Can't rotate the steering box. It does not have the ability to make a full turn internally. The arm also only fits on there one way, so put it back how it came off.

Don't use an impact gun on this, tempting as it may be. The hydraulic shock-loads from it hitting the nut can wreak havoc on the control valves inside the thing. Big breaker bar is all you need to get the job done. Assuming the old pitman arm is nothing like what I had to deal with on a pickup truck not that long ago, and actually lets go of the steering box shaft without needing the blue wrench.

Thanks again. You guys are a life saver!

Holy Crap! The repair manual is calling for the following specifications in Ft-lbs:

Pitman arm-to-sector shaft: 200 to 225
Pitman arm-to-steering gear 170-230

I don't know what a sector shaft is. I would call it a drag link. What else does the pitman arm connect to?

I just stripped the castle nut on the pitman arm. My torque wrench only goes to 150 Ft-lbs. The threads on the pitman arm look good enough to me to use with the old castle nut.

When turning the wheel with the engine off, power steering fluid shot out the top of the pump and generously covering everything. Could that have aided with the stripping? I kind of doubted that that castle nut would take 200 ft-lbs.

I thought for sure I could handle this!

process of elimination... one end of the pitman arm goes on the steering gear... the other end goes on the other end location. I usually call it a center link... but I guess sector shaft is another name.

the sector shaft is the output of the steering box.

This!

The people who wrote the instructions are asshats, the torque numbers should have applied as 200-225 for the steering box output/sector shaft, and something else for the center link. There's not a snowball's chance in hell that the stud for the center link needs 170 lbs-ft torque tho, that's way too high. 70 maybe, but 170 no way. How big is that stud where the nut goes on it? 1/2" Grade-8 hardware can go up to 90 lbs-ft assembly torque (that is DRY, no lube of any kind), 7/16" Grade-8 is 65 lbs-ft IIRC. Reusing the old castle nut is fine, it's a non-wear item.

Fluid shooting out the pump reservoir is a typical Ford bullshit, it will happen any time you turn the steering wheel with the engine not running. However, if you manually turn the steering box by the sector shaft (via pitman arm, steering linkage, knuckles, and wheels) it will usually let you have your way without gushing all over the place. Like I said, Ford bullshit, nothing is broken, just add some fluid to the resi when everything is back together and engine is running.