Saginaw with Explorer Serpentine?????

[1snowcat]

Getting a Explorer 5.0 EFI with all Explorer Serpentine Dress together....

Has anyone done this swap or is it really even necessary??? I was thinking that the saginaw power steering pump swapped in place of the Explorer/Mountaineer pump would be more durable to run my hydroboost setup....????

Would it be better than the original Explorer power steering pump?

any thoughts on this or anybody tried this????

 

[Bronco73]

There is a user on here running a hyd on the explorer set up and maybe others and I haven't heard of any issues yet. I think swapping out the PS pump would be a major task.

 

[bigmuddy]

If you are running the full explorer serpentine, you will need to use the explorer PS pump. I run the full explorer serpentine with my astro hydroboost and it works great! However some haven't like it to be fair.

As far as I know the saginaw PS pump will not fit the explorer PS bracket, which is really the problem.

The other advantage of the explorer serpentine is being able to use the fan clutch and the space savings between the explorer fan and the stock radiator. By the way, the explorer fan puts out a tremendous amount of air flow.

Ben

 

[Broncobowsher]

The Explorer pump looks almost exactly like the Sweet race pump I had on the last Bronco. I almost tried mounting them to see if they would interchange they looked so close. The Sweet is a race pump on a reworked GM (Saginaw is the spun off supplier from GM for steering parts that sold to everyone from AMC to Nissan).

The Explorer pump should work just fine for your needs.

 

[76 bronco J]

>>>> I imagine your talking about the "canned ham" looking saginaw with attached reservoir ,but I've heard the explorer/mountaineer C3 remote reservoir pump is a saginaw ..... it's suppose to be better than the C2 pumps with attached plastic reservoirs found on the 87-93 mustang setups & better than the original thompson pumps on the early broncos...............

 

[1snowcat]

thanks for the replys guys thats what i wanted to know...

got a link to any Sweets pump info I could look at online "broncobowsher"???

 

[Tito]

Depending on what you are running your pump could face its limits. I am on my second one now as 37" tires, hydroboost, ram assist and hard wheeling will work it harder than it is happy with. I put my second junkyard pump on and it lasted 1 trip before it became unhappy with me. It is still working but I have to keep the RPMs up to turn on the trail. I have talked to AGR and I need to send them another pump to see if they can rework it....the last one I sent to them UPS decided to keep for themselves. They have an excursion pump that is very very similar that they can get > 4 gph out of but the housing has perpendicular mounting bosses to the explorer pump. They said they should be able to swap the guts.

 

[Broncobowsher]

thanks for the replys guys thats what i wanted to know...

got a link to any Sweets pump info I could look at online "broncobowsher"???

I don't have a lot of info. But this looks a lot like an Explorer pump.

I got mine through a now defunkt circle track shop that specalized in Fords.

 

[rjlougee]

I'm running a complete Explorer engine and replaced the stock T/C pump with a reworked unit from Howe. I'm running full hydraulic steering and 39" BFG Krawler Reds on the buggy and it's been going fine for 2+ years. I'd highly recommend the setup.
Joe

 

[1snowcat]

Any of you guys got pics of how you modified stock explorer remote steering pump reservoir???
And or hoses options

 

[Broncobowsher]

I used a T fitting.

I was looking over a super duty resivior (I think an '03? Leaf spring 6.0 powerstroke). Huge resivior and has the 2 return fittings.

 

[casadejohnson]

If you are running the full explorer serpentine, you will need to use the explorer PS pump. I run the full explorer serpentine with my astro hydroboost and it works great! However some haven't like it to be fair.

As far as I know the saginaw PS pump will not fit the explorer PS bracket, which is really the problem.

The other advantage of the explorer serpentine is being able to use the fan clutch and the space savings between the explorer fan and the stock radiator. By the way, the explorer fan puts out a tremendous amount of air flow.

