Thanks Jared, I appreciate that. I ordered new hoses today, I bought one for a van and one for a 78 F250 4WD. I'm hoping the F250 hose works but if not I'll be cutting down the van hose. I also ordered a new return hose with cooler. Advance Auto had Carquest hoses cheaper than RockAuto so that's what I went with. They weren't in stock locally so I had to order them online. Hopefully I'll have them by the end of the week.
I got the seat back in the truck today. It is a night and day difference. It is so much more comfortable. I sit about an inch higher, I don't slide toward the door the whole ride, my back isn't sore after driving. I love it.
Once I get some good shocks on it I think it'll be even more comfortable. I'd love to go with Bilsteins but the price...eek. Gabriel Ultras seem to have pretty good reviews and they are a lot more affordable. I'm leaning toward those.
Gabriel? Man, I've never had much luck with them. Rancho? KYB? Monroe?
Rancho?! 🤮 C'mon man!
KYBs are probably fine, I've found Monroes to generally be meh but the Gas Magnums are supposed to be pretty good.
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