Well yesterday I installed a new Borgeson box with the Bergman coupler kit into my 71 Satellite Sebring. Here’s a description of how it went with pictures. I did this with a friend of mine who knows this stuff extremely well. Without his help I’d still be working on it. We got it done in less than a day.

The car has a 340 with shorty headers running a Firm Feel Stage 3 box with fast ratio pitman and idler arms. Because I like the faster ratio and my exhaust was custom bent to route around the pitman and idler, I chose to keep the fast ratio setup. I also have the large sector pitman.

I bought the Borgeson box and kit from Bergman Auto Craft. Peter was very helpful over the phone. I picked Bergman because of their coupler that doesn’t require you to cut the steering column.
https://bergmanautocraft.com/

First we removed the battery, tray, and steering pump to make room. Then we loosened the steering column at the firewall and under the dash. After resting the column and steering wheel on the front seat, we hammered the roll pin out of the original coupler so that we could pull the column out of the old box.

Next was to loosen the bolts on the Firm Feel box, and separate the box from the pitman arm. Separating the box from the pitman was not the typical nightmare, mainly because I had just installed that Firm Feel box only a few years ago.

Space was a little tight but from eyeballing it we thought we might luck out and be able to slide the old box out between the header and fender wall. We were a little too optimistic. The header blocked removal of the old box both from above and from the front. Worst case we’d have to remove the header. Best case we could jack up the engine for the extra ½ inch we needed. We lifted the motor on the driver’s side and were able to slide the box out through the front.

Getting the new box in was easy. It’s smaller, lighter, and fits the frame bolts perfectly.

Back to the steering column, it was time to remove the old coupler and install the new one. Removing the old one was pretty straightforward, but the new one required some extra attention in getting the pieces internal to the coupler arranged properly. We put them together, greased them up, and used a brass hammer to tap the black coupler housing onto the end of the column. My column is pretty beat up, to say the least, so we were extra careful in not making it any worse.

Something that might be obvious to others but was not obvious to me was that the internals of the coupler act as a U-joint. Once we had it on the column it rotated fairly smoothly. I could see how the whole thing would work together.

According to the installation instructions the next step is to center the spline on the box and install the steering column. Nothing on the new coupler or Borgeson box showed a master spline, so we had to play it by ear. We decided to attach the column to the box and use the steering wheel to locate the center.

We attached the column to the box and mounted the column back to the underside of the dash. Attaching the Bergman coupler to the Borgeson box was a little different than the stock pieces. You don’t use the roll pin (as far as we could tell). Instead there is a little stud that screws through the end of the coupler and lines up with a divot in the Borgeson spline. The Bergman kit came with a new roll pin though, so if we missed something I’ll probably discover it after my car careens wildly out of control through a fence.

Centering the box was a little less precise than I would have liked. With the pitman arm unattached, we spun the steering wheel back and forth to locate the center. The box turned about 3 2/3 turns, lock to lock. Half of that is 1 and 5/6 turns. So I turned the wheel all the way to the left and then back 1 5/6 turns. The steering wheel wasn’t straight but at this point we didn’t care about that and were more concerned with having the tires pointed straight when the box was centered. We attached the pitman to the box.

We never did get it right. With the fast ratio pitman attached, the Borgeson internal stops weren’t used anymore because the tires would touch the frame rails long before we got to the stops. On our first try attaching the pitman, the steering (lock to lock) was 1 full turn to the right, 1 1/3 turns to the left. We detached the pitman and tried it on the next spline, and we got the opposite result – 1 full turn to the left, and 1 1/3 turn to the right. If we could somehow get a 1/6 turn adjustment using the splines it would have been perfect, but we couldn’t. I’m hoping to get that 1/6th using the tie rods.

There’s been some talk about the angle of the Borgeson box with the steering column. It’s not too bad and so far I haven’t felt anything.

Then we reattached the pump (the return line on the box is the one closer to the firewall), filled it, and reinstalled the battery tray and battery.

Here’s my experience driving it for about 30 miles:

The Good:
The ratio and steering feel. Wow! I was a little worried about using the fast ratio arms with the Borgeson box. But, no. This is the BEST steering experience I’ve had with this car, and I’ve had this car since 1987! For under $1,000 this is the best steering you will get out of a classic Mopar. The final ratio is somewhere around 10.5:1.

