I haven’t done it, but the consensus seems to be that it’s a must do. If I ever have that kind of money burning a hole in my pocket, I would probably do it, but I’m also happy with the way mine shifts.
I suppose a person could convert to electric power steering. Might free up some room in the engine bay and will consume less horsepower. Probably not worth doing unless it was in a manual steering 4cyl.
Does the power steering work while its moving? Maybe the new box is no good or the pump is bad out of the box. Wouldn't surprise me with quality control these days.
There are places that should be able to remake that hose. I’m sure most hot rod shops have the tool to make them. Any shop that installs Vintage Air would probably have the tool to do it.
Gotta give credit where credit is due though. Because of the Pinto and Mustang II, we’ve got one of the best front suspension systems for old cars now.
^this. Becoming familiar with your vehicle will allow you to plan for common problems and help identify issues when they inevitably arise. I also agree that newer cars are not that much better than old stuff.