Steering update
Still not done the Saginaw pump upgrade, but here's where I'm at:
- Mounting bracket cleaned and painted
- New stock '78 return line ready to go on
- Russell Powerflex hose, -6AN fittings, and adapters on order
- Saginaw pump completely stripped down for paint and reassembly
The details:
Removed the pulley from the Saginaw pump, and compared to the stock '94 F150 pump that I hung on to. I'm currently running my original '78 pump (or at least what my Bronco had when I got it), which has the exact same housing as the '94 pump, but different pressure fittings.
Mounting bracket from the 1990 E-150 got a thorough scrubbing with dish soap, dried, and sandblasted. POR-15 Metal Prep to etch and promote paint adhesion. Not shown is the coat of gloss aluminum Tremclad Professional that went on. Here are a couple markings I noted on the E-series bracket.
My Saginaw pump seems to be an oddball, being that the second reservoir retaining bolt is not present, nor is there a hole in the reservoir for it. The reservoir resisted removal for a few minutes, but came off cleanly. The magnet on the pump housing sure collected a lot of junk over the years.
Markings on the pump body:
There was no o-ring installed where the hole is missing in the reservoir, but the hole in the pump housing is indeed threaded. On the flip side, this hole was not used for mounting, and shows a bit of rust.
Checking for the "X" per the instructions in my Gates rebuild kit. Not present, so I should use the thinner square-cut O-rings. I will measure new vs old to double check during assembly.
Removing the valve assembly, and o-ring:
The retaining ring needs to be rotated to put one of the ends near the through-hole in the housing. A flat screwdriver works for this, but because of the spring inside the pump it may be difficult to turn. Apply some pressure to the retaining plate with a thumb while rotating the retaining ring. A small punch, or in my case a convenient finishing nail, can be used to pop the end of the ring out of the groove from the outside.
Be careful when dumping out the guts not to lose anything, and keep track of how it came apart, so you know how to put it back together:
The shaft seal came out easily with the claw end of a hammer. To remove the bushing I quickly turned a tool on the lathe, and used the shop press.
The shaft cleaned up pretty well on the felt wheel with some polishing compound:
Noted a marking on the reservoir, as well as some damage around the retaining bolt hole. A minute on the press put things mostly back into shape, then I washed and sandblasted it. Gouges still remain on the inside. Since the can seems to be brazed together, I'm considering TIG brazing to fill the gouges (never tried this before but I can use my Lincoln TIG 200 at my parents' place next time I'm there). Alternatively, one of my co-workers is familiar with silver soldering for this kind of thing, so I may have a try with that first.