The Bad:
I have the dreaded Borgeson “hiss”, which is a slight hissing sound you hear with this box. Many other people have reported it. I only hear it when the steering wheel is dead centered. If I turn the wheel just an inch, it goes away. I’ve already spoken with Bergman and they are suggesting a new pump.

But even with the hiss – the steering is so good I’ll just turn up the radio and forget about it.

The Ugly:
My original 1971 Saginaw power steering pump is giving up the ghost. The Borgeson box, as per Bergman, requires ~1,000 lbs of pressure at ~2.4 gpm. A cooler may be recommended as well. My pump was fine when the car was moving but struggling when the car was at a dead stop. The fluid felt hot as well.


I hope this helps others who are considering the Borgeson box.

Jim

Here are two before pics:

It was tight removing the old box. Here's a view before we lifted the engine.

Here's the new box mounted in the car.

And with the column attached. The second pic shows the coupler angle.

And with everything installed:

Thank you for the report. I see that you have the TRW pump. I wonder how it compares to a Saginaw pump?
I thought I recall reading that the Saginaw pumps used in V8 cars made over 1150 psi while the slant six versions were around 850 ?
I want to do this swap as well but if/when I do, I'm planning on going back to the standard ratio idler and Pitman arms. I too have a Firm Feel Stage 3 with the Fast Ratio arms.

Regarding the ratio, the Borgeson w/ fast ratio arms does not feel too fast, at all. In fact, it reminds me of a new MB E-series coupe in steering responsiveness. Total turns lock to lock are about 2.3 before the tires (for me, 255/45-17) hit the frame.

I drove the car a little last night and really have to get that pump replaced. I'm considering the pump that Bergman sells, along with a cooler. I'm not sure if there's anything particularly unique in the pump from Bergman.

And the hiss is still annoying.

That hiss is disappointing. I was very interested in it until I saw the reports of the noise. I can't see spending that amount and having to live with that noise. I thought Bergman said that they fixed that issue?

Did they? If so, did they post that anywhere?

I'd have to look, but I'm 95% sure I saw a thread somewhere where that whine was discussed and there was supposed to have been a fix that was defined by the housing being cast or welded?? It's not related to anything Bergman is providing as far as I know. I'm sure he could address it for you.

I have the newer cast box.

I spoke to a few people today about it and it was suggested to make sure the input line from the pump was at least 18" long, and to try to reduce harmonic vibrations by attaching something, like a wrap of some kind, to the line with clamps. I'm going to give that a try.

what is the/this hiss caused by ?

I'm not 100% sure. I'm thinking it's caused by the fluid coursing through the lines or box, causing slight vibrations that are being passed up through the Bergman coupler and into the column, which is then heard inside the car. There's a video of a 68 Barracuda making the same noise. Here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkKw4eJDSwg

Wow, that's quite worst than I thought. I'm not sure what all would cause that but my Borgeson box with a all-metal u-joint to the column doesn't make that noise.

you would think that noise may be caused if the wheel was held against the stop, but it would get irritating listening to that just going down the road.
thanks for the link JF.

JF -- T/Anks very much for your postings on this subject! By chance did you weigh the boxes to compare?

I didn't, but according to Borgeson the new box weighs 22 lbs and old one is 33 lbs. Putting in the new box was a LOT easier on the back.

Can't quite tell but it seems to me that the car is really quiet aside from the hiss. I'd guess that a car with more rumble may hide that noise a bit.
I was briefly concerned but my car has more exhaust sound evident from inside so this may not even matter to me. Thanks!

When I worked as a wrench for Dodge, we sometimes would get different type of feedback noises off pressure hoses, whether it was A/C or P/S. The fix from Ma Chrysler was to put a 2-piece counter weight on the hose to change the dynamics. Maybe you can try a weight like the ones they have for kitchen faucet hoses that pull the hose back into place? Bolt it around the P/S pressure hose. Worth a try to unbolt from the sink to try it out, eh?

.

That's a good idea and very easy to try. The same concept could work if the harmonic is exciting a resonant frequency in the steering column by clamping a weight on the steering shaft. Works like a resonator in an exhaust system does to change the natural harmonic frequency of the system.

Yep, I'm gonna try something like this.

Well this is sure an interesting thread! I was planning on getting the Borgeson box so I am
watching this closely to see how this plays out..... that sound is very annoying and not something I could live with
With my restoration......

A "restoration" wouldn't have a non factory steering box in it.

