I plan on tightening up my steering on my 58 Fairlane this winter. I picked up a steering box and shaft from a guy who bought it for his 59. It did not fit his 59. I want to do this work when I pull the engine and freshen things up a bit.



My question is this: The steering box on my early 58 has the adjustment nut in the middle of the unit, and it has the horn wire through the steering shaft.

The one I bought has the adjustment nut offset to the side a bit and there is no space for the horn wire through the middle of the shaft. Do I now have the correct 1958 steering box?



I want to put in the newly bought steering unit and shaft but how do I tell if it is ok while it is sitting on my bench?

It turns nicely and has some oil in it still.

Any suggestions?




Gordie T           Long Point, Ontario

Gordie: I've been thru the conversion on a 57 to 58 box. First, my guess is your early 58 (Canadian?) has a 57 box. This gets complicated. The 58 box & later are a recirculating ball design. The mechanical part is almost a bolt in, but some minor spline mods is likely required. But.. because of the changeover to a complete new horn feed in 58, you should acquire a complete 58 column to avoid the problems that I ran into. If you don't, the conversion gets difficult due to the parts required for the substantially altered horn contact setup.. Now, re reading your post, you say the box may be a 59. The before mentioned stuff probably still applies, but, check the shaft length against your car, the 59 may be longer.?? This conversion has been discussed some on the 57 Ford. com site, & the moderator John Gamble is familiar with this conversion... To this day I have a separate button horn up by the left door "knee knocker" because I've been unable to find the small connector spring/wire setup,( 58 part # B8A-13A821-A) in the steering wheel base, that goes under the Horn Ring, to make the contact to the Horn Wire terminal support contact ring (58 part#B8A-14308-A) in the upper column... If you can't get the 58 column, you may want to check out your 57 box for condition & stick with it. Also check the other steering parts for play such as the drag link etc. In my case we found the original "A" arm bushings were completely worn out. Also, my box was worn to the point of have a bad flat spot in it.. Good luck! (from near Vancouver B.C.)

Paul

Paul;



Thanks for the heads up on what to look for.



One last question, with the 58 steering column, how do I tell if it is any good while it is on my work bench?



Thanks again



Gord

Gordie T           Long Point, Ontario

Try clamping the box to something & with a vice grip on the shaft, run it thru it's arc, slowly. Use your fingers to feel any rough spots. Check the adjuster for how far it is adjusted down in the lock nut. Add some gear oil & leave the box upright over nite to check the seal for leakage. Mine required a new seal & a bearing. A retired Ford mechanic installed them & re shimmed as he thought it needed. It works well although it still has a touch of looseness on centre. From the box? Hard to know. By the way, if adjusting the box nut, make sure it is in the straight ahead position. Maybe someone else here can ad information.. And something I forgot yesterday, my 57 column tube had to be shortened slightly to get the steering wheel seated..

Paul

Thanks Paul, some good ideas. I filled the box with 80-90 and left it overnight. The only leak was a bit around the steering wheel shaft. Is there packing or a gasket in there?



The adjustment screw has 3/8 inch or more showing above. I have to get a new locking nut though. The shaft turns nicely by finger pressure with no slop or delay between the pitman arm and turning wheel shaft.



When I pull the engine this fall I'll probably put this newer column in and worry about the horn later. As it is now I need a pretty wide road to drive down.



Cheers

Gord








Gordie T           Long Point, Ontario

The assembly should be roughly upright to check for leaks. I doubt when installed you will have a leak up top. Like I said, without the later column, the horn situation is a problem, not readily fixed...

Paul