Topic: Steering Gear Ratios

[Pete Bush]

I had always thought that two steering gear ratios were used on 1966 Mustangs: 22:1 and 16:1

I got looking through my shop manual and it says that they were 19.9:1 and 16:1.
Model HCC-AT 19.9:1 Manual
Model HCC-AX 16:1 Special Handling Package
Model HCC-AW 16:1 Power Steering

Is this correct? Why do so many publications mention the 22:1?

[bryancobb]

I call them "4-Turn" and "5-Turn" to avoid the ratio confusion.

[Pete Bush]

Thanks, Bryan. I've heard them called that, too. Although the actual number of turns appears to be 3-3/4 and 4-5/8 for the Mustangs.

Now the 22:1 and 16:1 steering boxes in the 66 Comet, Fairlane, and Falcon were actually 4 and 5 turns according to the Shop manual.

My interest is an export build sheet I have that specifies a 22:1 steering box. I thought that this was merely the standard Mustang steering box until I saw the 19.9:1 specification in the Shop Manual. Now I'm wondering if they put a Falcon steering box on this car for some reason.

[Ivygreen65]

Why do so many publications mention the 22:1?

What publications mention the 22:1 coming in the Mustang?  I don't think I've ever read anything I considered reliable mentioning that.

The Falcon, Fairlane, and Comet had a 22:1 box option, but not the Mustang.

[bryancobb]

Pete, 

My guess is that there's only 2 ratios and the 22:1 number got written down wrong from verbal communication, along the line and accidentally written into the shop manuals.

I'll SPECULATE as follows:  "twenty to one" sounds an awful lot like "twenty-two to one." 

I think the 19.9:1 was always called a 20:1 and somewhere along the way, twenty to one, got in the books as twenty-two to one.
?

[Pete Bush]

I guess "reliable" is the correct choice of word, IvyGreen. Attached are two pages out of The Ford Mustang by William S. Stone. (Published:1966). You'll see that the specification for steering gears here is 27:1 for manual and 22:1 for power and special handling package (SHP). This data is duplicated in Colin Date's Mustang - The Restorer's Guide (pg. 111). Where I got it.
I found out not too long ago at the HiPo site that the SHP used a 16:1 ratio not 22:1. Now I'm finding out that the other ratio was 19.9:1 - so I'm not sure where 27:1 and 22:1 came from. 

16:1 and 19.9:1 are specified in both the shop manual and master parts catalog, Bryan. I would tend to side with these "Ford" publications.

22:1 steering gear #C4ZR-3504-E (from the export car build sheet I was talking about) is not listed in the '75 edition of the MPC so I'm not sure what part this specifies.

[bryancobb]

Oh yes! I agree with you Pete, about Ford pubs being correct.  I just guess most people refer to the 19.9 box as "twenty-to-one."