Fox-Body Mustang Steering/Handling - On The Right Track

In order to install the old line onto the new power-steering rack, you also need to make sure that you have some of these little Teflon washers as they seal the line to the housing and prevent any fluid leakage. New ones come with the kit, so make sure you know exactly where they are, for without them, you can't install the pump lines to the new rack.

Here you can see the original rack that came off the car (top) and the shiny replacement unit (bottom). The latter is a remanufactured piece and is, for all intents and purposes, brand-new. Because it's a factory item, there were no issues when it came to installing the lines, fittings, or tie-rod ends.

With the return line fitting installed and tightened on the rack assembly, we turned our attention to the bushings. As previously mentioned, the kit comes with four new polyurethane rack bushings manufactured by Energy Suspension.

These are harder and considerably more durable than the stock rubber ones and will help tighten up the frontend and improve handling. Compare the new center bushing (right) to the dried-out stocker that came off the car (left). Because we aren't lowering the car, at least at this juncture, we opted to go with the non-offset rack bushings.

Before installing the bushings onto the K-member, make sure you have plenty of grease to reduce friction and extend wear.

It's now time to reattach the steering rack to the K-member. Remember to install the new rear rack bushings before attaching the rack back on the K-member.

Turning our attention to the front, we installed the two remaining rack bushings, using a plastic-faced hammer to make sure they were secure in the housings.

With the rack now attached, we reinstalled the slider bolts that help secure it to the K-member. These slot in from behind. Once they were in place, we reattached and torqued the fittings using an impact gun.

Now it was time to reattach the steering shaft to the rack. Due to its age and use, the original shaft on our '86 was a bit stubborn and required additional help to move, so it would mate with our new steering rack.

After a few tries and with the assistance of a pry bar, the new spline was mated and secured to the original shaft.

With the steering rack reinstalled, it was time to turn our attention to the rest of the frontend. Our next job was to install the adjustment nuts and the new outer tie-rod ends, which come with brand-new bushings and even cotter pins.