Anyone have z-bar with borgeson?

[lanky 44]

I have heard a person can modify a z bar setup to work with borgeson, but haven't really seen pictures. Has anyone here modified their own or bought the now available one from ORP? Out of curiosity, if someone was running a z-bar setup can they still run a diaphragm pressure plate? I believe the answer is yes, but that a return spring somewhere gets removed. Under dash on pedal I think?

[1969_Mach1 333]

My Mach 1 has a 351W and 4sp.  I modified my Z-bar to pass over the hoses on a Borgeson power steering box.  I'll look for the sketch I made on a piece of cardboard for a template and take a picture of it so you get the idea.  I also have power brakes which makes it more difficult.  By the time the top lever on the Z-bar goes over the hoses it will hit the bottom of the stock power brake booster.  From the factory the top lever on the Z-bar is slightly under the power brake booster when the pedal is all the way up.  I had to increase the rod length a little between the pedal and Z-bar because the modified top lever on the Z-bar doesn't go under the brake booster.  Maybe you'll be able to find a middle point so the Z-bar upper lever goes over the power steering hoses and still under the brake booster.

Also, the top lever on the Z-bar was made from 5/16 thick material .  McMaster Car sells short lengths of it in cold rolled steel.  I made a cheap fixture from 3/8" schedule 40 pipe to bend the material.  Clamped the fixture in a vise, used a torch to heat the material, and bent it around the 3/8" pipe fixture.

Open Tracker Racing now offers a Z-bar for the Borgeson power steering box.  I don't know if it's designed to work with a power brake booster and the bottom lever of it doesn't look right for a 351W. 

[lanky 44]

Thanks for the info. Between the steering box, future brake booster, and headers I am skeptical of even trying to make it work. I was just curious if others had solutions. Awhile back I started a slave cylinder bracket that I think is going to work, but haven't had the resources to test it yet. I will do a write up on it if it works for sure.

[bigmal 225]

I know it is a dumb question, but what's a Z-bar?

[1969_Mach1 333]

48 minutes ago, lanky said:

Thanks for the info. Between the steering box, future brake booster, and headers I am skeptical of even trying to make it work. I was just curious if others had solutions. Awhile back I started a slave cylinder bracket that I think is going to work, but haven't had the resources to test it yet. I will do a write up on it if it works for sure.

If you can get your slave cylinder to work with your headers I'd go that route.  The Borgeson power steering operates extremely well.  But to do a nice installation it takes more work than Borgeson leads you to believe.  I don't know that I'd do it again.

JBA use to offer a nice slave cylinder bracket.  They have now changed the design to the cheap models sold by all other header mfgs.  West Coast Classic Cougar still shows the better design bracket on their website.  https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/e5h21.html?attribs=88

[Midlife 814]

2 hours ago, bigmal said:

I know it is a dumb question, but what's a Z-bar?

The Z-bar is the mechanism that converts the clutch pedal movement to throw-out bearing movement, and is located below the brake master cylinder and between the engine and frame rail.  It typically has a "Z" shape to it. 

 

[Machman 0]

I used an OPR z bar on my 70 351c  tremec with power brakes. I had to modify the top of the z bar to clear the bottom of the booster.