Victory! Almost. Got the old steering box out and all the new stuff in. Maybe some of the following will help somebody else thinking of swapping out their stock box for a Borgeson setup. Note this surgery was done on a '68 B-body, 440 with TTI headers and a mini starter.
Getting the old box out wasn't too bad:
1) I disconnected the pitman arm at the box and removed the 3 bolts holding the box to the K member (use 12 point 1/2" socket from underneath).
2) Next remove the battery & tray, along with the power steering pump.
3) Remove wires & plugs from drivers side.
4) Unbolt drivers side header at collector & head - tilt it upward and to the rear. Use a little wire to tie it to the brake booster to hold in this position.
5) Drop steering column - 3 bolts holding bracket to dash and 4 bolts at firewall plate.
6) Remove column by either driving out roll pin at coupler, or prying off coupler seal so the "guts" come out.
7) Undo bolt at engine mounting ear that holds dipstick bracket.
8) Jack engine up maybe 1/2" under the pan, just enough without having to unbolt motor mount.
9) The best part.....roll steering box upward and toward the front, past the dipstick and the header, and out!
Once all this was done, the new Borgeson box went in like a dream. I then cleaned up the greasy end of the steering shaft and re-installed the column (temporary). Measure the distance from the end of the steering shaft to the end of the splined input shaft at the box. I took two measurements - one with the column pushed in as far as it would go, and another with it as retracted as it would go. Note this "play" came from sliding along the column mounting bracket under the dash (the one with the plastic sliders). I found there was about 1/2" of wiggle room this way.
I had intended to use the "no cut" Bergman coupler, but was not entirely comfortable with the angular misalignment between the steering shaft and the input shaft at the box. Maybe it would have been fine? Nor was I comfortable with shimming the box at the K member, but here again it was a judgement call. In any event, I decided to use the universal joint style coupler made by Borgeson. I managed to drive out the cross pin at the end of the shaft with a little heat and a BFH. With the new coupler in hand, I measured it and determined how much to remove from the existing steering shaft. Turns out I needed between 0.24" and 0.75" removed - I split the difference and cut off 0.5". This put me right in the middle of the adjustment range at the column bracket. Once the shaft was cut, I slid it onto the steering column and re-installed the column. The coupler mated with the box input shaft and the column bolted up correctly. Now on to drilling the coupler + shaft. This also went well, though I found my drill bits worked better than the bit supplied with the kit. I had heard of folks having problems breaking drill bits doing this, so I just took my time. I started with a small, sharp bit and some cutting oil. Drill through the shaft and out the other side of the coupler, then work your way up to the full 3/16" diameter. Pin the coupler to the shaft and repeat for the other two holes.
Everything went back together like a charm, and now I need to complete bleeding the system, check for leaks at the hose connections, and road test. Hope this helps somebody who might be considering a similar swap.