Uh... ok...... how about “Restomod”? Are we good now? Now back to our thread....... I have noticed that some of the stock power steering hoses are Quite large in diameter and maybe this has a quieting or damping effect? I may run this issue by Amazon Hose and rubber here in Tampa and see if they know what the deal is....... TBF

Larger hose is usually the return, low pressure high volume.

WRONG!

This is just a personal opinion having attempted to deal with this... and ultimately failed!
I believe the hiss is caused by the design of the coupling.
Its metal to metal where it connects to the spline on the box
I don't believe the use of the setscrew helps this either.

If you don't buy this theory,
WIth the car idling in Neutral, put your stethoscope right on the end of the coupling past the set screw but not on the box...
You'll hear the same sound you hear in your passenger compartment just amplified...

This is just my opinion (I showed to several engineering friends of mine)
Their opinion was unanimous....
The coupler, while well meaning is a hack.

Yes, it "fits" but…. I personally feel it needs to be re-engineered to muffle out the sound where it connects to the spline
and it should use a roll pin just like factory....

WARNING: Don't buy his pump expecting it to fix anything.. it doesn't.
He's basically offering it as a try and see... (think about that for a second)
(in reality this entire setup is a try and see!)

If you switch to his pump pay very close attention to your mounting brackets..
If you have the 70-71 oval pump your brackets will NOT fit the newer style pump (although the look like they do!)
and everyone and his brother tells you they interchange....True, bolt holes all line up and as a result
the brackets bolt right up but watch the clearance on the front big bracket
to the housing of the pump...it will interfere when you tighten it completely down....

You will only discover this after you've removed your pump,
bought his, bolted it all together and then bam... you can't use it!

He may try to sell you a new bracket to mount your pump with....
Then you will discover (the hard way) two things

1) that the return outlet is larger than the stock outlet and in a different place.
So you will have to get a larger diameter return hose than your stock..
Hint: if you have a stock PS pump and return hose your stock clamps wont work either

2) The location of the return outlet is different on his pump vs your stock pump
so your return hose will not be in the same location
This will rear its ugly head only AFTER you bolt the new pump in and try to tighten the belt...

My recommendation... if it's hissing in your passenger compartment.
Remove everything, return it immediately, and get [ball][/b] of your money back.
Don't settle for this...

Again this is a personal opinion based on painful experience with this setup.
Rightly or wrongly this is NOT an engineered system for a MOPAR
It is a collection of parts that "fit"
It well meaning and well intentioned
and I deeply appreciate Mr. Bergman for attempting to address
what I think is absolutely the worst thing about old Mopars (the pinky power steering)

I give him further kudos as he did STAND behind his warranty
and did not hide behind it like so many other parts people do...

But... for the $$$$ I said forget it...
I say that with the utmost disappointment.. Because I personally wanted this to work BAD!!!!!
I did everything I could. ….

Hope this helps





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I have a different setup, but for what it's worth, I just converted my '70 Challenger to a coilover front suspension with a power steering rack and a GM Type2 power steering pump. When steering back and forth in the garage my steering column had an annoying vibration along with that hissing sound. Turns out the pump was making slightly too much pressure for the Ford style rack.
I installed a power steering pressure regulator inline with the feed and return lines(the excess fluid goes right into the return line so no extra heat is added to the pump) and now my steering is silent and I can adjust the feel of the system to my liking around town and on the highway.
I have no idea if this will help you or not but it's a thought.

The regulator is Heidt's part number PS-101 and all my lines are 6an. I also ran the return line through a small fluid cooler. It was installed from the beginning, before the regulator was added.

Does anyone know if the hissing problem has been fixed? Just seen about these boxes but don't think I can handle the hissing sound.

Read the post directly above yours

We had the same problem after converting a Ford Falcon using the Borgesson kit. Steering was nice but the noise is loud! Borgesson admitted there was a problem and offered NO solution or refund. Basically told us too bad! They really don't care!

I hear and feel your frustration... I've been there.
But they do have a warranty and they stood behind it when I had my issues..(which are identical to yours)
You should remind them of that and ask nicely for a full refund...

I fought with Borgeson about my box as well for the hissing. I went back and forth they blamed Bergman's coupler for the noise as their coupler has some rubber/RTV in it that they claim solves this. Obviously Bergman autocraft called this B.S when I showed him the response I got.

In the end Bergman got Borgeson to take the box back for warranty. They "repaired" it but didn't detail as to what. I haven't been out with the car yet but from driveway tests it seems to be solved so far.

That’s a Saginaw pump. Early style with oval can.