I did thread the Borgeson hose into the P/S Pump fitting and it went in just fine and the flare appeared to seat nicely in the area I indicated in my pictures. I'm having a hard time believing that I am the only one that has had this issue getting the hoses connected up. I have the original 1980 style pump and the Borgeson kit is for a 1980. If the '80 required a different hose end to mate with the pump then should it not come with the appropriate hose? I should not have to have one made which makes me think that I am either over-thinking this and just need to hook it up and go, or something else is weird with my set-up. Very frustrating.

 

Just got off the phone with Borgeson. Apparently they do have bushings with a shorter shoulder that will allow better engagement of the hose threads into the pump port. They are sending them to me no charge but I sure wish they had just been included in the first place.......

 

So then the next question is, what pump do the ones you already have fit?

Considering I have an '80 as well your thread really has my attention. Maybe I should be pro active and try to get those shorter bushings ahead of time.

 

All also drive a 1972 Suburban. the OE PS pump has a flare fitting in the outlet. Since my '72 Corvette doesn't have PS, I'm not sure if it was the same

 

I think that would be a good idea!! Keep me posted on your experience.

 

Did anyone have a fitment issues with their steering column? I bolted mine to the frame today and it appeared to be quite a bit bigger than the stock box. Tape measure confirmed it so I am wondering if you have to modify the column in anyway (my column is currently out of the car).

 

You have to collapse the column per borgeson instructions that come with the kit.

 

Borgeson sent me the bushing below which has a much shorter shoulder than the originally included one. I still had to mill it down a bit to get it to fit into the bore but the reduced shoulder height worked perfect for the P/S Pump. I heated up the P/S inlet bore with a torch (take off the o-Ring first!) and the bushing went in easier without having to take off too much material but don't get carried away with the heat, just enough to get the metal to expand. Once it cooled it was not coming out. I would recommend requesting a couple of these busings with our order just in case you need it and that way it won't hold up your project like it did mine. If you get two you have a fallback if you mill it too much. Nothing worse than getting 75% done with a cool project and having to hit pause for a week......



After I got it all installed I fired it up, bled the system and no leaks. It's a good day... Can't wait to drive it but there's a foot of snow here.... Boo!

Cheers!

 

G'day,

I have been a Borgeson Distributor in Australia for almost six years now and have sold plenty of boxes and pumps for all types of cars. I did have trouble with the hose fittings leaking on my #800108 steering box (1974 Corvette), so managed to remove the brass ferrules (not bushings) and made up a tool on my lathe out of a piece of 3/8" steel bar about 3" long. It was a snug but not tight fit in the ferrule and when I manouvered the ferrule into the port in the steering box, I applied a blow from a hammer to "seat" the ferrule in the box.

I then fitted the hoses and tightened them up. No leaks, but I had to really tighten them. This is the advice I give to my customers and so far, none have come back and complained about any leaks. As for the pump, it does not need a ferrule with the Borgeson #925103 hose kit, well not in my '74, anyway. I later fitted a Hydroboost and redid the plumbing. My (factory 1974) pump has dash 6 AN fittings (pressure and return) and so does the HB unit, but I still have the inverted flare fittings on the steering box.

Hope this helps.

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

 

When I ordered my stainless u-joint I asked about these and they had no idea what I was talking about. Maybe they go by ferrules? Did you send them a picture of what you needed?

 

This is interesting, could the early C3's have a completely different pump that wouldn't require the ferrules? If that is the case I would think they would make different kits for different years.

At the same time I need to buy a new pump for my 80, would it be easier to buy a pump for a 74 that came with a SBC instead?

 

If the '74 pump port looks just like this one in my '80, then I wouldn't worry about which version pump you get. If that's the case then you don't need the ferrule according to the post above. If you want to cover yourself just in case, call Borgeson and get the smaller shoulder ferrule so your project doesn't get hung up waiting for it.

 

I guess I'm still confused if you need these brass ferrules in the pump or not?

One of the main factors for me in replacing the original steering with the new Borgeson is to eliminate the leaks. I just want to make sure I do everything by the book

 

Look at your pump port, if it looks like mine I would suggest using the short-shoulder ferrules. I say that because that's what I did, and I have no leaks. Whether it's by the book or not, I don't know because the directions did not make that clear. If your pump port looks different than mine maybe fall back on aussiejohn's advice and skip the ferrule. Worst case scenario you have to drain the pump and rethink it. A hassle for sure, but not that big a deal really.

 

Good point, thanks

 

That fitting with the O-Ring is what they call a bump tube. It relies on the O ring sealing tightly between the inside of the smooth section below the shoulder of the fitting and the outside of the tube. It's important to get O rings in the correct size. Too small and there will be a gap between the O ring and the wall and a leak. Too large and the O ring may nor pop inside the bore of the fitting and your seal will rely on squashing the O ring against the shoulder. Or worse still on tightening it up you cut the O ring on the edge as it presses in.

When done properly they seal very well.

You can buy bump tube to AN adapters. I did all of the power steering hoses on my AC Cobra using them and ran teflon braided lines. I'm planning on going this way with the Borgeson conversion on my 72 Vette. I like using teflon braided lines since I can make them up easily at home.

Here's a link to the adapters so you know what I mean: http://www.vpw.com.au/Category/Index/48588 These are Metric adapters but I imagine you can get the equivalent for imperial versions.

Cheers

Mike

 

Good advice Mike, but I used steel adapters to facilitate my use of AN hose fittings. I'm not saying the aluminum fittings won't handle the 1,000 to 1,200 psi that the pump puts out, but with steel, I don't have to worry.

Regards from Down Under.

aussiejohn

 

Yep you can get steel adapters as well. Hydraulics systems often use JIC fittings which are dimensionally the same as the AN fittings i.e same thread and same 37 degree taper.

Nice to meet another Aussie on here.

Cheers

Mike