Start of a Dart
What a difference a day makes. It's probably a bit premature to claim victory, but the PS pump is about to cry uncle. I've been fighting this POS for a week, trying to get the pulley to line up, messing with the brackets, and trying to get the hoses loose. Yay for Rock Auto, the new lines showed up and are correct for the truck. I keep working on the hose flare fittings on the steering box but they won't budge. Many applications of Kroil and PB Blaster later, and still............they won't budge. I can't seem to get a good grip on the fittings either, 11/16 is a hair tight, and 3/4 is a bit sloppy loose. I spend a while cleaning up the fitting thinking it's 11/16 and the 40 years of crud is keeping the wrench from seating right. And then, (drum roll please...) the light slowly goes on - if one standard size is a hair small and the other standard size is a hair too big, COULD IT POSSIBLY BE ******* METRIC?!? Yes indeed, my 1982 made in good old Detroit truck has a power steering pump that is all metric nuts and bolts. I dig into my metric stuff and the fittings are 18MM, all the rest are 14 and 15. I have to order a set of metric flare fitting wrenches as I don't have any. Amazon to the rescue, 25 bucks for the set and 30 seconds after arrival the fittings are loose and the pump is on the bench.
And just in case we needed a little help with this mystery while adding insult to injury, is this casting on the side of the pump.
I might point out that this metric info is on the side of the pump under the pulley, where nobody would ever see it to have a clue. Next up is getting the old pulley off the old pump, it's also rusted in place for the last 40 years. Once I get that off the pump can go back together and go back in the truck. Radiator, hoses, fan and shroud, and we should be able to fire this thing up for a trip to the muffler shop.
What a difference a day makes. It's probably a bit premature to claim victory, but the PS pump is about to cry uncle. I've been fighting this POS for a week, trying to get the pulley to line up, messing with the brackets, and trying to get the hoses loose. Yay for Rock Auto, the new lines showed up and are correct for the truck. I keep working on the hose flare fittings on the steering box but they won't budge. Many applications of Kroil and PB Blaster later, and still............they won't budge. I can't seem to get a good grip on the fittings either, 11/16 is a hair tight, and 3/4 is a bit sloppy loose. I spend a while cleaning up the fitting thinking it's 11/16 and the 40 years of crud is keeping the wrench from seating right. And then, (drum roll please...) the light slowly goes on - if one standard size is a hair small and the other standard size is a hair too big, COULD IT POSSIBLY BE ******* METRIC?!? Yes indeed, my 1982 made in good old Detroit truck has a power steering pump that is all metric nuts and bolts. I dig into my metric stuff and the fittings are 18MM, all the rest are 14 and 15. I have to order a set of metric flare fitting wrenches as I don't have any. Amazon to the rescue, 25 bucks for the set and 30 seconds after arrival the fittings are loose and the pump is on the bench.
And just in case we needed a little help with this mystery while adding insult to injury, is this casting on the side of the pump.
I might point out that this metric info is on the side of the pump under the pulley, where nobody would ever see it to have a clue. Next up is getting the old pulley off the old pump, it's also rusted in place for the last 40 years. Once I get that off the pump can go back together and go back in the truck. Radiator, hoses, fan and shroud, and we should be able to fire this thing up for a trip to the muffler shop.
