What's the deal with F-1 steer boxes?

What's the deal with F-1 steer boxes? And how to ID one when you see one? What years were they?

 

48-52 Ford P/U.

 

And is there any reason a later Ford truck steering box isn't just as good? I've been eyeballing our '74 F-250 and its drag-link steering setup for a couple months now.

 

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48-52 Ford P/U.

[/ QUOTE ] and 53-56

 

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And is there any reason a later Ford truck steering box isn't just as good? I've been eyeballing our '74 F-250 and its drag-link steering setup for a couple months now.

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I guess the important thing you are looking for in a steering box is

- Does it fit between the frame and motor
- Does it turn the right direction


F1 steering boxes are what they used back in the day because of their improvement over the Model A box, and also because they aren't cross steer like the cars were.

So people who are building "back in the day" rides are looking for F1 steering boxes.


No reason you couldn't use a steering box out of a go-kart if that makes you happy.

 

People use the F-1 box because it fits better than anything else,and looks right.It has to do with where the steering shaft comes out of the box.The F-1 gives you more clearance than the F-100 (54-56)to the drivers side header.That said you need to modify the flange and it helps to shorten the shank, to get the most clearance for the header.--TV

 

can you get rebuild kits for the f-1 boxes?...i know someone that is looking to rebuild theirs and can't find anything....of coarse,i wonder how hard he looked

 

Dont know of any kits but individual parts available lots of places, Sacramento Vintage Ford 916 853 2244, Macs Ford Truck Parts 800 777 0948, many others. They have rebuilt boxes for around $550 exchange. I think ther is a place called McMaster-Carr that might have rebuilt steering boxes for F-1 cheaper.

 

OK, so how can I tell if a '48-53 Ford truck is an F-1 and not a bigger truck?

 

Check Mike Bishop's book (How to build a traditional Ford Hot Rod). He gives you all the in's and out's of the whole deal.

Frank

 

On the larger ones (F-3 and up I think) Has a bigger out-put shaft (where the pitman arm goes), but the cool thing about them is a tighter steering radius...And I think Dennis Carpenter may have re-build kits...Someone has them.

 

Here's mine. I believe it to be an F1?