Just one small point to add.
With the 205 width tyres, I do find that the fan belt needs to be a bit tighter than I would like. This might cause premature wear on the water pump bearings. If it’s not tight enough it will slip when manoeuvring at very slow speeds, such as when parking. This will cause the steering wheel to exhibit a pulsating feel as well as partial loss of assistance.
Fortunately my Bridgestone have a rounded profile as opposed to a flat one, and I keep them at around 35 psi.
Well, the jury is still out, but we found a shop in Ohio that didn’t flinch at the notion of rebuilding my box, not did they care that I was running radial tires. They were recommended by a world-class restoration shop just down the road from me, so we’ll see what happens. We shipped them the Burman box, but I haven’t heard whether they’re finished with it yet. I’ll be sure to report back with the results.
I, too, am worried about the ability of the fan belt to carry the load. My fan has been replaced in favor of an electric unit in front of the radiator, and the water pump has been replaced with a new one, but the generator will be replaced with a higher-capacity alternator. With the radial tires and the load of the alternator, I have my doubts that the original belt arrangement will be up to the task… but we’ll see.
An A/C unit will be added eventually, and that will have its own belt drive, but it will just add to the electrical load on the alternator. Thanks again to all who have added their collective wisdom to this journey. The big saloons are such a rare breed that every little piece of information is much appreciated!
Jay
Well keep me posted for sure! They may be getting another box the build of your happy with their work! I hope it all works out for you buddy. Minor leaks like a sieve. And I had it rebuilt by Walt out in Idaho. Even when it was on the lift without any pressure, it leaked…
Perhaps you could fit one of those Saginaw pumps, driven by it’s own belt. These are popular pumps, operating with similar capacities and pressures, and fitted to the 420 and 420g models.
Idaho? What a coincidence! The “expert” who won’t rebuild my Burman steering box because I’m running radial tires is out of Idaho. Caveat emptor…
Jay
I had the bushing (that the shaft rides in) reamed to allow about .0015" clearance between the shaft and the bushing. It slips into place with proper clearance now and the bushing is nicely cleaned up. Since I had not received the part and was under the gun to attend the Lime Rock Park Empire Club event in June with friends, I installed another spare non leaking box that I had to make the event. So the box remains to be final assembled and installed. I bought the o-ring kit to replace the cover and shaft o-rings and have an NOS top cover gasket as well. I will finish this job in the fall and report the results.
Regarding leakage of these boxes, it is very possible that the leak is from one of the hoses or the front lower high pressure tube mounted on the box. People tend to over tighten these banjo bolts and crack the tube solder joint. Worth cleaning up the oily mess with a spray of Gunk and a wash down of the general area to determine where the leak is coming from, they can be quite elusive.
I had another box rebuilt by Walt several years ago and it is now on my 61 MK IX, with total success. I also run large radial tires, 215/75-R16 and they are excellent. The power assist is nothing like modern car power steering, that simply powers the tires lock to lock no matter what. The power assist is intended to be used while the tires are rolling, so if you use it as intended it works fine.
Tom Brady
I totally agree on those banjo bolts. And the issue of overtightening. I’ve had my car in a number of shops to have the box looked at , and get varying opinions. But I did have it looked at by Dick Maury at Coventry West and he felt it was the main shaft seal was bad. And I will also add that I spoke with Walt on many occasions and we’ve tried to figure out what was going on with the box,But to absolutely no avail. I’ve just learned to live with the week for the last seven years. And I mean it really leaks!
If I am driving the car consistently the leaks are not as bad. But if I let the car sit for a week it will completely drain out all the power steering fluid. I’m at a loss as to what to do. And I’ve heard many people say they leaked right from the factory.
Try Lucas Power Steering Stop Leak. You have nothing to lose.
