[Rory McNeil]

My 78 Fairmont started life as a manual steering and brake car, so I retained both itemms when I made it a drag car. My 85 Mustang has a factory Ford manual rack that I pulled off a plain jane 1980 Mustang at a local wrecking yard. Over the years, I have pulled 4 or 5 manual racks from 78-80 Fairmonts, or 79-82 Mustangs. (Also have found clutch pedal assemblies, aluminum rear brake drums, and aluminum bumper rebars at wrecking yards.)
One thing to be aware of, from 1978, into at least 1982, the steering racks had pressed in mounting bushings, with a thick steel sleeve, and used long, large diameter bolts. On my 85 Mustang, the rack mounting bolts were much smaller diameter, there were 2 'slip on" bushings per mount, and the Kmember had a steel tube on either side, that the rubber bushings slide over, and the mounting bolts fit into. To use the early rack on the 85, I had to remove the pressed in bushings and sleeves, and use the 2 piece slip on bushings.
Do NOT use a press to try to remove the pressed in bushings, I tried, and snapped off the lower mounting eye of the rack. I found that drilling a bunch of small holes thru the rubber bushings, and lots of silicone lube and a small hammer popped the pressed in bushings out nicely. Be sure that you get the splined coupler from the manual steering cars steering shaft, as the splined diameter is much smaller on the manual rack.