Power steering hi pressure hose

[64ragtop]

Seems like every hi pressure power steering hose I see for Mopars (all I've looked at!) the first several inches of the hose are rigid steel tubing. Then the rest of the hose is crimped to the pipe. Is that rigid pipe there to withstand the pressure coming out of the pump, that the hi pressure hose couldn't handle? Isn't the pressure equal for the whole length of the hose? What's the pipe for, please?

I'm replacing my AZDart's Mopar manual steering box with the new Borgeson modified Delphi power steering box. Someone suggested converting to AN fittings and hose to use modern standard fittings, but I'm wondering if that rigid pipe is necessary. Maybe the hi pressure hoses they made back in the day were not as strong as AN hose???

I want to do it right, but am unsure due to my ignorance of the hydraulic hose world.

BC

 

[TrailBeast]

The pressure would be the same all along the hose, and I'm pretty sure the steel section is only there because of the routing so it wouldn't end up with split in it from the double back of the hose.
I have replaced hoses with steel sections and used all hydraulic hose before without issue.

 

[player1up]

Not really sure about this myself, but the rubber end mounts to the power steering box ( stationary object ) and doesn't move with the engine so it has to be able to take up some vibration. I'm guessing here, but I think it's either for cooling purposes or to protect against being damaged at the engine side...but I'm just guessing.

 

[67Dart273]

I think you're overthinking this. I agree, the steel tube is for ease of routing where the rubber might have been abraided or over heated, but at some point you MUST have rubber for flex.

The GOOD news about using this much steel tube is that if your tube ends are OK, there are several ways to rebuild the hose using the original steel tubes.

Weatherhead (and probably others) makes fittings like this one, an 06U-756, which crimps onto 3/8" double braid hose and has a special heavy duty steel compression end, in this case, also for 3/8" tube. You simply make up whatever length hose, then cut off the old steel tubes and tighten the compression ends onto the tube.

I can still remember when these were NOT available!!!! We used to silver-braze JIC (AN) flare fittings onto the ends of the cut-off tubes, then make up a hose to fit.

 

[64ragtop]

Overthinking it, 67?? OVERTHINKING??? ME? Sure wouldn't be the first time! Guess it's got a lot to do with my poor time management skills.

I hadn't really thought about ease of routing, but since the replacement hoses are for specific car makes and models, generic hoses probably wouldn't do.

Can pretty much any hydraulic shop can properly crimp that fitting onto the hose?? If so, the rest of the fab for the high pressure hose just got a lot less confusing. Now all that's needed are the proper fittings for the hoses to the the Borgeson box, a few bolts (rather special bolts, it seems) and figuring out how to assemble the brackets for the Federal/Chrysler pump to the /6.

As always, any observations , tips, tricks ot constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

BC

 

[67Dart273]

Any good shop should HAVE and be able to crimp those fittings. The 06U series Weatherhead fittings are very common, and other brands have their own equivalents.

I don't know what the Borgenson box uses for fittings, but here's an example----"back when" we used to 4x4, LOTS of us used GM boxes. These had a common 3/8" inverted flare fitting for the return fitting---easy, and had a 3/8 TUBE for the pressure, but it had a special oversized NUT which ---just like master cylinder fittings-- "upsized" the nut size

I don't recall the part no. But Weatherhead used to make 06U series fittings in straight/ 45 / 90 inverted flare. For while, I used to carefully trim the end off the 90, put a salvaged 7/16 pressure nut off an old GM tube, and re--flare the nut. I don't know if Weatherhead still does, but they DID for awhile offer these special 3/8 tube x 7/16 nuts for GM boxes. A 90 looks like this:

06U-BXX

This catalog

[ame]http://www.royalbrassandhose.com/catpdf/hydraulic_hose/weatherhead.pdf[/ame]

Shows some of it. The index is showing page 101, makes no sense, there is no page 101

Look on page 11 for the inverted flare I mentioned, and page 15 for the compression fittings I mentioned earlier

I have no idea why I remembered those part numbers. Last time I had my hands on a crimp machine was in the '80's. I've crimped hundreds of hoses, and hand made the PITA "makeup" ends.

 

[64ragtop]

I lost your response in the clutter of other stuff, but thanks! It pretty well confirmed what I was thinking - that I was making a mountain out of a molehill! The fittings are available, there are folks around who can crimp the hoses properly and I've learned something! All in all, a very good thing. Thanks!

BC

 

[DA4AD]

I think it is so the exhaust manifolds don't melt the hose.
My 2 cents.