Our 1965 Tempest station wagon was built bare bones -- no power steering, brakes, A/C, or even a radio. Over the course of the last decade, it has gone through thousands of miles, a lot of upgrades, and three engines.
The latest engine - a Pure-Pontiac 428 -- sports aftermarket fuel injection. In addition, the original Muncie (Yes, it is a factory four-speed wagon!) was swapped for a Tremec five-speed years ago, the rearend was rebuilt, and we bolted up big brakes and installed aftermarket air conditioning. All of these updates have transformed our Tempest into a great road-trip car with terrific driveability and comfort. There’s one exception, however -- the steering.
You see, we have retained the factory manual steering box over all these years. Every time we’ve looked into adding power steering, we’ve been turned off by the thought of digging up the correct pulleys and spacing brackets to run the A/C, alternator, and a pump. Then we started thinking about switching over to a serpentine system. It would be a benefit-filled project if we could find a Pontiac system that would bring all of the accessories closer and lower on the engine. Fortunately March Performance has the Pontiac faithful covered with several different offerings.
March Performance has specialized in bracket and pulley kits and solutions for nearly 25 years. Currently, it has a variety of kits to choose from, all of which are designed around a CNC-machined, billet-aluminum main-bracket assembly that supports the A/C compressor and alternator, and are available with or without power steering (a non-A/C system is also available).
All of March Performance’s Pontiac kits are based on the later 11-bolt timing cover and are supplied with a new Edelbrock aluminum water pump. Your engine also needs to have a four-bolt balancer to accept the larger billet pulley. The kits incorporate three idler pulleys to ensure plenty of belt-to-pulley contact area for no slippage.
After talking to March Performance’s techs, we decided to try its Revolver system (PN 13165, MSRP $2,089.95) for the 428 in our Tempest. The kit supplied a new 105-amp one-wire alternator, Sanden A/C compressor and line adapter, Type-2 power-steering pump, and all of the brackets and hardware for the installation. (We supplied a power-steering reservoir and hoses, though March offers these parts separately.) What’s more, the brackets and covers come with a clear powdercoat so we won’t have to worry about getting stuck on polishing duty.
We opened the Revolver system and spread all of the killer-looking billet goodies across a table. We then reviewed the step-by-step installation manual and sorted the hardware and spacers. Having a 6-inch mechanic’s ruler or a set of mics will help to ensure the proper hardware and spacers are used along the way, but the assembly process was straightforward.
We added Blue Loctite on a number of pulley retainers and were pleased to see that our original air-conditioning lines had enough length to reach the now inboard compressor connections. Our kit called for a six-rib serpentine belt that measured 69.5 inches, which our local big-box retailer had in stock.
The March Performance Revolver kit is designed without a belt tensioner. Instead the company provides an adjustment tool that fits over a bushing on the top mounts of the compressor and the alternator. With the belt in place, the adjustment tool pushes the alternator and the compressor outward and equally to increase the tension on the belt.
To complete our power-steering upgrade we began the search for a suitable gearbox, and that led us to Borgeson. This company is nearing its 100th anniversary, and is no stranger in the world of steering-gear boxes and supporting components. The Borgeson techs recommended a Saginaw 700 unit that provides a variable steering ratio and modern handling characteristics with only 3.25 turns from stop to stop.
Borgeson rebuilds these late-model steering boxes with modifications to fit older vehicles. The end benefit is power assist, with a variable ratio of about 16:1 at the center area with a 13:1 ratio during turns. The result is a quicker steering box without being oversensitive while cruising down the highway.
The Borgeson box installation was as straightforward as removing the original unit and installing the new one in the stock location with original type hardware. To make the transition to the factory steering column, the company offers a rag-joint adapter to connect the ¾-inch shaft to the 30-tooth spline, so no modifications were required on the steering column or shaft.
The company also supplied two brass inserts to convert the steering box to accept the earlier inverted flare fittings over the later O-ring seals. Since we had to make new lines ourselves, we used adapters that go from O-ring to an AN -6 fitting. We scored a reservoir for the power steering and mounted it on the driver’s fender well and routed the lines. With the lines attached, it was time to fire up the wagon.
The result is a quicker steering box without being oversensitive while cruising down the highway
We topped off the coolant system, added power-steering fluid, and checked all of our connections and the belt and bolts one last time. Then we disconnected the ignition and cranked the engine over to check the pulley alignment and observe for any excessive rubbing signs on the belt. March recommends you bleed the power-steering pump and lines before starting the engine.
After everything checked out fine, we reconnected the ignition, fired up the engine, and basked in the quiet operation of the new system. It was a welcome change to be able to turn the wheel without grunting or using two hands.
After a few minutes, we shut the engine off and again inspected the belt for any signs of misalignment. Everything checked positive. We went over the pulley and bracket hardware one more time before installing each cover to brighten up the looks of the entire system.
In the end, we not only upgraded to a much better handling and performing power-steering unit, but the tighter packaging and looks of the accessory-drive system improved the underhood appearance of our Tempest.
In our opinion, performance improvements with incredible looks and durability made this project a winning upgrade!
