My good friend Chuck is on assignment in Michigan right now and he is interviewing and writing a tech article on a shop that rebuilds all kinds of Steering boxes..... I asked him to see if they would do a 57 box... or if they even do any OEM stuff
Chuck got back to me and they do manual or PS ford boxes... a 2-3 week turn around....57-58,etc,etc,. any box.Better than OEM specs.
They are heavily into nascar stuff and do a large amount of late model stuff.
Anyhow...
The issue of 57-58 boxes always comes up and while there are companies that sell remanufactured boxes... this place is very small(6-8) employees... you are in contact communication with the tech person
Some of you may know this place... but any source to help our guys out is a bonus in my mind.
Here is the link.
https://www.turnone-steering.com
I believe a ruff cost is $200-$500 for there services and a 2-3 week turn-around is there policy.....
I just sent them a request for a quote on my steering box. Aftermarket Steering boxes my be OK but I'm happy with turning the wheel 15,000 times to turn around. At least I'll have something I don't have to drill new bolt holes for etc. I just hope they are not so expensive.
Let us know how it works Jim....I just thought it would be another option as the issue comes up from time to time.
I am not pushing for them...I just wanted to spread some info that could be helpful.
Yes, let us know Jim. If it works out well, I'll add it to our list of suppliers of parts and services.
Jeff, thanks for the steering box rebuilder info. I'm looking for someone really good and reliable.
Steering boxes are not as easy to properly rebuild and adjust as one would think, it lots of experience and someone who actually cares to do it properly. if not done properly it will drive bad, wear out quickly or both. Kinda like setting up a ring and pinion.
I try to source boxes of 58&59's that had power steering as those boxes should have the least wear with the power assist.
I may send one off to see what kind of result I get.
Pat
From my conversations from my pal Chuck... they rebuild PS and manual boxes..... a very small company and they exceed OEM boxes with newer components and materials.
I am just passing the info and just want all you guys to be aware.I hope Jim Nolan gets some satisfaction.I have seen one or 2 parts house that sell 58 boxes... but who knows what parts are inside... and that cost is around 500 bucks.
Obviously you must send a core to them and get a quote.....
I hope this may help anyone in need.... and.. it may be fine to swap out your 57 box for a 58..but... they are nearly 60 years old.
I could not agree more. Out here in Western Canada, I have had great success with a local steering rebuilder in Surrey BC. He is a small 1 man operation, and recently completely rebuilt a stock steering box for my current 1959 2 door sedan project. I have a ways to go before my 59 is ready to drive, but even still, it now has the "on center" high spot, which had no high spot when I took the steering box in. He showed me a couple of shots of the lower end of the steering shaft, where it had been pitted due to water finding its way inside the box (likely from steam cleaning or pressure washing many years ago). He repaired this pitted bearing surface by machining the pitted section, and making a spacer to take up the added clearance before installing a new lower bearing. He also replaces all the ball bearings inside the recirculating ball, as well as any bushings, bearings and seals.
I was sold on Steering Solutions years ago, after he sold me an exchange PS box for my old 74 F350. On those boxes, the sector shaft, where the pitman arm attatches, rides in a hole machined inside the cast iron box case, over the years it is common for the bore to become egg shaped, which allows the sector shaft to move side to side inside the bore, eventually causing excessive play, and the lower seal to leak PS fluid all over the rubber radius arm bushings. My truck had all these symptoms, and had been not much fun to drive like that. At Steering Solutions, the lower bore in the box casting is bored out, and a bearing installed during the rebuild.Between the rebuilt steering box, and new polyurethane radius arm bushings, the truck drove so much nicer that it was hard to believe that the truck was 40 years old. It drove like a new truck, and was much less tiring to drive. In fact, shortly after the steering update, I hauled my race car 2100 miles round trip, from Vancouver BC Canada to Sonoma California for a race there, by myself, and the truck performed and drove beautifully on the trip. Of course, A/C would have been nice for the 107-114 F temps going thru Redding California, but thats another story !
If you live in Western Canada, consider Steering Solutions. Their website is www.steeringsolutions.com
Thanks for that Rory. I'm looking to upgrade or rebuild my 57 box this winter. It did pass a provincial inspection a few years back but it does have 145,000 miles on it and it feels like it could use an overhaul.
