55 power steering conversion

F

fast fredy

Senior Member
Has anyone ever thought / tried to use a tri five chevy power steering system to convert your ford.. I have a complete system, I know it wouldn't be a simple bolt on switch Fred
 
Unless you can find used parts that are in good condition, expect to pay $1500-$2500 for parts. Borgeson has a conversion kit that eliminates the hydraulic boom, quicker ratio, and will probably give you more feedback than the one-finger-steering of the original boom-type power steering. There are electric conversion kits available as well. All kits are comparable in price. The Borgeson and electric kits will require steering column modifications.

My 55 Tbird has the original manual steering. It's only a problem when making U-turns or parallel parking.
 
Ya .. I put electric steering in my 50 chev truck , pretty easy but had no column shift to deal with , and my 55 is 6 volt not 12 that would be needed .. Kultulz I know what your saying but the chevy system is only woth about 500 Fred
 
Kultulz I know what your saying but the chevy system is only woth about 500 Fred
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Most likely a FORD take-off will be about the same. You would have to go through it but would the GM system also.
 
Just a couple comments, not a solution. Mummert does list a bracket to put a Saginaw pump on a y block. But for all I know the old Chevy and old Ford pumps are close enough in pressure to work, or a Heidt’s valve would work.

There’s a number of articles out there about putting Cavalier racks in Thunderbirds or Sedan. I’ve done that, and I found it to be a less than perfect solution. It’s even worse in a car with a column shift than in a bird. But you could search it and reach your own conclusions.

I know from rebuilding the front end on a buddy’s 56 Nomad (which included replacing the original pump (driven off the generator) with a mid 60’s Saginaw) the ram systems look pretty similar and work on the same principles. But the width of the center link is going to be the key thing. IIRC both systems use a different center link (or whatever that is called) to both mount and control the ram than a manual does. After you’re past that, the various attachment (from the pitman arm, idler arm, tie rods, etc all have to be checked. I suppose there’s a chance they’re similar, but I never got that lucky.

Since you can’t just hack things off and weld other things back on with the steering system you’re probably looking at machine work, or fabrication from racing parts, or other things not right for a street car.

I think those hidden cost and liabilities might make the oem prices seem more reasonable, even with shipping and duty charges. And then there’s resale value.
 
I've not heard of any 55-57 Tbirds owners' being happy with the rack-and-pinion conversion, which actually increased the already wide turning radius.
 
BORG-WARNER was the source for both the FORD and CHEV PS ASSIST SYSTEM during this period.

They would not interchange. I should have started off with that.

And no reason for a SAGINAW PUMP. The OEM EATON does fine in this application. The SAGINAW was used/transplanted for a rack conversion, it's requiring a higher pressure to operate.
 
Kultulz, FWIW, the Saginaw I was talking about was used both on the ram assisted steering on the vette’s for years, as well as the power steering boxes. But I never checked the pressure from one to the other. They could have looked the same but had different pressures.

I can also tell you what happens when you hook the hoses up backwards, and it isn’t pretty.

I only learn by doing sxxx wrong it seems.
 
... the Saginaw I was talking about was used both on the ram assisted steering on the vette’s for years
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I did not know that. I stand corrected. The VETTE had a more aggressive system requiring higher pressure I guess.

I am GM challenged. Please excuse me ... :rolleyes:

I only learn by doing sxxx wrong it seems.
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Don't feel like the LONE RANGER. I have made stupid mistakes I hope all concerned have forgotten ...
 
Not likely. You will need to find a 57 or possibly a 58.

I can check for you if you want.

:eek:​

Where did I get 57 or 58 ... ???

1955/1956.
 
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Thanks , it would be great to know exactly what options I have for a doner , I'm not opposed to doing a bit of modification if necesary thanks Fred
 
Basically, any system from 1954 to 1956 will work.

I had a brain fart and got 57 FORD from somewhere.
 
Here’s the “conversion kit” for the 55 Thunderbird. Sit down and take a deep breath before you open it. It has all the parts required. I used one of these 20 years ago, followed by a rebuilt 3 sector (mid 56-57) box. It should give you a little better idea what you’re looking for. Notice the steering box is the same, no replacement needed.

The bird has a slightly more narrow track than the full size cars, so I expect the center link is too narrow for your use. But K might have some replacement part numbers to confirm or deny that.

The problem doing any other conversion (new power box or rack and pinion) is the steering shaft is part of the box, all the way to the steering wheel. So that has to be cut off, the column modified, the column shift reworked or replaced, etc. I can tell you from personal experience that you gain very little if anything in steering feel or ratio over the oem power steering. Unless you can do your own machine work or you replace the column with an aftermarket one it’s a bit difficult. That’s why the electric steering is attractive. And none of these alternatives are cheap, and if done cheap are probably not safe.

Due to age and old injuries I really need power steering these days to enjoy the car. So I’m sympathetic to your desire to add it. But it’s easy to go down the rabbit hole and not be able to stop digging.

https://www.larrystbird.com/product/power-steering-kit-5557-replacement/
 
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