53 Mercury P/S add-on

dean333

dean333

Well-known member
How feasible is it to upgrade a 53 stock Mercury to power steering? Parts availability? Thanks all.
 
There is a complete kit available on ebay right now. Item number 226448298660. I am not affiliated with ebay or the seller; just providing information.
 
In 53 powersteering was an option. I didn't know until I saw one at the Portland swap a few years back. I like a stock bolt on over a aftermarket job any day. Tim
 
Thinking completely outside of the box here. I have a '67 Corvette with power steering. There is nothing in the steering box itself that has anything to do with the power assist. After getting the pump mounted on the engine, everything else is external and should bolt on. All parts are readily available and priced reasonably.

Here's what it looks like :
 

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Compare the pictures of the eBay '53 Ford setup and the Corvette unit. They appear to work on the same principle. The cars are of similar size and weight. The hard part would be the drive pulley. It would probably be easiest if the Corvette center link is close enough to be adapted to the Ford. Too bad I'm halfway to Florida or I'd be taking pictures and measuring parts.
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2264482986...5Nzjas8Pxj5WE64DF51DGIEaE=|tkp:Bk9SR9qnxojmZA


Depending what the unit actually came off of, you might still have to swap out the end plate, that is attached to the passenger side frame. They were different between Fords and Mercury's. The one in the pictures appears to be for a Ford. It does appear to be complete otherwise. The price is outrageous, but you are lucky to see a complete system come up every 5 years, or more, these days. It took me 3 years to find mine.

I have the same (factory original), unit on my 53' Merc and love it. It has been on my car for over 10 years now, and still works great.
 
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I had a 1968 Fairmont with the same style power steer as tubman shows. I imagine it would be easy to retro fit to a 1953 Ford/Mercury.

I do remember that it did not have the same "road feel" as some of the power steer cars that I have had since.
It was over 45yrs ago now but I do recall "swapping ends" in a spectacular fashion one day, coming out of a corner/intersection in the wet, due to over correction (think multiples).
Lack of steering feedback I seem to remember.

Even though I may still consider such a system for my 54 Victoria, I drive differently now.


Geoff
 
I converted my 54 Meteor (Canadian Ford) to factory PS last winter. I had purchased a parts car with PS and removed everything and restored/painted it all. Bought a new Ram from Rockauto. It is a great system and to this day is not leaking a drop. I put over 2500kms on that car over the summer, no issues with the power steering.

No regrets whatsoever and since I did the work myself I learned a lot.
 
FYI, the Power Steering on ebay sold for $2,800. So the next time someone asks you, what the cost of an original 53' PS system is, you will know.
 
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Not only are those units hard to find and now expensive, many times the ram unit needs to be rebuilt. that is not cheap either.
 
Merc Cruzer said:
FYI, the Power Steering on ebay sold for $2,800. So the next time someone asks you, what the cost of an original 53' PS system is, you will know.
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I never did look at that listing. What was included? What condition was this power steering setup? Was it all rebuilt, or did it still need a rebuild? Control valve seals/ram etc.
 
These systems are easy to rebuild as long as the cylinder and shaft are not rusty . ford used them from 53 thru 69 on various cars and trucks they work well and are adaptable . The drag link and control valve are the hard part to find or convert for a custom application. I have rebuilt several over the years with 99% success. The one that faild had a hairline crackthat I missed so it leaked. Tim
 
rjlester said:
I never did look at that listing. What was included? What condition was this power steering setup? Was it all rebuilt, or did it still need a rebuild? Control valve seals/ram etc.
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Go back up to post #8 and click on the ebay listing, at the top of the post, then scroll down.
 
My biggest concern is the end plate that mounts to the passenger side of the frame. The system is the same, except for the end plate, used for Ford and Mercury. That part is harder to find, than the entire system, if you are looking for it.

The first one is for Ford and the second one is for Mercury.
 

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Ok, I got the link to work this time. Holy smokes, I am surprised at that amount of money. Looks like he just cleaned everything up, couple cans of paint and listed it for sale. I need to grab more of these cars there is crazy money to be made lol
 
If who ever bought it gets lucky, the pump will work and the ram won't leak too badly. But I can guarantee, that the valve body will need new seals. All I can say is, i am glad i restored my car 12 years ago, and not today.
 
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