I modified a woodruff key from one purchased at the local hardware store, installed it and fired up the car with the new power steering pump. The manual says you need to bleed the air out of the system by jacking up the front, turning the windshield wipers on full and turning the wheel from stop to stop.
I did that, but it didn’t seem to bleed much out of the system. A quick test drive and everything worked normally.
I took a couple of trips with the car, checking for leaks. Only found one small coolant leak, the result of a loose hose clamp. A few twists of a screwdriver and all was well.
On the last trip I took, I noticed a decided squishiness to the brake pedal, though the car still stopped ok. Brakes are a big deal, especially on a car of this weight and ungainliness. Way back in the archives, I wrote a lot about my frustrations with the master cylinder and the brake booster. Both absorbed a lot of time and money right after the ‘Bird arrived. Little time was spent on the brake system at the wheels, though they were inspected and pronounced sound.
Not to take away from today’s success, but it sounds like a little more brake work is in order. Maybe it’s a good time to remove and polish up the wheels, too.