First allow the comparison of pros and cons among the differing systems.  To go with a race bred bearing is pricey, with kits costing close to $500.  The bearing itself is close to 200 for a cheap one.  Also, it involves specific master cylinder applications and is mostly difficult for parts procurement short of ordering them and waiting for their arrival.

In reference to the Ford stock parts, it involves the use of a plastic mounting surface for the slave cylinder, and would involve the replacement of the input shaft bearing on the trans.  This could prove detrimental to the overall reliability of the transmission, and was not an option of choice as a result.

The third option, though frowned upon by purists, is one with sound reasoning.  The GM system used on ‘88 vintage full size trucks involved the use of an external slave cylinder, and a common master cylinder.  What this means is that with a simple bracket, fabricated and bolted to the bellhousing, and a slight extension of the clutch fork, one can install this system on any vehicle.  A couple bubble flare fittings and two flare fittings along with some brake line with a built in flex point allows the connection between slave and master cylinders, and a simple bleeding of the line produces a dramatic reduction in pedal pressure, as well as increased clearance in the engine compartment for the headers to be routed.  Thus, the primary objective is achieved, and for a grand total of roughly $120.

Back to the point though, is the fact that this Mach was originally a 351 car, and so the shock towers were cut down at some point to accommodate the big block.  Unfortunately, this was done some time ago and was not done specifically for the 385 series engine, which causes problems procuring headers.  It is to this end that a rack and pinion was desired, to allow for more room in the engine compartment to design headers with better flow.

First off was the removal of the old steering components, including the gearbox, the center link, ad all the tie rods.  Next on the agenda was the fabrication of brackets to install the rack and pinion itself, making sure that it was low enough to clear the oil pan, an issue with tis larger engine.  Also of note is the retention of the rear steering, rather than a full on conversion to front steering components.  once the brackets were fabricated out of steel, with solid aluminum bushings for the rack to eliminate any movement, thee measurements had  to be taken for the overall length of the rack.  This turned out to be a bit long, and short of ordering a custom (and more expensive) rack, we simply machined the threads farther up the rod ends and cut off teh ends to shorten it up a bit, roughly 1.5 inches.  Once this was done, the daunting task of assembling a linkage to the steering column was tackled.  This involved lengthening the stock shaft by about 9 inches, cutting off the end of the steering column that protrudes into the engine bay for added angular clearance, and assembling the knuckles.  All told, this is fairly simple, just a matter of measuring the distances and drilling a few retention holes in the DD bar.  Of note is the fact that we used a short pinion rack to allow for the most clearance.

A summary of parts is simply this – rack and pinion, two knuckles, a length of DD rod – 3/4 inch, and a couple Mustang II outer tie rod ends.  That’s really all it takes.  Of course, this still needs to be road tested, and a bearing may need to be installed at the base of the steering column to maintain alignment, but that remains to be seen.  Currently there appears to be very little slop in the system and so it will be left as is for now.  Parts total was just upward of $500.

So begins the saga of converting a 65 Stang to a V8 five speed with tighter suspension and beefier steering components.  To shorten the story a bit, more or less a list of parts will be following along with specialty equipment necessary for installation; omitted will be the drawbacks and mistakes along the way.

Now, the owner had the desire to do this on the cheap, so I did a lot of Junkyard crawling, which can be omitted in favor of buying the parts if one desires to spend the money.  First off a 289 was obtained from an undisclosed source found in the local classifieds, unknown cam specs , flat top pistons, newly rebuilt heads with hardened valve seats, a must for unleaded gasoline, new pushrods, and it is a hydraulic, flat-tappet cam. A new oil pump and drive were obtained, along with a water pump, used pulleys, and alternator, and the other necessities to make it run.

Behind this is bolted a T5 world class trans from a 92 mustang, check the code on the trans, there are more WC T5’s than got bolted to 5.0 mustangs.  In order to make this fit however, the input shaft had to be turned down on the splines, and the bearing guide had to be turned down; best to check this measurement on a per case basis.  Between the two is an 11 inch clutch and the matching flywheel, though the money saved there is spent on a scattershield from lakewood when you could get a 10.5″ flywheel and clutch and use a standard T5 5.0 bellhousing, saving a smidge over the other combo.  In order to keep the stock lever style clutch a linkage was fabricated in this case, including the equilizer bar and some custom fitting of a 68 upper clutch rod.  This can take a while, or can be ordered as well.

A Crossmember was fabricated from tube and sheet stock for the trans, allowing for custom height to be obtained, in this case as close to the floorboards as possible.  From a six to 8 also requires a three core radiator, best obtained through a dealer, their suppliers are able to adhere to time constraints, or as in this case the local radiator shop.  Add a flex fan and spacer with a few hoses and that is done. Don’t forget the antifreeze, that is a necessity.

In the rear we obtained an 8″ rear from a 68 stang, which is a bit wider than the original, adding a bit to the stance.  Keep that in mind for tire sizing.  New leaf springs and shackles here, along with rebuilt drum brakes (like I said, cheap).  And to couple that to the front is a junkyard driveshaft shortened to 49″ courtesy of the local machine shop and a T5 slip yoke installed, also from the yard.

Stay tuned for the front end rebuild!