Power steering box to fit my '57 Ranchero

[lalessi1]

Tom, your engine does seem a lot more to the front than mine. not knowing where the interference between the box and the manifold was I was just thinking out loud.

The 6 cylinder radiator has the mounting flanges flush with the front face of the radiator, the 8 cylinder rad has flanges flush with the rear face. The stock radiator can be moved forward until it hits the splash pan. I did that with mine to accommodated the A/C, PS billet brackets. The engine pic is before that was done. I looked at measuring the '58 box last night and measuring it accurately will take a little more effort than I thought at first.

[Tom S]

Tom, your engine does seem a lot more to the front than mine. not knowing where the interference between the box and the manifold was I was just thinking out loud.

The 6 cylinder radiator has the mounting flanges flush with the front face of the radiator, the 8 cylinder rad has flanges flush with the rear face.  The stock radiator can be moved forward until it hits the splash pan. I did that with mine to accommodated the A/C, PS billet brackets. The engine pic is before that was done.

With my left valve cover being about like yours at 3/4" from the firewall I think our engines are in the same place fore and aft.  The pic I posted in reply #18 shows right where the box and the manifold meet. Before I did some grinding on the manifold & the box it was worse. The box was in contact for about a whole inch instead of that one point at the corner.
I still can't figure where the tiny amount of clearance I had after grinding things down disappeared to.
Oh, you got your 6 & V8 radiator flange locations mixed up there.
I'm sure you know that the 6 cylinder radiator flanges are flush with the back of the radiator to make room for the longer six.

I started wondering if maybe you took this pic of your engine after you moved your radiator forward but before installing the A/C, PS billet brackets but it looks to still be in the original position. You fan spacer is at least an inch thick & with my engine at 3/4" from the firewall there's no way my engine could move back an inch without firewall mods.

[lalessi1]

The pic you posted was my 390 and that pic was taken when I still had the '57 box, no clearance issues... My valve cover pic shows the bolts I used for the accelerator pedal... the valve cover hit the screws, it is that close. Yea I had the front and back reversed on the radiator stuff...whoops. The other issue that clouds the whole conversation is that I had to put the brackets that hold the engine back on the crossmember, they had been "modified" when I bought the car. I have seen the factory oval air cleaners on 3 x 2s and 2 x 4s (factory intakes) cut to clear the hood latch on SOME cars but not all. It makes me wonder what is going on. Maybe there is a difference between 6 cylinder and 8 cylinder cars?

[hiball3985]

I always thought the 6 and 8 mounts were the same, then someone corrected me and said the offset of the studs is different, by how much I don't know..

[dmkberger]

So, today my fairly expensive Borgeson power steering box showed up and after all of the worry and sleep loss, EVERYTHING FITS like it was made for this swap!
Steering box fits the car like, well it WAS made for it! The exhaust manifold I had theorized would work and then fretted over forever, fits like a glove!
BIG load off my mind and I can move on like it never happened, I've heard that in advertising somewhere....
I have never had a car I could buy parts for out of a catalog before. I've always had weird cars that no one makes parts for and have had to make my own or modify something from another car.
This is Kinda nice, look in the catalog, order the parts you want and wait a few days, then bolt them on to your car. So simple and yet, so weird...
My '29 REO Flying Cloud, no parts made for it, have to make your own or buy used and rebuild them or the fabrication starts. My '51 Plymouth restomod, make 'em or fab 'em.
This is really kinda fun!!!!
Thanks for all of the suggestions and help in my time of indecision and fear of what might happen...

[KYBlueOval]

Tell me about the '29 REO. I ask because I have a photo of my Father's boyhood home with what I've been told is a '29 REO in the driveway.  How well versed are you on REO's? If I sent you a photo could you tell me, if in fact, it is a REO, regardless of the year.
Thanks
John

[Tom S]

....'29 REO ...

1929 REO Flying Cloud pix.
https://www.google.com/search?q=1929+REO+Flying+Cloud&client=firefox-b-1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjj67nZg6HfAhUhLX0KHWquANUQsAR6BAgEEAE&biw=870&bih=509

[KYBlueOval]

Thanks for the photos. As I said, " I've been told it is a '29 REO", but I've had my doubts. The car in my photo is a four door open car, and the photo is shot showing the passenger side, thus no badges showing the name, model etc.
I'll see if I can find a REO club.
Thanks again
John

[dmkberger]

Here is a shot of my 1929 REO flying Cloud Standard Brougham. It's been in my wife's family for 68 years. It sat in a barn for 53 of those and I've had it since my father in law passed away in April of 2005. It looked fairly close to what you see here when we pulled it out of the barn. It took two days to dig it out.
I put gas in it, put a battery in it and on 22 September after spinning it over and over and changing the oil and lubricating EVERYTHING on the engine and trans, I turned the key and it started!
Nice car, we drive it some and take it to shows, but mostly it just sits and looks cool!

[dmkberger]

The "Patina" on the REO is covered only with linseed oil. No clear coat...

[lalessi1]

I have stock 57 and 58 boxes off the frame I can measure... I will do it tomorrow.

I finally measured the '58 box... The Borgeson box dimension is 2 5/8" from the mounting face of the flange to the edge of the box on the engine side (based on the dimensioned photo and a little arithmetic). The same dimension on the '58 box is 2 3/8" as best as I can measure. The "57 box is still in the attic...I will get to that one later.

[Ford Blue blood]

Not to be disagreeable, but I read that as 1.25 + 1.125 = 2 3/8" flange to outside edge of the box, might be looking at it wrong.

[lalessi1]

We are talking about the other side... (I made that mistake at first too!), I think...

[Ford Blue blood]

The part to worry about is the nub on the right side of the photo, top of the box where the cap bolts down to the body of the box.  That is the "trouble" spot with the exhaust manifolds. 

[lalessi1]

You are correct sir. I was looking at the picture completely backwards. Gotta love senior moments! Thanks! I did measure the '58 box correctly so apparently in that dimension they are the same.