1971 Chevy Pickup - Project Get Shorty - Tech

Early Classic sent us one of their small-block kits. The first bracket-the stamped bracket-mounts to the block and the forward bolt on the engine mount.

Our next step was to install the pump mounting studs...

...and hose fitting to the power steering pump.

When installing the new pump, the first step is to fasten the pump to the bracket already installed. Next up, take the cast bracket and fasten it to the block and the pump.

With the box and pump in place, we could then route the lines. The first line to be installed is the pre-manufactured line. It bolts to the inner fitting on the box and makes a direct beeline to the frame. From there, the line runs behind the Early Classic stamped bracket and to the fitting installed on the back of the pump.

As for the next line, it is a combination of a pre-bent hard line and a rubber hose. The rubber hose slips over the pump's valve and onto the hard line, which attaches to the box. This line runs directly next to the first line, but this time goes through the stamped bracket instead of behind it.

Here's the rest of the gear: the ididit retrofit column, Borgeson U-joints, and Mooneyes steering wheel.

The first step is to remove the factory column. Remember to keep track of how everything mounted up, because that's exactly how everything bolts back together.

Before we installed the column, we installed the factory floor mount on the ididit column.