'70 Cuda upgrade to power steering & power disc brakes

[Cudakev70]

Howdy! Seeking info to convert to PS & disc PB's my '70 340 slap stick automatic. I have owned for 53 years & don't have the muscle power I did in my earlier years

I am NOT a motorhead, just drive it & looking for input on what to purchase. I have a mechanic that will install. Would sincerely appreciate support. Txs in advance!

Kev

[70 Challenger Lover]

Howdy! Seeking info to convert to PS & disc PB's my '70 340 slap stick automatic. I have owned for 53 years & don't have the muscle power I did in my earlier years

I am NOT a motorhead, just drive it & looking for input on what to purchase. I have a mechanic that will install. Would sincerely appreciate support. Txs in advance!

Kev

You'll need a few things for each. Might even want to break the two jobs down and do one at a time.

PS

For power steering, don't forget that the shaft inside the column is shorter. So you'll need one of those (they are still out there for $100-200). Your guy will need to know how to yank the column and switch it out. While the column is out, you might consider changing out the ignition and turn signal switches since they aren't expensive. I did not do this on one of my cars recently during an upgrade because they worked perfect but when I reinstalled, that was when the turn signal switch decided to fail.

You need a coupler to connect your new column shaft to the steering box.

You need to find a Saginaw pump and the correct brackets to mount it to the engine. You'll need a two groove crank pulley to accommodate the new belt. You'll need a special line to connect the pressure side of the pump to the steering box. The drain is just a rubber hose with hose clamps.

Obviously, you'll need a power steering box to replace your smaller manual box. Different options here that I'll let others explain. I like the factory style but make sure it's a rebuilt unit so it's not sloppy or leaking.

I'm not sure if you can reuse the pitman arm but if it were me, I'd put in a new one. They make longer pitman and idler arms to improve steering ratios. Manual is like five turns lock to lock. Power steering brings it down to three and a half turns lock to lock. Nice improvement! But the longer, quick ratio arms bring it down to two and a half turns lock to lock which is what modern cars have so most people like the improvement since it brings it closer to what they are used to in modern cars. I think firmfeel offers the arm combo for $250 or so.

I'll make a separate post for power brakes.

[70 Challenger Lover]

Power brakes offers you more choices so before I dive into that, let me ask if you are wanting to maintain the correct factory appearance as though it came with power brakes or are you okay with using aftermarket parts, like boosters, that will clearly look aftermarket but make the installation process easier, faster and less expensive?

I recently added the correct factory original power booster setup to my 71 Barracuda convertible with its original drums and now that it is all finished, I have to say that I'm not very impressed. It's working perfectly but it did not provide the super soft 'Buick like' pedal effort I was expecting. My drum brakes work awesome but the booster reduced pedal effort only a small amount. And chasing down the correct pieces and having the correct booster professionally restored was a real headache.

The other thing the factory pivot hardware does is lower the brake pedal closer to the floor which they advertised as being more comfortable for drivers. I personally don't like how much it lowers it. In fact, I customized a pushrod in the pivot mechanism to bring the pedal back up a little more to my liking. Unfortunately, the factory pivot piece takes up a bit of room so putting in an aftermarket adjustable pushrod didn't seem like a good option.

It is my belief that some of the aftermarket stuff, like dial diaphragm boosters, may offer bigger gains on lowering pedal effort so if comfort and function are what you want most, I think I'd recommend going the aftermarket route. Your mechanic will thank you.

[Bullitt-]

  Another power steering option is the Borgeson kit...
I've seen several folks here that upgraded their existing P/S box for better feel/response 
 
https://www.borgeson.com/Mopar-Kit-Small-Block-with-1-1-8-pitman-shaft.html

[GrandpaKevin]

Did this on my wifegod's 71 R/T Challenger about 8 years ago although I went with the non power (manual) disc brake setup.
I think most of the standard OEM style front disc conversion kits are very similar.
The disc brake conversion has worked great since the installation although I did replace the brake pads with better quality ones because they were squeaky.
I did all new lines, hoses and wheel cylinders and used DOT 5 fluid.
I also installed all new ball joints, tie rod ends and upper control arms while I had everything torn apart.

I would suggest contacting Cass at Dr. Diff for the disc brake conversion.
He will have everything you need to do the conversion including master cylinder and brake line distribution block. https://www.doctordiff.com/brakes/

I did the power steering conversion on her car the old fashioned way of swapping the steering column for a shorter power steering one, buying a rebuilt power steering box and searching for a correct power steering pump, belt, brackets and pulleys.


I'm getting ready to do the same changes to my 71 R/T Challenger but this time I think I'm going to go with the all in one Bergman power steering conversion kit so I can keep my current manual steering column and avoid searching for parts.  https://bergmanautocraft.com/product/borgeson-steering-box-conversion-master-kit/

Good luck.