The drum brake thread got me wondering, does anyone know how common, or uncommon, manual steering was with 428 engines?
My special order, 1969 XR7 with R code 4 speed, & drag pack was originally a manual steer car.
Almost 93% of all 1969 cougars received power steering. Pretty uncommon for any engine.
Thanks for the quick reply, Scott.
Was the manual steering in your '69 R-code fast-ratio or regular?
Jay
My 1969 Cylone CJ has manual steering with a rim blow horn. Makes for fun when parking … LOL
I don’t have the answer to that question. When I was rebuilding the suspension and adding the P/S I didn’t pay attention.
My Boss 351 is the same, rimblow with manual steering. Just watch how you grip and squeezee.
Both my Eliminators have fast-ratio (i.e. high-effort) manual steering with rim-blow wheels, so I know exactly what you are talking about.
When I bought my first Cougar, I’d never heard of the rim-blow horn feature, and the previous owner didn’t explain it. For quite a while I was at a loss as to why the horn would honk at seemingly random moments, but particularly in parking lots. Was quite the “Eureka!” moment when I figured it out.
Jay
Seriously, what were the engineers thinking (or not) ? Manual steering/rim blow? One needed a death grip to parallel park! Too funny.
My 1st experience with a rim blow horn was in 1973 when I bought a 70 T-bird. I thought the car had a short and returned it to the dealer. Felt pretty stupid when the tech showed me it was just my gripping the wheel to hard when turning. And the T-bird of course had pwr strg.
My 70 Eliminator had manual steering, rim blow wheel, and a 428CJ up front. The clutch was also a killer (Schiefer) and I cruised Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd one Saturday night. My left leg was shaking before half-way done. Car was great in a straight line but was impossible to autocross due to steering.
I bet Kevin Marti could answer that question. My 1969 Cougar Coupe has a 428CJ with Ram Air and manual steering, and drum brakes. It is a real treat to get it into a parking spot, and yes, when I first attempted to park it the rim blow horn sounded regularly! I am an original owner and bought the car in April, 1969.