1962 Ford Thunderbird Steering Question

Hey hey!

Looking at picking up my first cl***ic, in this case.. a 1962 Ford Thunderbird. During a test drive, I noticed that the power steering felt very very light, almost as if it was "too responsive".. it took a really gentle hand on the wheel to keep the car going in a straight line... The car cruises fairly straight.. but a mild touch on the wheel will send it rather abruptly to the left or right.. not something I was expecting.

Is this typical of the vintage? Or am I looking at a wasted front end that is going to need some work?

Thoughts?

 

My '62 was the same way.

 

Yup, my 65 is the same. REALLY light steering.

 

I have a 1962 Thunderbird and it steers about the same as you are saying. I really enjoy how easy it steers. Great for cruising.
P.S. You should do an introduction and enjoy the Thunderbird.

 

Introduction seemed premature since my current sole vehicle is a 2002 Saturn.

Alright, alright.. you talked me into it.

Matthew's the name.. Cl***ic Car appreciator hoping to take that step into owner. Always had a major thing for the early 60s Lincoln Continentals and Ford Thunderbirds. Love the design and feel of the car top to bottom, inside to out.

I was very close to purchasing a 1964 Lincoln Continental when I joined the board back in April 09.. but it fell through due to the car being less than advertised.. and the realization that bumper to bumper a 64 Conti is about an inch longer than my garage is deep.

Which swings the obsession to the obtainable and garageable 1961-1963 Thunderbird. IMO it's the best looking of all of the Thunderbird vintages.. Cl***ic's being rather personal, the design just sits well with me. Pre-61 and Post-64 feel wrong to me in one way or another.

63Biscuit is a longtime friend of mine who is responsible for feeding my addiction with weekly links to the HAMB and various Craigslist and Ebay ads. And frequent trips in his Biscayne certainly haven't hurt either (Awesome car, btw, D).

So... I'm planning a wedding and about to finance a major remodel of my house.. I'm flat broke.. PERFECT time to buy a project car (helps that my fiancee is fully onboard with this) I've managed to s****e together a small cache of money and bumped into two Thunderbirds in my price-range that seemed like a good fit within 10 miles of my home. 63Biscuit went with me to check out the one (which was a heartbreaker, and now a distant second option due to the amount of work I would have to put into it) last night, and I'm headed out solo to look at the other tonight.

Wish me luck!

And thanks for the comments on the steering! It was startling to feel feather-light steering in a 4300 lbs car..

 

Yeah, really LIGHT feel to the PS is typical of the vintage. My old Mopars are exactly the same way... Good luck with your Bird, the very first car I was driving at age 16 was my dad's '62 T-Bird convert. Yes, I was a lucky SOB...

 

Mine only overstears on right hand turns. Front end has been rebuilt and alined more then once . I dread right hand freeway cloverleafs .

 

'62 'Birds had a problem when new with steering gearboxes that resulted in a major recall effort back in the day. If the piston inside the gearbox has a nick in it or a scored cylinder wall, it will adversely affect how the steering works: replacing all the tie rod ends and linkage will do NOTHING to fix a bad box. If your car pulls hard right (and you'll know it when it happens) when turning the wheel right, it's a symptom of a bad box. You would need to get a different box, preferably from a late '62 or '63, or get your box rebuilt by a REPUTABLE shop with EXPERIENCE in redoing them. You can find out more about this by searching the Vintage Thunderbird Club International's Forum at www.vintagethunderbirdclub.org .

 

Sounds like I need a new box, just turning the wheel a little to the right on the hiway will put me in the next lane quick. Left turns are fine .

 

i need a new repo or nos 1962 thunderbird black steering wheel ??

 

I know that this is a really old thread but did you ever find a solution to your problem? I am having the same issue.

 

Just a guess - narrow stock wheels/tires provide minimal resistance

 

It funny that you say that because multiple people have told me that going back to the thinner stock size wheels and tires might solve my problem.

 

The steering box upgrade should be examined. If all checks out, everything is centered and correct, I'd align it with extra caster and make the steering "heavier" which will also track straight easier. Make it require additional effort to turn. Just a thought...

 

Several makes and models were that way.
One mfg touted 'Full time power steering'.

 

My mom's 61 was that way since new. I took it on my drivers test in 66 and parallel parking was a breeze.