I have read on this site where different people have used a 58 Ford or later steering box to replace the original 57 one. Besides losing the horn wire, what other modifications have to be made to get the box to fit? I understand the box will bolt up to the frame correctly and that the 58 pitman arm has to be used. I'm between sending my box out for rebuild or converting to the later box. If I remember right, someone said the 57 steering wheel would not fit on the 58 shaft spline.
I did the 58 box, you are right, you must use the 58 pitman arm. I used the 57 wheel with just a little filing on the spline. The 57 wheel has one larger spline so the wheel only goes on one way, the 58 shaft has equal splines, I just filed out the one large one on the 57 wheel. If you can get a 58 box forget rebuilding the 57, they are a crap design.
Thanks Jim. With that said, I believe I will convert to the later one like you did. I found a rebuilt one on Car Steering wholesale that fits 58-62 Ford Fairlane. Mine is a Custom model, but I assume the Custom and Fairlane would be the same. It states that AJ3580B is stamped on the housing. Did you run into any of that? Don
Don, Fairlanes and Customs all use the same box. I don't know why they would list it as 58-62 Fairlane, 61-62 Fairlanes were mid sized cars, and the full size 61-62 were Galaxies. I didn't make note of the number on the box but I'll be under the car this morning and I will try to locate it.
Edit: I didn't find a number on the box itself but the sector shaft cover has AJ3580B on it.
Jim,
Did you buy a factory rebuild box, and if so where did you buy it?
Mine was used, I traded an old intake manifold for it. I took it apart, cleaned it out and checked the bearings and set the preloads and just replaced the seal and it works great..
That was lucky you could find a used one Jim. If you can find the stamped info on the box sometime, I'd appreciate it. I don't want to buy something that won't work and have to return it. No hurry as I won't get to the job until it gets cold outside and I will have no choice but to fire up the heater in the garage and do inside jobs. Don
Don, the only number I could find was on the sector shaft cover # AJ3580B
Thanks Jim. That's the one they list. Does it get cold out your way in the winter? It starts to get super cold here about the first of December. Hate it, but deal with it. Right now I am replacing the vacuum fuel pump on the 57 with a mechanical one. I switched to electric wipers and didn't like the looks of the old one. Never know how long they have been on there, but when I took the old one off it had a tag stating"rebuilt". So much for that. Take care. Don
Don, be sure that company can guarantee it's a 58 box. I think the 58-64 boxes will all work. I did some research and found that the AJ3580B isn't a part number, it's just the casting number for the cover and was used on many different boxes including some trucks. I didn't find anything about an actual number on the box, the part number was on a metal tag attached by one bolt on the cover.
We don't get much of a winter out here, today is 100, tomorrow will be 106. Sometimes it can still be pretty warm in December some years.