1955 Ford

R

RedBear

Junior Member
The frontend under my 55 fairlane is all new and I would like to get some of the play out of the steering. Can I just counter clock wise tighten down the bolt on top of the steering box until most of it is out ? Or something else ? Its not power steering. I am no wimp,but I thought about changing it out to powersteering. But Im not sure. I could just buy a stock 55 power steering setup. Or maybe even go to a later model power steering box and pomp. Some I hear even convert over to a later model rack and pinion. But I am not sure how,what to use,or whats involved in converting over.
Do most of you guys run the stock 4 or 6 blade radiator fan with no problem. Or have you converted over to a electric fan. Mines just the stock I think 16 inch steel 4 blade with no shroud. And I am not sure its enought to cool my 292 Its running a 180 F thermostate. With a rebuilt stock radiator. 180 f might be to much thermostate.
Thanks !
 
Hi RedBear, welcome to the Fordbarn. Fan; if you can find a Granada or Fairmont with A/C in a junk yard, grab the seven blade fan. All fans for several years were the same bolt pattern except 460. I prefer a 160 'stat. Steering play; find a book and read up on bench top steering gear adjustments. Just turning the screw like on a later model GM may do more harm than good. A lot of the play is in the center link. Rack and pinion; there are better replacements now. The moderator has a pocket full of sites to visit for newer Saginaw steering gears that may be less expensive than a stock P/S setup.
 
My '55 is all stock. I am only experiencing maybe 2 degrees play in the wheel with the front end properly aligned and steering gearbox gear mesh properly adjusted.
To adjust gearbox; loosen and remove large cap-nut on top and remove star-washer. Have a buddy sit in the car and rotate the wheel back and forth a little while you tighten the screw with a large flat-blade screwdriver. Reinstall star washer and back off the screw to the nearest notch then reinstall the cap-nut.
 
I am using the stock 3-blade fan and running a 180 degree thermostat. The old 6 volt guage might not be 100 percent trustworthy, so I fastened a cooking thermostat to the upper radiator hose with nylon electric cable-ties. I can run it 60 miles down the highway in 100degrees plus heat of summer without surpassing the 180 degree mark on the cooking stat.
 
The 55 & 56 passenger cars do not require a fan shroud. the factory installed splash shields bolted to the underside of the frame all around the front and sides of the engine also act as a fan shroud, forcing air that comes thru the radiator past the engine and out the rear. Those pans have a dual purpose. Mainly protecting the generator from splashing water and engine cooling.
 
The factory power steering setup is a "bolt-on" option. You only need to add "crush-nuts" to the factory hex-shaped holes in the frame for the power steering ram cylinder bracket. It's so easy, a child could do it. Sometimes you can find the entire assembly for sale on epay if you want to take a chance on used parts that you need to spend more money rebuilding, or you can buy the whole system in a kit from some of the restoration parts suppliers.
Theres a lot of folks here who do retrofits for modern types of steering if that floats your boat. There may be modifications, welding, etc for some of those.
My power assist came out of a junkyard '55 back in the 70's and I have brutalized it for decades without so much as changing the filter. I was this very day trying to find a filter. Went to 2 auto parts stores. They don't carry them. Might need to go over to St louis to NAPA and see if they got one.
 
Dave, there was a warning years ago about Ford three blade fans. They are prone to cracking and sending a blade off. You be a lucky dude to drive regularly and still have the fan intact.
Stock P/S units; rebuilding the control valves has been priced just beyond the moon. Old Cars Weekly has a new advertiser, Lares, in Cambridge Minnesota. 1-888-280-6386, www.larescorp.com They did my control valve for a fraction of the usual cost turned it around fast, and it works like new. They will get my leaky pump later this fall. I highly reccomend them
 
My old 3-blade fan still looks like new. I not only drive it daily but regularly drive it 60 miles round trip, all highway, so it gets a workout. Still no signs of cracking.
I have to take it off for a repaint every few years. It looks like it has been sandblasted bare but never a speck of rust due to the hard usage apparently.
My '55 Courier with 223 I-block six has the same 3-blade fan also. It was badly damaged and had been beaten back into shape and welded before I got my hands on it. It is doing okay also.
I had Lares rebuild my steering gearbox in the Courier wagon about 15 years ago. I am aware that they rebuild a lot of power steering components also but I don't need anything yet. I have a newer style rebuilt Eaton pump that fits these cars thats been sitting in a box in the garage for many years. It seems to be locked up. It was stored dry and may have taken on condensation over the years and rusted inside.
 
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