Steering Gearbox

[Ottoparts]

I need some schooling. I've read through the steering section and have come up with a few questions for which I did not see answers to or I overlooked.
1) what's wrong with the steering gearbox on a 57 Ford? Mine happens to be a Ranchero.
2) I was able to grab a box out of a 61 Monterey for $20 bucks, so I did. It appears to look like its Galaxie counterpart. Is it indeed the same?

[abe_lugo]

The '61 looks like it has a rag joint to the column.  The 57 has the post all the way down to the gearbox.  To make it work you would have to modify your column, add a bearing and weld a rag joint connection.  You probably would need a support at the floor.

Similar to the way a borgeson conversion would be done.  Except in your case you would end up with a '61 gearbox at the bottom.

I would only take the time to do that if it were a power gearbox.  Also your should be an accomplished welder to welder steering joints.

[KULTULZ]

There is nothing technically wrong with the 57 box (IMO). The 58 was a reciprocating ball design whereas the 57 was a worm gear design. The 58 housing is also smaller to accept the 1958 FE.

What is wrong with these early box designs is the one piece steering shaft whereas in a hard frontal collision, the shaft may come at you.

[RICH MUISE]

I agree with Kultulz, nothing wrong with the '57, just an improved design 58 and newer......the death spear column, combined with the way the hood opens, both can come at you in a servere collision. Heard that many times, if the hood doesn't decapitate you, the death spear will get ya. Not sure if it's wive's tales started by Chebby guys or actual fact.
My late model column actually has 3 joints and 3 short shafts, not only makes for an easy alignment when installing, but takes the worry out of the single shaft aimed at your chest. Not sure if I made the hood possibility worse with my only using hood pins (NO latch). If I did, I probably won't ever know anyways. Kinda hard to think about the "what the heck did I do?" thing when your head is in the back seat.
Haha.....this is turning into a rather morbid discussion this morning, combined with Joe's pics of his deer hunt.

[lalessi1]

The reason Ford went to the '58 design was to reduce steering effort I believe. Recirculating ball require less effort than worm and sector. That why I changed and I found that to be the case. After that I went to a Borgeson and used a rag joint. The mods were a little involved, I wouldn't do it for a manual box.

[Ford Blue blood]

The worm and sector boxes were the reason the steering wheels were 10 ft. around.......

[KULTULZ]

Part of the 1956 FORD LIFEGUARD PACKAGE included a steering wheel that would flex when your rib cage ricocheted off it in a hard frontal collision.

'A safety "deep-center" steering wheel[1] with spokes that would flex'.

SOURCE - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeguard_(automobile_safety)

Of course the only true safety feature was the collapsible steering column introduced in 1968.

Which reminds me, several years ago, there was talk of using a GRANADA steering column and box on an earlier FORD. Any information?

[Ottoparts]

Thank you folks for the insight.
I knew about the impalement possibilities but did not think about the hood. 

[mustang6984]

In all honesty...as one who has seen more than his fair share of car accidents...LONG before you would be impaled by the steering column and even longer before that hood could get you, in most (not all) accidents you would already be dead anyhow. If you were going fast enough to send either in to your body, you weren't gonna see the next sunrise most likely. Especially the hood. 9and bowtie boys..had the same steering column issues as Ford did.
The collapsible column came out in '68.

[djfordmanjack]

No doubt about how deadly solid columns can be, but with the deep dish steering wheels in our 57s, I want to think, that before the column gets at you. your chest and rips are probably smashed so much from touching the wheel, you'll have more problems from that than the column itself.

[Ford Blue blood]

and you would have slammed into the wheel and dash board long before the spear got to you....no seat belts, air bags, shoulder harness or energy absorbing frames and sheet metal.....

[RICH MUISE]

exactly......don't ya love it when somebody complains they don't make cars like they use to? I for one am happy about that aspect of the newer cars, now if they just had their own character or personalities, lol.

[djfordmanjack]

My theory is that a newer car will help us survive in a crash. They will take and absorb more impact, and that way take some of the impact off our old cars. Of course there are no good points in crash safety in vintage vehicles, but at least our 57s came with safety lock door latches, dash pad, padded sunvisors, recessed control knobs, dished steering wheel and the like. Not saying that helps in worst case. but I dont think our 57s are unsafe cars in particular. they have many features that makes them much safer than a 1940s car. legroom is extremely wide in a 57 and if the trans /engine gets shoved back, there should be still some space left for driver and pssgr. ( I hesitate to have a 3rd person in the middle seat anyways for safety reasons). also the front chassis kickup would give way upwards and fold up, much like in a modern impact cell car. the fenders would probably fold up and fly off, because they are not attached that much.
I agree on the dangerous hood. that is one sturdy body panel and could be coming at you at many a impact. then again we are really seated much to the back and that would have to be a very serious impact to move it that far back.

Anyways...the more I think about it, the more I want to forget about it..... let's just think about cruising our cars at 50mph on a sunny summer sunset. Peace ! 

[59meteor]

When I was about 13 years old, my father was trying to teach his mother how to drive. Back then nothing was open on Sundays, so we would occasionaly go behind a supermarket parking lot for my grandmother to practice. We were in our 58 Ford 2 door Ranch Wagon, my dad was in the passenger seat, my grandmother was driving, I was in the back seat. Naturally nobody was wearing a seat belt,(not even sure the car had any).Anyhow, my grandmother went around a corner, and drove directly dead center into a power pole. I flew out of the back seat, onto the dash, the front of the car was destroyed, the front bumper was an inverted V. The impact cracked the windshield, but I don`t recall that the hood touched it, nor did the steering wheel look to have moved rearward a noticeable amount. Granted we were probably only going 25 or 30 MPH at the time, so who knows what a much higher speed would do. The radiator was wrapped around the water pump of the 223 cube 6 cylinder, but if the engine moved rearward , it was not by much. We had the car towed home, and sent it for scrap shortly afterward. None of us got hurt, but I was sad, as I loved that car and was hoping to get it when I got my drivers license in a few years. It did spark a love for late 50s Ford cars that has never gone away. When I am driving my 59, I can`t help but be aware of the  huge, hard steering wheel, 1 piece steering shaft, steel non padded dashboard, and until this year, no seat belt. But like motorcyclists, bicyclists, boaters, skiers etc, everything we do has some potential risks. When I am going 130+ MPH in my drag car, I know things can go bad in a hurry, but all you can do is be prepared, and think smart, and do what you can to prevent bad things from happening in the first place. Somethings are beyond our control, but I don`t want to spend my life cocooned in bubble wrap, cowering in the basement.

[hiball3985]

Every day on the news here there are fatal accidents in new cars. The NHTSA has seen a steady increase in fatalities every year. With all the light weight material, collapsible parts, etc these newer cars stop too suddenly, there is no momentum. When they stop so fast your body stops at the same rate but your innards don't and it's the internal injuries that kill you.