Thread: 39 Ford (Coast to Coast) Rebuild

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Thanks for the updates.. I guess it ain't a hot rod if you don't run it out of gas at least once!

Interesting observation on the sealing surface. I'll be curious if your solution doesn't solve the problem!

And after all of the milling and careful assembly, it still leaks. I have never ran into a leak that I couldn't fix. The only thing I can come up with is there has to be a hairline crack in the casting that I can't see. This is driving me nuts. Maybe it's time to spend the cash on a "NEW" rack.

PS leak 2.jpgPS leak.jpg

Well... that stinks.

show some pics of the housing that show the bottom end of the hole------------that's where the sealing is--------

Here is a terrible suggestion, but if it works.......
Put Some Lucus Stops Leaks Power Steering Fluid in there and see if the oozing stops, or if a thick gel appears in one spot. My wife's daily driver was leaking from the rack. Big bill to replace, vs. add a little Lucus to it. I read about 250 praises for this stuff. And we have had no leakes in 6 months, not to mention She puts at least 1000 miles a month on the car! (I know not the best way to handle it, but it has been a permanent solution to two leaking systems on two separate vehicles for us now.

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

show some pics of the housing that show the bottom end of the hole------------that's where the sealing is--------

The fittings that worked the best so far are sealing on the top of the rack. They use a aluminum washer and a o-ring. So you are saying the the sealing surface is inside of the bore, not the top of the rack? I'll pull the rack again and take some pictures of the bore and type of fittings I have.

I'm not saying that the rack that you have is that way--however the pics you posted had some paper stuffed into the holes so we can't see, but many seal with an o-ring inside a smooth portion of the hole past the bottom of the threads-------------

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

I'm not saying that the rack that you have is that way--however the pics you posted had some paper stuffed into the holes so we can't see, but many seal with an o-ring inside a smooth portion of the hole past the bottom of the threads-------------

Rack is almost out, just waiting for the fluid to drain. As soon as it's out, I'll snap a few pics. Thanks for the quick reply.

While the fluid drains, here are the 2 type of fittings that's I've tried. I've tried multiple manufactures of each along with different types of seals. It always seeps out around the pressure fitting while the car sits. Doesn't leak any more while the car is running, that has me confused. You would think it would leak more when there is pressure behind it.

Fittings.JPG

After looking at the bores inside of the rack, there are smooth surfaces inside at the bottom of the bores. The problem is the smaller hole where the extended portion of the fitting on the right, in the picture above, is .017 inches undersized. I'm going to try to open that hole up so the fitting on the right goes all of the way down and can seal on the o-ring. Wish me luck. Below are the pictures of the rack.

Hole 1.JPGHole 3.JPG

If the O-rings aren't going into the bore at the bottom, you'll never get a seal. The O-ring type worked for my flaming river rack, but it's brand new. An O-ring bore has to be smaller than the O-ring O.D. or it will not seal. Enlarging such a bore would be a tough job to do properly, without taking the rack out and putting it on a Bridgeport or similar small mill.

You'd better research the proper interference fit before any machining is done.

Originally Posted by daveS53

If the O-rings aren't going into the bore at the bottom, you'll never get a seal. The O-ring type worked for my flaming river rack, but it's brand new. An O-ring bore has to be smaller than the O-ring O.D. or it will not seal. Enlarging such a bore would be a tough job to do properly, without taking the rack out and putting it on a Bridgeport or similar small mill.

You'd better research the proper interference fit before any machining is done.

As I write this, the car has been on the road for about 2 weeks. (with no leaks) I'm going by memory now, so forgive my guesses when it come to the measurements. The fittings I used to finally seal the power steering were from a Dodge Omni rack. But I had to enlarge the bore below the threads by .010. Even then, it was a tight fit. I guess it's the price you pay when you use a Chevy pump, a Ford rack and Dodge fittings. No leaks, power assist seems good, does not seem over boosted, and like I said, no leaks. I'm happy. My wife drove it and approved.

When I finally got the leak fixed, I finally got to the tuning portion on the FI. After 13 hrs, it finally runs good. It took digging a old Windows XP laptop out of the closet, but I got it figured out. It seems Holley stopped upgrading the software for the Commander 950 PCM years ago. No more lean back fires or surging, it just goes.

From there it went up to my friends exhaust shop to fix the exhaust. The proper flanges were put on for the headers and I bent the proper pipes to fit the Super 10 series mufflers. It sounds good, exhaust doesn't hit the frame and doesn't leak. To me, that is a success.

I brought it home, charged the A/C, took it for a quick ride and the owners wife drove it away. I haven't seen it since. I wish I had some pictures, but towards the end it was a rush.

I will see the car back probably in the Fall, right now the owners wife is driving it everyday. It still needs a few things, but it's safe right now. It's not up to my standards, but you can't argue with the wife.

Like I said in the past. To make it right, the body needs to come off to fix a bunch of problems. To me, it's still a mess. But compared to how it was, it probably drives like a new car.

To make everyone happy, here is a video of my wife and daughter in the car. Thanks again for all of the advice. I'll be back soon.

http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/au...d50f5.mp4.html

I just wanted to add, without all of the advice I received from the people on this forum, this car would still be sitting up on jack-stands. After my wife drove the car, she wants me to build a rod for us. So expect a new build coming soon.....

Heck, you did all the heavy lifting! We just sat back and watched !

It looks and sounds great! Can't wait to see the next one you put together!