Has anyone out there setup power steering on a '49 Ford? I'm working on a '49 Ford tudor with a 5.0L Mustang GT engine and AOD trans with a ford 9 inch rearend. It also has the JAMCO lowering kit and HD sway bars. Not quite traditional, I know. If it was mine, I'd have the flathead in it. But this one is a daily driver for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, and they need something reliable. I promise I'll be posting progress pics soon. Anyway, we're looking for an inexpensive way to put in power steering. Maybe a common junkyard find or something like that. We have a 86 LeBaron rack and pinion box we're gonna try today to see if it'll fit. Just wanted to get other ideas and experience from guys that have already done this. Thanks in advance.
If I remember, a power unit from a Volvo works. Butch's Rod Shop comes to mind when this is mentioned. I think he's still in business.
Supposedly the power steering from a '73 to '79 Ford pickup will work also. I heard the Volvo box fits good. 2 out of 3 holes line up to bolt it in.
Butch Is No Longer In Business, Doing The Retired Thing. We Have Bolt On Bracketry That Makes It So Easy. Give Us A Call At 1-800-741-4687 And If You Are An Alliance Member I'll Ship It For Free!!
I've checked with JAMCO about the Volvo box, but they no longer make the kit, and the Volvo box seems to be hard to find in this area. I will see if I can find one from a 73-79 Ford pickup, but I have my doubts. I was hoping for something more current, in case I need parts. Maybe I'm asking for too much. Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll look for a Ford pickup steering box.
A fellow HAMB'r has a Ford truck steering box. Does anyone have a picture of how it goes into a 49-51 Ford? I think the truck steering box was originally in front of the axle and the 49 was behind the axle. How would this work?
A friend of mine used a POWER ***IST form a late 70's- early 80's ford granada on his 54 ford. I would look into this. You dont have to change the gearbox. He said it damned near bolted right up. Worked real good as well.
Sounds great! I'd love to get a picture of it if you don't mind. It shouldn't be too hard for me to get one off a Granada. Thanks in advance... Mike
one thing i'm finding out about 49'-51' ford steering swaps are 1: volvo power steering boxes came on less than 2% of cars. 2: the 73'-79' ford truck psb. weather 2wd or 4x4 were plauged with leakage issues. 3: i'm hearing r&p can make the steering crazy on them. 4: since the people who built the adaptor brackets for volvo boxes stopped making them that right their should be a clear sign something new needs to be found like the granada power ***ist system.
49-51 are one model ony boxes, the 53 and later are compleatly diferent, I put in a Jamco conversion on my buddys 51 Vicky with the Volvol box, Never again, bolt in, my ***, same for the Anti sway bars, 4" drop in rear 3" drop in front, not bolt in as avertised or called about.....Roach.
And we used the orig**** steering colum with the center horn ****on, my own horn guts to make it work, no dash horn ****ons alowed!!! P.M. me if you want to know how I did it.....Roach.
pre 79 F-100 were rear steer, 80 up front steer. Preety big box, might make for some exhaust clearance headache. Have had quite a few (in trucks), never had any leakage issues.
I just worked on one with a mid 90s Grand Am rack installed in it. It was a kit that the previous owner had bought. If you come across a kit like it....don't do it. The steering shaft was in a bind, the ackerman angles are not correct, and the turning radius may be larger than stock.
your right on the "no leakage" part as i was refering to 73'-79' ford truck 4x4 boxes not 2wd! my bad! the models refered to as "highboy's" dooh!
We ended up using a 1987 Dodge Ram 50 box: It's a pretty straightforward swap. The shoebox ford and the dodge ram 50 steering boxes are both behind the axle, which is why we used it. You will need the box and linkage from the dodge ram 50, and linkage from the shoebox ford. It's important to get it mounted on the frame so it's parallel and square with the shoebox ford tie rod ends. This requires notching the frame rail, but it's not too deep and won't compromise the structural integrity of the frame. Once it's mounted, cut the ford and dodge tie rods in half. You'll use the dodge half on the steering box and the ford half on the tie rod ends. Make sure the steering and wheels are centered when you setup the linkage, so the steering wheel is centered when the wheels are straight ahead. Then, it's a simple matter of shortening the linkage to fit, and welding the shoebox tie rod ends and the adjuster part of the tie rod to the dodge ram 50 tie rod linkage to replace the corresponding dodge ram 50 tie rod ends and adjuster threads. If it's parallel to the ground and in line with the tie rod ends you should have no bumpsteer. that's about all there is to it. As usual, anytime you work on steering, you're putting your life in your hands, and I'm not responsible if something goes wrong. Especially since we did this 3 years ago. BE CAREFUL.
I used a fatman kit with a Pontiac Sunbird rack. The turning circle is slightly larger than the ***anic's.
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