Cold, windy day. I installed the power steering pump and then took it back out when I remembered you have to have it out to get the battery in. Installed the battery, then re-installed the pump. Per the instructions from Atlantic who rebuilt it, I filled the reservoir and turned it by hand for a few minutes with nothing coming out of the high pressure hose. I then tightened the belt and attempted to start the engine to run fresh fluid through the pump and flush out any junk left in there from the rebuild. True to form, the old girl cranked but wouldn't start. Got back under the car and looked at the starter. Sure enough, I had removed the low tension leads to keep them from being damaged when I removed the steering rack. Also noticed (duh) that the exhaust pipe was not yet bolted to the manifold after my triumph(ant) thread repair yesterday. Got the exhaust all hooked up. Tried the engine again, this time with a little ether in the Stroms and she started right up. Pretty amazing, considering how long it's been. I thought for a minute that the steering pump was not working, but it suddenly started spraying fluid all over, with only a small amount ending up in the bucket I had set up for this purpose. Now on to the rack. I centered it by going from lock to lock, measuring the distance and dividing by two, then returning it to that position. Then I examined the bag of parts I had set aside when I removed the unit long ago, and my heart sank. I was sure I had ordered new tie rod ends, but only the old ones were there. Bummer, I'll have to Michael Coffey again tomorrow to order them, and there's no chance I'll get the steering finished before I have to go back to work after Thanksgiving.
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