68 L78

[ccargo]

I'm converting my 68 L78 from manual steering to quick ratio power. I have the correct pump and pulley and already changed the box and pitman arm. I'm having trouble getting the bracket to clear the balancer. Did the L78 have a special power steering bracket?

[BlackoutSteve]

No.
The correct PS pump mounting bracket is GM#3863146 as per the 1968 AIM (N40-A6). The rear adjustment brace is #3876788.
This is for all 396 engines. The L78 or N40 chapter shows nothing of a different PS bracket for the 396/375.
Just checking that the crank pulley for your L78 is #3869978.

What is the correct diameter balancer for the L78? 6-1/4", 7-1/4" or 8"? What's yours?

I did buy a repro PS bracket set for my 69 BBC and the fit was horrible! I had to bend it stightly to get it to line up, and the nut for the through-bolt was welded on out of square. Even the supplied through-bolt was an ungraded bolt with a metric head. (That went straight in the bin!) How disgusting!
If yours is a repro, maybe it was made by the same cheap'n'nasty off shore company that made mine!