Update on the Burman power steering box rebuild…
The shop in Ohio is proceeding with the p/s box rebuild, albeit glacially slow. They have now encountered some issue regarding the input/output ports, and they’re asking my mechanic if he has any photographs of the power steering box when it was installed on the car(!). We never thought this would be an issue, so we didn’t take any. Apparently this Burman box is a bit more “exotic” than the domestic stuff they’re used to tackling, but at least they agreed to tackle it.
So… do any of you Mark IX owners happen to have any photographs of your power steering boxes taped up on your refrigerators. 
Right-hand drive would be preferred, since that’s what mine is, but I’ll take what I can get. The shop seems to be concerned with how the plumbing enters the box, so that’s the detail I assume they’re looking for. Perhaps even bench photos of the steering box itself would be helpful as long as the plumbing was still attached…
Thanks for posting any photos you may have!
Jay
Is this any good.? The return connection is at the steering shaft end of the box. You can see the banjo connection on the photo, but not the hose as it’s facing inboard. The pressure hose is screwed onto a tee connection, which you can see. This tee has a metal pipe which connects to
the front of the box.
I’ve a parts book diagram somewhere if you want me to send you that as well.
Here’s the parts book diagram.
Straightforward really. The return banjo is spun round
to a position suitable for the hose which is clamped with a simple Jubilee clip.
The pressure hose bolts up in line with the brass tee. The rest is fixed piping.
Thanks Wardell,
That was exactly what I was looking for! So now the question is, will that suffice for the rebuilders to get the job finished? We’ll soon find out, as the your photos were forwarded to them today. Hopefully I should be able to report back by the end of the week… I should have either a rebuilt steering box or a carton of parts headed back to me soon!
Thanks again,
Jay
Hi Jay,
Are you aware there is at least one vendor on eBay that advertises rebuilt or rebuilding of MK IX steering boxes. I have no experience with that vendor, but may be worth considering.
I am driving my 59 MK IX to Stowe, VT tomorrow to the British Invasion, a distance of about 240 miles away. I will put around 600 miles on the car this weekend, with the steering box that was rebuilt by Walt at Vintage Jag. I took the car to Lime Rock Park earlier this year, about a 375 mile total run, with not a drop of power steering fluid leakage. He did a great job on it for around $650.
Tom Brady
This box was leaking out of the lower rocker shaft. I Read the conversation on rebuilding a PS box. I just did mine in a day. I was so afraid of all the balls and complexity of the box. Took it out anyway. Could not separate the ball joint, so I slid the box up out of the drop arm. Good thing I had the antique wrench big enough for the job. Anyway, with fear and trepidation I took the cover off and found that the shaft lifted out of the box. It was shiny, but the O rings were flat. So they were replaced as well as others since I had the kit.
Had the box back in the car by the end of the day.
Hi Dana,
Congratulations on a successful rebuild! Did you remove all of the internal components, or were you able to replace the defective seals just by pulling the shaft? I’m mostly curious about the recirculating balls… they’re slightly different in size, alternately, and are so marked as silver, black, silver, black, etc. Were yours still marked accordingly, or had they all worn down to silver?
My box was rebuilt and is now back in the car, but I don’t know if it will leak under pressure yet… the rebuilder was unable to bench test it under pressure for some reason (?) and I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t made time to rebuild the PS pump yet. I’ve been driving it without PS for the time being, but it sure is a pig at slow speeds.
The bigger problem is that the generator no longer works after sitting for so many years, so I’ll need to address that anyway when I remove the PS pump. Used to be that every auto parts supply house in the country had a “growler” to test generator armatures with, but those days are long gone!
Again, congratulations on the successful rebuild, and maybe I’ll be as lucky!
Jay
My leak was in the lower shaft. It lifted out without having to mess with all the recirculating balls. New O rings on the shaft and top cover bolts, make-a-gasket sealant for the top cover, and it should be good.
Re-building the pump was simple.
I put a Dynamator alternator in place of the generator. If you need both, John’s Cars (Texas) has an 80 amp unit with pump. Wiring changes are fairly easy.