Can you ID this power steering gear?

[JoshT]

This is the power steering gear on my 68 F-100 4x4:

[image]674[/image]

I know that this is not stock to the truck and the previous owner (my dad) installed it from a later model Ford truck. Problem is he doesn't recall what that Ford truck was. He thinks early 70s but doesn't remember for sure and it could have been a 100, 250 or 350.

Seem to have blown a hose on the way home tonight, power steering fluid everywhere on the driver side of the engine bay. Trying to ID the box so I know what to order a replacement hose for.

Thanks! -JoshT

[390FE1972]

Here are some pictures you can check to see if they are the correct power steering box, I also added the Red Head Steering website, as they show a variety of Ford power steering boxes, along with some other makes and models of vehicles.

http://www.fordification.com/tech/image ... s-Ford.jpg
http://www.fordification.com/tech/image ... dPSbox.jpg
http://www.fordification.com/tech/powersteering.htm
http://fordification.com/tech/powerstee ... 00-4WD.htm
http://www.redheadsteeringgears.com

Hope this helps!

[JoshT]

I think it did, looks the same as the 78 steering box in that 4th link.

With that I found the box on Rockauto 76-79 F-100 & 150 4x4. So I guess that means I need hoses for a 76 F-100 4x4 w/FE. I'll look in the daylight tomorrow and see if I can figure out exactly which hose it is, but pretty sure its the pressure hose from the pump.

I'm going to hope its a hose. If it's a seal on the gear its probably time for a full power steering rebuild. A gear box from Redhead or BlueTop is going to hurt.

[cep62]

If it's a hose A "good ' parts store or hydraulic shop should repair yours.
If it's a seal it's not that hard to replace them.

[JoshT]

A good parts store or hydraulic shop is, unfortunately, a difficult thing to come by. The only auto parts store around here that claims to make hydraulic hoses never has anyone working that knows what they are doing. A couple of years ago I checked with the only hydraulic shop I found in town about making custom Power Steering hoses for a Ranger V8 swap and they wouldn't touch automotive hoses. Kinda stupid IMO since they build higher pressure hoses for tractors and equipment, but I wasn't going to argue with them.

Replacement hoses are cheap enough that I'd rather just order a new one and avoid the headache. Not like I need the truck to get to work.

You're right that a seal would probably be easy enough to replace. The box is 40 years old at newest, probably more like 45, so if I replaced one seal I'd be replacing them all. Dad pulled the powersteering off a truck that was already in the pick-n-pull when he installed it some 30 years ago and it's seen a lot of miles since then. At this point, if I'm pulling it to reseal, I think it I'd just go for a rebuilt unit in better shape. Hoping it won't come to that though and is just a blown hose.