Which steering gear box to use? 73 or 72?

[72Valiant4Door]

I am finishing my 73 suspension swap.

My 72 has a saginaw pump and the 73 has a federal.

My question is, do i have to use the 73 gear box?

 

[Sedanman]

73 is more plentiful if you need something. The gear boxes are the same,only the pumps changed.

 

[72Valiant4Door]

Should i use the sag or fed?

 

[Sedanman]

fed like this. I have the same 73- up set up in my 67 Valiant. They used these pumps all the way into the 90's

 

[72Valiant4Door]

fed like this. I have the same 73- up set up in my 67 Valiant. They used these pumps all the way into the 90's

I thought feds had the round tank and sags had the triangular.

 

[Sedanman]

I ID them by (one looks like a cherry bomb and the other looks like a pineapple) lol. I have no idea who made which 1 but the pineapple shaped pump is 73-up

 

[72Valiant4Door]

That is strange because the 73 I have has the Cherry Bomb looking pump and my 72 has the pineapple looking pump

 

[72Valiant4Door]

 

[Sedanman]

The late saginaw is the one I use 72 or 3-up. The middle one is up to 71 or 2 I think. The first one is a 60's model. I did part out a 70 and 71 dart /6 and both had the first pump.

 

[OL DODGE]

use the" late" Saginaw-a lot easier to find easy to repair and more p/s hose options can get it in chrome if that's your thing I have a "late" saginaw on my 73 Dart and on my 90 D-150 was stock that way nice that it was used so much can change brackets from year to year and be done with it just my opinion

 

[72bluNblu]

The gear boxes are the same, only the pumps changed.

Not true. Pre-73 power steering units had the "small shaft" gearbox, w/ 1.125" diameter Pitmann shaft. '73+ used the 1.25" diameter "large shaft" gear-box.

The '73+ pitmann arms are cheaper by about $30.

Either power steering pump can be used with either steering gear box. The Federal pumps have slightly higher pressure, resulting in more "boost" and an even more overboosted feel than the Saginaw's. The Saginaw's are also easier to modify to lower the pressure, they just require a shim, so you can dial down the amount of boost. That's covered in the "pump it down" article (attached!)

pre-'73
1971 DODGE DART Moog Replacement Pitman Arms K7074

73+
1974 PLYMOUTH DUSTER Moog Replacement Pitman Arms K7076

 

[72Valiant4Door]

S*** I think I ordered power steering pressure line for a 73 I'm assuming this is specific to a federal pump?

 

[Sedanman]

If it mounts in the lower rear you should be fine,they all used the same thread size.

 

[GUMM B]

If he switches from the '72 power steering gearbox to the '73 power steering gearbox, will he have any trouble mating the gearbox to the steering column shaft? Are there any length differences between the steering shafts of the '72 and '73 power steering cars that will be a problem?

 

[72bluNblu]

If he switches from the '72 power steering gearbox to the '73 power steering gearbox, will he have any trouble mating the gearbox to the steering column shaft? Are there any length differences between the steering shafts of the '72 and '73 power steering cars that will be a problem?

No. The input shaft on the gear boxes didn't change, only the sector diameter changed on the power steering boxes.

 

[GUMM B]

No. The input shaft on the gear boxes didn't change, only the sector diameter changed on the power steering boxes.

And the steering shaft length didn't change either?

 

[72bluNblu]

And the steering shaft length didn't change either?

Nope. The steering boxes are the same dimensions everywhere but the diameter of the output sector, so nothing about the location of the steering coupler changes if you swap a small sector power steering box for a large sector power steering box.

The steering columns changed over the range of years from 67-76, but as far as I know none of those changes effected the length of the steering shaft at all (key on the column, lockout linkage, changes to shift linkage etc).

 

[AbodyBB]

Other big difference between Federal and Saginaw pumps is that the Federal has a pressure relief that drops the pressure at higher flow. It makes the steering feel a bit more firm at speed but gives full pressure at low engine speeds. Like parking the car.
The Saginaw is a constant pressure. It tends to use a bit more power at higher RPM.

 

[AJ/FormS]

Should i use the sag or fed?

I've had no luck with the Federal Pumps. The two I tried were just too slow.
Slapped on a Saginaw, and shazzam!