Ben

I'm dragging out an old thread and a beaten to death subject here but I'm curious about this setup because it is exactly what mine will be when finished. How did you run the high pressure line from the explorer pump to the Astro hydroboost? My current setup is a saginaw pump but the fitting is different than the o-ring fitting on the explorer pump. I know some adapters are out there but I have only seen AN to o-ring adapters. AN fittings are different than my saginaw fitting aren't they?

 

[lars]

I'm dragging out an old thread and a beaten to death subject here but I'm curious about this setup because it is exactly what mine will be when finished. How did you run the high pressure line from the explorer pump to the Astro hydroboost? My current setup is a saginaw pump but the fitting is different than the o-ring fitting on the explorer pump. I know some adapters are out there but I have only seen AN to o-ring adapters. AN fittings are different than my saginaw fitting aren't they?

Lee Manufacturing. Sun Valley, CA. Don't have any contact info, but Google should help. They make a steel fitting that adapts the Explorer (C3) pump to male -6AN. The Astro h-boost has either inverted flare or GM o-ring fittings (been a long time, but probably the latter). You can buy adapters to convert those ports to male -6AN as well. Then buy some high pressure hose and reusable -6AN hose fittings from a vendor such as Speedway Motors, and make your own hoses. You can also buy -6AN adapters for the ports on the steering box, to be consistent. Probably want 90 degree fittings at the pump and h-boost, and 45 degree fittings at the box.

Made my own reservoir.

 

[KyleQ]

I'm currently running a PSC full hydro setup with a p-pump and v-belts. There is no way to stuff a p-pump in there so I am sending off my bracket to PSC so they can modify it to fit a tc-pump in it. I will be running the full hydro and hydroboost brakes with the setup - pictures to come when I get everything back.

 

[casadejohnson]

Lee Manufacturing. Sun Valley, CA. Don't have any contact info, but Google should help. They make a steel fitting that adapts the Explorer (C3) pump to male -6AN. The Astro h-boost has either inverted flare or GM o-ring fittings (been a long time, but probably the latter). You can buy adapters to convert those ports to male -6AN as well. Then buy some high pressure hose and reusable -6AN hose fittings from a vendor such as Speedway Motors, and make your own hoses. You can also buy -6AN adapters for the ports on the steering box, to be consistent. Probably want 90 degree fittings at the pump and h-boost, and 45 degree fittings at the box.

Made my own reservoir.

I had my current hoses made at a local tractor supply place and I have plenty of length. I can have them cut the pump end off and change it but they don't have the fitting for the explorer pump. It would be nice if I could find an adapter that went from the explorer pump to the flare fitting from the saginaw hose. I don't want to use two or three adapters if I can avoid it.
I'll probably have to do a new hose but as usual, I'm trying to use what I have to keep costs down.

That reservoir you made is great. You posted that photo before and I searched for it for about an hour the other night with no luck. Thanks for posting it again.

 

[lars]

I had my current hoses made at a local tractor supply place and I have plenty of length. I can have them cut the pump end off and change it but they don't have the fitting for the explorer pump. It would be nice if I could find an adapter that went from the explorer pump to the flare fitting from the saginaw hose. I don't want to use two or three adapters if I can avoid it.
I'll probably have to do a new hose but as usual, I'm trying to use what I have to keep costs down.

That reservoir you made is great. You posted that photo before and I searched for it for about an hour the other night with no luck. Thanks for posting it again.

In that case, have them graft a 90 degree -6AN (also known as -6 JIC) female end on to your existing hose, then buy the Explorer to -6AN adapter from Lee Manufacturing. You'll probably want to wait with getting the hose reworked until you have all the hardware installed, because that 90 degree fitting will need to be oriented correctly to avoid needing a big twist in the hose when you install it.

I attached a pic of a typical 90 degree AN hose end. The exact one you need will depend on what type of hose the tractor supply place used to build yours, but it'll look something like that.