There is no power steering box in 50's type Fords.. There is only power assist and the box is the same as a manual. The 57 box is basically junk compared to a 58, there is a world of difference between a worm and sector compared to a recirculating ball design.. Better money spent to find a 58-59 and rebuild it.
Quote from: hiball3985 on 2017-06-28 18:52
There is no power steering box in 50's type Fords.. There is only power assist and the box is the same as a manual. The 57 box is basically junk compared to a 58, there is a world of difference between a worm and sector compared to a recirculating ball design.. Better money spent to find a 58-59 and rebuild it.
Don't you have to change the column to?
Now, let me get this straight. My 57 was assembled in Sept of 1956 and it accumulated 104,000 miles on it until 2004. I buy it and put 62,000 miles on it. The steering box is 61 years old with 166,000 miles on it. I'm 69 years old, so what's the possibility of me putting a 58-59 steering box on it when I would have to change steering column on it and do away with my horn when I can get the old one rebuilt. Chances are I'd need another one around the time I get 130 years old.
Using the 58 column and wheel or modifying the 57 wheel would be the ideal way of doing it if you want to retain the horn on the wheel. That wasn't a problem for me I just put a button for the horn on the dash for the time being, maybe I'll find a 58 column in the future. Loosing the horn location was an easy trade off for the improved steering for me. I've made thousands of turns and maybe blown the horn once :003: I'm 70 years old and do a lot of mountain driving, I may never change the column, just another dream at this time.
Jim: That is absolutely amazing that the box lasted that many miles, most are history long before that..
Jeff
If we don't see a good picture of the top of the 58 steering box, that means it didn't happen. They don't look anything like a 57 box.
Hopefully I will install my 59 steering box and 59 standard shift steering column during the winter. Jay
Quote from: Ecode70D on 2017-07-01 04:01
Jeff
If we don't see a good picture of the top of the 58 steering box, that means it didn't happen. They don't look anything like a 57 box.
Hopefully I will install my 59 steering box and 59 standard shift steering column during the winter. Jay
hahahaahhaa
Jeff HAHAHA yourself
I guess that means you don't have one.
When I get a few minutes time, I'll check to see if the sector nut on my spare 57 box fits my 58. In the pictures that you sent me earlier, looks like you are missing the nut and lock washer.
My 59 box turns smooth as silk, so I'm not going to rebuild it. I rebuilt my 57 box and it works nicely now, so actually I'm not in any big hurry to install the 59. Jay
Can't keep up with the 57 steering gear nagging. had 3 of them all were tight in European winding roads. maybe some of them rebuilt?
Quote from: djfordmanjack on 2017-07-02 17:46
Can't keep up with the 57 steering gear nagging. had 3 of them all were tight in European winding roads. maybe some of them rebuilt?
Whether they are still good or bad is probably relevant to how much or little maintenance they received over the years. I've taken some apart that looks like the factory gear oil that has turned into dried out looking grease. The box in mine was so worn the free play went from 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock and couldn't be adjusted out, just plane worn out and dry as a bone when I tore it apart.
Out on the west coast, many of the parts suppliers use Straight Line Steering to rebuild their boxes. They rebuild boxes for everything from cars to big trucks. They have two locations, but all the car rebuilding is done in San Jose. The price was reasonable, and the turn around was about 2-3 weeks. I live close to their Riverside location, so I took it there and they ship it to San Jose and back in their weekly shipments. Here is their website. http://www.straightlinesteering.com/about%20the%20company.htm
Quote from: JimNolan on 2017-06-28 09:48
I just sent them a request for a quote on my steering box. Aftermarket Steering boxes my be OK but I'm happy with turning the wheel 15,000 times to turn around. At least I'll have something I don't have to drill new bolt holes for etc. I just hope they are not so expensive.
Jim.any word from Turn one?.... not trying to be nosy...but I was very curious to see if they are priced ok.. or out of this world.
I'd like to know what is included in a rebuild. I don't know of anyone that I've been able to find who has new worm and sectors for 57 boxes unless they have some secret source..
