Hello all, two part question. I should rebuild my box for my 59 but can't find parts. Does anyone were to source? Also what about an upgrade. I see the kits for the power steering conversion were you have to cut the shaft off the old box. Anyone has done it?
EPS https://www.hotrodders.com/threads/electric-power-steering-install-in-a-54-ford.526435/#post-4739217
If you go with the upgrade (Borgensen), you will have the advantage of a quicker ratio steering!!!!!!!!!!! When I was driving my '57 before rebuild, I swore the first thing I was gonna change was getting rid of that horendous number of turns just to fit in a parking space. Well, it wasn't the first thing, but it definetly got done.
The only issue with the Borgeson but possible is the shifter linkage if you want to keep it on the column. Might be the same with the EPS. The lares corp does rebuilds. I also know some people use later steering gears. Check the 57 ford forum. I think they use up to 64 full size steering gears.
The thing about the Borgeson setup I don't like is you have to modify the tube and shift linkage mounting. I saw a good video online of how to do it.
I really want it on my wagon but I love the column shift. I would recommend if you have OG PS. Rebuild and call it a day.
I gotta stress with the EPS your box is only as good as the box you have. You are just turning the shaft easier with the motor. So if you have slop in the box and the rest of the suspension. It won't be any better. So you Must redo all your parts. Including the box, Then do the EPS.
eeeeeck! https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/...a/v/a/15117/automotive-car-1959-ford-fairlane 900.00 for a rebuild? crazy. then core and shipping right? there is the other, other options One last is to get a steering gear from a 4 door, sometimes they were not used as much. I think I got one last year with the power steering gear-ram, minus the pump for about 120.00 https://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=8788.msg86088#msg86088 more rebuild info, although you might be looking 58-59 https://57fordsforever.com/smf/index.php?topic=1875.msg11297#msg11297
Well, here's a rebuild kit... 1958 1959 1960 1961 - 1964 ALL P***ENGER CAR STEERING BOX OVERHALL REBUILD KIT | eBay Not very expensive either. But notice it doesn't contain any of the gears; those are pretty much limited to what you can find in NOS and that supply has pretty much dried up. Lares shows them as 'out of stock' because of this. I suspect that O'Reilly's listing will show that if you try to order one. And if you want OEM power steering, you'll have to round up the parts and probably rebuild at least some of it. One major flaw (IMO) with this set-up is Ford used a rubber 'torsion' bushing in the idler arm to return the wheels to center. These were a known trouble point (Moog used to make an 'improved' version, sadly long discontinued) and the aftermarket replacement bushings don't seem to hold up. You'll also end up with little 'road feel'. That leaves Borgeson... Not an easy-peasy bolt-in, but not horrible either. If you have a manual shift on the column, they warn you there's not enough room to retain it. If you have an auto trans you will need to shorten the column. You also need a new GM power steering pump (to retain the steering box warranty) and their pump mounting bracket kits leave a lot to be desired on some motors (stay away the FE kit...) so there's that. And while I'm a Ford guy, I'm no fan of their linkage-***ist power steering as noted above. If that also needs full rebuilding, you'll have a pile of money wrapped up before you're done.
Re-reading this post I made, I realized I made it sound like I installed the Borgenson system. That's not the case, and wasn't even an option back when I built my '57. What I did was the power rack and pinion, using a kit that was pretty much a bolt-in. I was already changing out my steering column for a late model one ('97), and planned on a floorshift for the 4R70W anyways, so hookup was not a big issue.. You guys have brought up some issues concerning the Borgenson setup that I wasn't aware of, thank you.
One last thing... Poor road feel. I briefly mentioned this but didn't go into detail. When Ford started offering power steering in the '50s, they just added power ***ist to their manual box/linkage and 'tuned' effort with pump pressure. Made it much easier to steer but you still had 'slow' steering and a big loss of road feel. Somewhere in the late '50s/early '60s they started using two different steering box ratios, one for manual and a 'faster' ratio (higher effort without power) one for power steering. I was unable to determine if that's the case for the '59s as I don't have a parts book for those. That faster ratio improves road feel while still having reasonable ***ist. Bottom line, the Ford steering and power linkage contains a lot of hard-to-find and/or expensive parts. The Borgeson conversion is about the same price as just a rebuilt OEM steering box (if you can get one) and addresses all these issues. Yeah, you'll have to mod the steering column and do some fabricating but once you're done, future repairs if needed will be cheaper. That is my choice for my '60 Sunliner...
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