That reservoir is really mostly bling, I appreciate the comments but I'm showing off which isn't really helpful. I did need to do something custom, because of hood clearance issues, but you can make the stock reservoir work by using a tee in the return line or gluing a plastic hose barb into a hole in the side of the stock reservoir.

Or get a junkyard Saginaw reservoir, cut the filler neck out of it, and incorporate it into a homebrew reservoir made from sheet steel and off the shelf steel AN bungs from Summit. Weld together yourself. Would be low budget and probably look great.

 

[lars]

I'm currently running a PSC full hydro setup with a p-pump and v-belts. There is no way to stuff a p-pump in there so I am sending off my bracket to PSC so they can modify it to fit a tc-pump in it. I will be running the full hydro and hydroboost brakes with the setup - pictures to come when I get everything back.

So if I understand correctly, you are sending your Explorer pump bracket to PSC and they are modifying it to accept a TC pump? That would improve pump options. The Explorer pump seems to be a pretty good part, but it's unique to that model. It's a Ford C3 pump and from what I've seen shares some innards with pumps from other vehicles, but the housing casting is unique. So you aren't going to find that pump everywhere. Unlike a TC.

 

[1sicbronconut]

Lee Manufacturing. Sun Valley, CA. Don't have any contact info, but Google should help. They make a steel fitting that adapts the Explorer (C3) pump to male -6AN. The Astro h-boost has either inverted flare or GM o-ring fittings (been a long time, but probably the latter). You can buy adapters to convert those ports to male -6AN as well. Then buy some high pressure hose and reusable -6AN hose fittings from a vendor such as Speedway Motors, and make your own hoses. You can also buy -6AN adapters for the ports on the steering box, to be consistent. Probably want 90 degree fittings at the pump and h-boost, and 45 degree fittings at the box.

Made my own reservoir.

Pimp Daddy Lars;D I haven't used it yet but find a P/S reservoir looks like it will work great mounted te the radiator support. I'll get a pic of it later today.

 

[6daze]

I just received my fitting and washer from Lee Manufacturing. It was about $20 with shipping to SoCal.

Their phone number (818) 768-0371

Part numbers

40810 fitting
80520 washer


KyleQ,
Please let us know how PSC does with your pump.

 

[casadejohnson]

In that case, have them graft a 90 degree -6AN (also known as -6 JIC) female end on to your existing hose, then buy the Explorer to -6AN adapter from Lee Manufacturing. You'll probably want to wait with getting the hose reworked until you have all the hardware installed, because that 90 degree fitting will need to be oriented correctly to avoid needing a big twist in the hose when you install it.

I attached a pic of a typical 90 degree AN hose end. The exact one you need will depend on what type of hose the tractor supply place used to build yours, but it'll look something like that.

That reservoir is really mostly bling, I appreciate the comments but I'm showing off which isn't really helpful. I did need to do something custom, because of hood clearance issues, but you can make the stock reservoir work by using a tee in the return line or gluing a plastic hose barb into a hole in the side of the stock reservoir.

Or get a junkyard Saginaw reservoir, cut the filler neck out of it, and incorporate it into a homebrew reservoir made from sheet steel and off the shelf steel AN bungs from Summit. Weld together yourself. Would be low budget and probably look great.

Thanks for the help. I took some time to learn a little bit more about AN fittings and regular flare fittings today and I think I have a cheap fix. I went back out to the junkyard and got a explorer Power steering hose. I took it to my tractor supply hose guys and they came up with a way to put them together. I have to get my current hose to them but they can cut off my current pump end and replace it with a compression type fitting type end. we then cut the hard line end off the stock hose and fit it into the compression fitting. Tighten down the compression nut and I have the hose I need for about $10. I'm liking the cheap solution. As for the reservoir, I had a similar idea to yours about modifying a saginaw pump housing. I have a sheet metal reservoir I made for a radiator overflow on another vehicle and never used. I think I can modify it to work. I just need to get the rest mounted up so I can take some clearance measurements.