Manual Steering (how tight should it be)
 

Hello All...Nre rebuilt transmission is in and Hurst shifter too and it works great. New rear 5 leaf springs go in next week...Last winter project is the steering. I removed the power steering pump and slave and installed a power to manual power steering kit. Now the steering is incredibly hard to turn. I jacked up the car and it seems like it is also very difficult with the front wheels off the ground. My front end is new and I can not see any reason that it would be so tight. I adjusted the steering box and all it does is adjust the play in the steering...

Any thoughts on why this is so difficult to steer. If I take a curve while driving and let go of the wheel - it stays turned and does not return to center. This just does not seem right?

Thanks for any advise.

TJ

I have never done the swap you mention but do you use the same steering box for a manual as a powersteering car? :confused: Do you have oil in the steering box or power steering fluid now?

Not sure
 

I never had the steering pump installed and removed the slave and main cylinders (as it said in the instructions). For the steering box....I have not changed it? I don't know if it needed to be changed..I will have to research, but I think it should be OK - power or not.

You should not have to change the box just because you went from power to manual steering. I did this in 1986 or so with my 1967 and it worked just fine. Only difference between a manual and power box is the number of turns from lock to lock, with power having fewer. On all Mustangs to 1968, the power steering fuid runs through the slave cylinder. It is actually just power assist.

Disconnect the pitman arm from the centerlink and see if it is still hard to turn the wheel.