Pittman arm?

[s2ms]

It is typical to see the yellow paint on ps idler arms.The yellow typical identify's ps. I haven't seen the yellow on many survivor  65/66 examples so I am a little skeptical to say it is supposed to be on every one . Given the arm was put on at SA and not Ford so there was no need for assemblyline type identification markings so it seems contradictory that there would be one. I also don't think that it was a complete assembly chassis side and arm when purchased/shipped to SA. Just individual arms swapped out with the Mustang one. I don't remember seeing any of the NOS ones that had the Ford oval trademark with yellow paint designated for power steering on them.I have several on the shelf that don't have it ether. I wasn't aware that the Ford application of the SA added longer arm was a ps one. With all that said I think the jury is still out. That is why I said that I would loose the yellow paint. I would rather be safe and not have anything then a wrong marking painted on.

Thanks Bob.

Unfortunately on mine I dropped the ball and did not take photos of everything during disassembly in 1990, wish I had. But, I did take detailed notes and both arms have all the correct 65-66 GT350 XRR numbers and were covered in yellow, both have a block FoMoCo logo. I've also specifically discussed this with all the previous owners and no doubt they are original. The idler was removed in 1973 only to replace the bushing with a roller bearing unit for racing, then reinstalled. The pitman had never been off the car until I removed it.

Dave

[texas swede]

When I bought 5S275 it had a too short Idler arm but the original Pitman arm. Used a repo Idler arm until found a NOS
one in the box. Both Idler and Pitman have FoMoCo within an oval markings. The repo I had had Ford and placed in a different place on the arm, middle instead of the original towards one end. Also found a spare 65 Pitman arm with FoMoCo within an oval.
Texas Swede

[texas swede]

Some more pictures,
Texas Swede

[gt350hr]

   If you don't find XRR on the forging there could be a problem. I bought several NOS loose 65-66 idler arms at Holman Moody in '77 when I was there. They all had a somewhat faint "flat", non gloss , medium blue paint mark on all of the twenty or so I found in a wire "basket". "My" guess is that those were not taken from the assembly line and therefore not "coded" with yellow paint.
As always I welcome other opinions.
    Randy

[JohnHouston]

I could have sworn reading in the 80s, from less than authoritative sources, obviously, that the power steering arm was used.  I think this misconception may go way back.  Thanks to all for helping clear this up.

John Houston

[hertz350]

Here is a picture showing the yellow paint on the idler arm off of an unrestored 52,000 mile Shelby built in March 66. This car was off the road beginning about about 1970 and to the present time.

[6s2020]

6S2020 has original "survivor" pitman arm and has the original "survivor" yellow paint on it.

Have mentioned it before in other posts(maybe even a photo) on here only to be poo poo'd by the "experts"

I have lots of details from 6S2020 a car that sat in a dry long beach workshop and did not move for 36yrs 76-12

I gave up sharing these details on here long ago.........

[J_Speegle]

Yes 6S2020 you posted pictures at least one. Have a fair number of pittman arm pictures from additional examples built in the later half of 66 production.

While we're discussing the subject service replacement pittman identified by C5ZZ-3590-A Have a blue mark on them.

Idlers (not really the focus of the thread but have been mentioned)  can find found with the following - If they were correctly placed in the correct box or tagged correctly

C4DZ-3352-B with yellow mark
C5ZZ-3352-B with blue mark
C6ZZ-3352-B with yellow

Just sharing   

For others reading the thread these details are specific to year and application please, please don't rush out and add paint markings to you 68 based on what you read in this thread.

[texas swede]

Randy,
My Idler Arm has the XRR-2549C on the same side as the Brinell Testing mark.
It looks exactly the same as Howard Pardee's on 5S350 that I believe he bought new.
Texas Swede

[gt350hr]

 Correct! Mine is the same way. The current one on 477 is one I got from H&M in '77. I did switch to the MOOG "K451" roller bearing kit 40+ years ago when they were plentiful. Because of drag racing , I have only added a couple thousand miles in all those years. Steering effort was less with the bearing vs the rubber bushing.
   I haven't seen any "reproductions" with the hardness test mark. IMHO they appear to still be made by the original supplier.

[jk66gt350]

For some reason I thought of this thread the other day and thought that I recalled seeing some yellow paint on the pitman arm on 6S1575 - 2nd or 3rd week of March 66 build.  I got under the car today and cleaned up the part and found more yellow paint than was apparent before the cleaning.  I assume this is an original part but have no way of verifying that.  Just thought I would add another data point and picture to this thread.