I just wanted to share my experiences with my Borgeson installation on my 1980 L48 4-speed with factory power steering. There is already an excellent writeup of the process in the forums, so I am just writing about specific things I found helpful, so this is not a full writeup.

- I unbolted my alternator and laid it aside, but I did not need to disconnect any of the electrical connections aside from my electric choke and water temp sensor.
- I have Flowtech BIG-31106FLT full length headers, and it helped to remove them. This requires removing the Z-bar.
- I did NOT need to unbolt my master cylinder, but it would be helpful to shift it out of the way. It would also make it easier to adjust the z-bar linkage.
- Removing the #3 and #5 spark plugs frees up space to manipulate the steering box when test fitting it over and over again.
- I had to collapse my steering column about 2.25". I actually took one of the carriage bolts that hold the steering box in place and inserted it into the end of the steering column shaft, and used that as the striking surface with a mallet to collapse the column. The size of the bolt sufficiently protected the threads of the shaft. I know this still has some inherent risks, but I was sure to be very careful and it all worked out well.
- I disassembled the Borgeson-provided rag joint and used the stock steering column-side of the bracket. I prefer the stock setup with the pinch bolt, plus it is much easier to install on the factory column than the Borgeson bracket. This did require enlarging the bolt holes in the factory bracket to fit the bolts used in the Borgeson rag joint.
- You MUST use the provided brass inserts when installing the power steering lines. They will leak if you don't. I also used some teflon tape in the threads to be extra safe. I torqued everything down and did not not have any leaks.
- I installed the Ridetech Borgeson steering frame brace. When it is time to install the box for good you will need to remove the two bolts on top of the steering box that the bracket bolts to before installing the frame bolts. You will want to test fit the bracket to the frame and make sure everything lines up on top before cinching everything down. DO NOT let any debris fall into the two open bolt holes while you are test fitting.
- I reused the stock carriage bolts instead of the provided bolts because I wanted the smooth, rounded heads, and the squared base sets well in the Ridetech brace. They are plenty long enough.
- After everything was reinstalled, my z-bar was hitting the Borgeson box. I took my z-bar off, heated the arm that the clutch pedal attaches to, and bent it out about .5" and everything clears with no bind or other interference.

Final impressions:
- The installation wasn't without it's headaches, but I think a lot of them are self inflicted. It took me a good 8 hours from start to finish, not including breaks in between.
- I would prefer if the return line was a bit longer. The provided line doesn't give much options for routing, and it passes about .5" from my #1 header pipe.
- I don't think the steering effort is that different from stock power steering, but the "feel" is definitely crisper. Most importantly to me, the free play in the steering is gone, the tighter ratio is nice, and not having to worry about a leaking control valve is wonderful!

 

Every video I saw reused the carriage bolts as well. One of my bolts was running into the body, so I did not want to mess with that and reused all 3. Steering is so great now. My 74 steering wheel did not want to collapse because the end bearing had rusted/welded itself to the shaft. I had to take the whole steering column out and beat on it good until I realized I was doing more damage than good. Tried a bearing puller and the cheap bearing exploded, leaving a thin "ring" behind. I had to grind the ring off. With the bearing out, the shaft was easy to move by hand. Had to buy a new bearing and thankfully those are easy to come by. So my install was nothing like any of the videos and I was worried I was going to damage my steering column.

 

When I installed the Borgeson system on my '73, I did not use the original carriage bolts at first. I quickly had to rethink that decision as my tires were just wide enough to rub on the hex bolt heads. I had also installed the Ridetech brace. Swapped the hex bolts with the carriage bolts and problem solved. I would highly recommend to anyone installing this system to use carriage bolts whether original or sourced separately. I think Borgeson should include carriage bolts in their system.

I have several years and miles on my system now and I am still very pleased with it.

DC

 

Sounds very similar to my install, I also had to bend the z bar, though was told that most people don't? I bent it such that the pushrod from the clutch pedal now connects on the opposite side of the upright of the z bar. I also reused the original bolts with the Ridetech brace. I used a rubber mallet to collapse the column. Nice writeup.

 

Ha... connecting the pedal to the other side of the z-bar... Genius! Trying to get it on and off the "correct" side now that it is bent can be a hassle. I'll have to try that out!