Manual Steering to P/S 1965 Dart

[A/MP]

Installing an '81/6 into a '65 Dart. Car has manual steering and want to convert to P/S. I know that the 64-69 A body cars use the same P/S box. Any help? Found this info online. PS27 – Small Block TRW/Thompson Power Steering Pump Brackets. For 1964-69 Small Block LA engines with cast iron water pump housings and TRW or Thompson pumps. Can be used on both A/C and non-A/C applications.

 

[Professor Fate]

If you've got a slant 6, you don't want small block pump brackets...
Also, the steering column is shorter on a power steering car than on manual steering. You will either have to cut your column or swap in the correct one.

 

[junkyardhero]

you'll want all the /6 specific parts to convert over to PS. the pumps and boxes are the same, but the brackets and hoses are all different than V8.

@RustyRatRod was selling a complete power set up off a six. i don't know if it's still available, but i'd totally hit him up and see if he's still got it.

 

[cudamark]

You'll also need to decide if you're going to use the '66 and older system, or the '67 and newer. If originality isn't an issue, I'd use a later system with a Saginaw pump and brackets. You'll want to use a '67-72 A,B, and E body steering gear to keep the small sector shaft so your stock pitman arm can be used. You just need to get the center shaft and coupler out of a '63-6 A-body with P/S. That would swap out so you can keep the rest of your '65 column. Someone here may be doing the opposite, so, try to find someone to swap. Naturally, you will need the correct crank pulley, belt, and hoses too, so, try to get everything from one year to make replacement part ordering easier. That '81 engine probably came with P/S, but depending on what it came out of, it may have a multigroove balancer instead of bolt-on pulleys like the earlier models. That "may" be an issue with belt alignment unless you change the balancer to an early model too. The timing marks are in different spots between a '65 and an '81 too, so, using your '65 balancer would require a different timing mark cut into the balancer to match the '81 timing mark. Use a piston stop to accurately mark TDC. What happened to the P/S pump and brackets from the '81 Engine? That's what I would use along with a '67-72 box and control valve.

 

[A/MP]

This is some great info!