:unitedstates: Greetings I have a steering box from a 1958 ford 300 .The tow truck operator had cut the column right above the large flat nut.Can I save the box?Do I need the idler arm from the 58?
Thank you
Quote from: Jeff Norwell on 2017-07-06 08:00
Jim.any word from Turn one?.... not trying to be nosy...but I was very curious to see if they are priced ok.. or out of this world.
No, I haven't heard a word from them. It drives OK now with just enough play (any play) that I know the longer I go the worse it will get without having any adjustment left. I was hoping to send it off this fall. I'll try to call them this time. I just want to make sure they'll rebuild it.
I spent yesterday at the Columbus, OH GoodGuys show. Early on Fridays, you have the vendors to yourself. You know I'm old, retired and on a fixed income so I'm not too proud to ask for discounts. I'm not saying how much I spent but I SAVED 650 bucks! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. One of the vendors I searched out was Turn One. I talked with THE guy. He is the owner, tech support, sales, engineer, head technician, and grounds maintenance. When asked about wear in the '57 sector and worm gears, he balked to share technical secrets. By chance, I mentioned the Caviler rack conversion in my Custom. He was genuinely interested. When I mentioned the only downside was the loss of turning radius. He immediately responded with improvements he could make to increase rack travel to increase turning radius. He was unsure if he could restore OEM turning radius but was sure to make an improvement. For this service, he gave me a SWAG of less than $200. My rack is coming off and I'm making a run to Saginaw!
Gary.. did he give you any cost on rebuilding a 57 stock 57-59 box?...Awesome that you met him....did you find him positive?
He seemed to be very genuine and has 20+ years with the company. He mentioned Chuck and the interview. Since I've tossed all my '57 boxes and my '64 box is in good condition, we didn't linger on the '57 box discussion. I also quickly gathered that he was not interested in blind estimates...send the box in and get a quote. As of yesterday, he had not recently quoted a '57 box. I got the feeling that '58 and newer boxes were less of a challenge than a '57.
Quote from: gasman826 on 2017-07-08 07:08
I spent yesterday at the Columbus, OH GoodGuys show. Early on Fridays, you have the vendors to yourself. You know I'm old, retired and on a fixed income so I'm not too proud to ask for discounts. I'm not saying how much I spent but I SAVED 650 bucks! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. One of the vendors I searched out was Turn One. I talked with THE guy. He is the owner, tech support, sales, engineer, head technician, and grounds maintenance. When asked about wear in the '57 sector and worm gears, he balked to share technical secrets. By chance, I mentioned the Caviler rack conversion in my Custom. He was genuinely interested. When I mentioned the only downside was the loss of turning radius. He immediately responded with improvements he could make to increase rack travel to increase turning radius. He was unsure if he could restore OEM turning radius but was sure to make an improvement. For this service, he gave me a SWAG of less than $200. My rack is coming off and I'm making a run to Saginaw!
Gary, I'm very interested in this turning radius improvement. Please give us the results. If it works to your satisfaction, I'll drive mine up to Saginaw.
Quote from: hiball3985 on 2017-07-06 11:36
I'd like to know what is included in a rebuild. I don't know of anyone that I've been able to find who has new worm and sectors for 57 boxes unless they have some secret source..
The bearings/gaskets/seals and worm gear are available from aftermarket sources. There even appear to be completely "rebuilt" boxes available ready to go. I don't know of any source for just the sector shafts for these, though.
We finished up a "rebuild" on a 57 steering box this winter. Fortunately, we had a collection of steering boxes to choose from that allowed us to mix-and-match the best hardware. So, I didn't have to deal with any wallowed-out bores or other worn parts way outside of specs. I used one of the aftermarket bearing/gasket/seal kits. The boxes aren't very complicated at all. The service manual had enough detail to describe how everything should go together. The only adjustment when reassembling is setting the shaft preload based on the number of paper shim/gaskets.
QuoteCan't keep up with the 57 steering gear nagging. had 3 of them all were tight in European winding roads. maybe some of them rebuilt?
The rebuilt box now behaves as djfordmanjack describes. Tight, quick response to steering wheel movement. Perhaps later boxes are better in some other way(s). But, I'd be hard pressed for a reason why given the way things worked out.
Quote from: 81TTA on 2017-07-11 21:52
The bearings/gaskets/seals and worm gear are available from aftermarket sources. There even appear to be completely "rebuilt" boxes available ready to go. I don't know of any source for just the sector shafts for these, though.
We finished up a "rebuild" on a 57 steering box this winter. Fortunately, we had a collection of steering boxes to choose from that allowed us to mix-and-match the best hardware. So, I didn't have to deal with any wallowed-out bores or other worn parts way outside of specs. I used one of the aftermarket bearing/gasket/seal kits. The boxes aren't very complicated at all. The service manual had enough detail to describe how everything should go together. The only adjustment when reassembling is setting the shaft preload based on the number of paper shim/gaskets.
The rebuilt box now behaves as djfordmanjack describes. Tight, quick response to steering wheel movement. Perhaps later boxes are better in some other way(s). But, I'd be hard pressed for a reason why given the way things worked out.
Do you have a link for the aftermarket sources? I've rebuilt these type boxes before in my truck, they are the same design. I need to help a friend with his, I already have a 58 box in mine.
Quote from: hiball3985 on 2017-07-12 05:59
Do you have a link for the aftermarket sources? I've rebuilt these type boxes before in my truck, they are the same design. I need to help a friend with his, I already have a 58 box in mine.
Yep. I purchased all the parts I needed from Concours. I don't think I can simply paste a link to their list of '57 steering parts. I used their "kit" # B6A-3551-BK for the recent rebuild. The link for that is here : http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb.dll?parta~dyndetail~Z5Z5Z50000051e~Z5Z5Z520142~P114.95~~~~S4YP03EASA96271910514x~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000051e
They seem to have worm gears and worm gear+shaft assemblies, as well. There's also a listing for a completely rebuilt box for a fair amount of money more! :) If you go to http://concoursparts.com/ , it's pretty easy to select the model year and category to bring up all the other parts they offer.
Here are a couple other places that have steering parts :
http://www.macsautoparts.com/ford_mercury_late/steering/steering-boxes-and-related.html?limit=96
https://cgfordparts.com/wwwsectionfiles/cg_cat2_steering_steering_box_parts.html
While most of these places have a pretty good overlap of identical parts, there are some things that appear to be available at only one of them. A good example (coming to mind because I completely screwed this up on one of the boxes I had...) is the tube/plate assembly (MACS PN : B5S-3597-A) that aligns the steering shaft and bearing at the other end of the box. This is the tube assembly that allows the horn wire to pass through the box. When everything is bolted together, there's really no problem. Nothing can move around. But, when the shaft is unbolted, left in place and allowed to bang around while someone (certainly not me) trips over the parts a few times, the tube will definitely get bent and distorted. I don't see one of these available on the Concours site. But, the MACs site appears to have this assembly available.
Thanks, I've seen all those sites before but forgot they have worm gears, nobody seems to have sector shafts. I like the Concourse small parts kits because the contain the sector bushings, they always seem to be worn, I've replaced the ones in my truck three times over the years. Another reason I prefer the 58 and later boxes, the sector is supported on both ends :001:..
Those are the only ones I'm familiar with right now. There *might* be someone out there offering sector shafts. Since I didn't need them, I didn't spend much time searching around for them.
You mention you've replaced a lot of sector bushings. Sounds like you might have some specific knowledge on the durability of the '57 boxes. About how long is it between replacements (time or miles) on your truck? Anything specific about your truck that might explain faster wear (big/wide tires, strange steering geometry)?
My knowledge of the wear on the bushings comes from what I have read on the truck forums and a couple of friends that I have helped rebuild their boxes. God only knows how much actual mileage or what maintenance any of these had over all these years. The trucks are easy to check, if someone turns the steering wheel for you you can see the sector wobble around :003:. I don't recall the actual mileage between my changes but when I start getting to much free play in the wheel that can't be adjusted out I know the bushings are going, in fact I'm probably going to need to do them again soon :005:. Mine probably wear faster then normal because of the larger then stock wheels and tires, 10.5 x 15 x 31. Suspension is stock..
I met with the owners of Turn one at Syracuse.... as Gary mentioned.. real nice.. but non committal on any pricing.....