1955 Sloppy Steering

[Mark 1955]

Looking for any information on general maintenance I should look at doing. Car is in great condition but do not know what has been done. Also is it common for somewhat sloppy steering or should I be looking into replacing some steering parts. My hand floats a few inches back and forth going down the road to stay straight.

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[doug7740]

To start off with I would suggest purchasing a service manual, there are other manuals available that can be purchased as needed.

There is no maintenance schedule for T-Birds that are not used regularly I recommend the following maintenance schedule:

Annually - Change oil & filter, lube all fittings, add oil to the distributor cup, clean battery terminals, replace plugs, check belts & hoses and replace if any indication of frayed or soft, clean oil bath air cleaner or replace air filter, replace fuel filter element, check points and replace with new condenser if pitted.

Three years - Adjust valves, change antifreeze coolant, check the brakes and flush the brake fluid.

Five years - Change auto trans fluid, replace wiper blades.

If there is a lot of play in the steering wheel, the first thing you must do is to check the steering components for wear or damage. If the steering components are not worn or damaged, there is an adjustment for the sector shaft end play on the top of the steering box.





Place the steering wheel in the straight ahead position. Remove the cap on the steering box and you will see a star washer in center of the flat head screw with a tang that locks the screw in place. Lift the washer and turn the screw clockwise one serration only and try it out. Keep going one serration at a time until you get as much of the play out of the steering wheel that you are comfortable with.

A couple of words of warning:

1. If the worm gear is worn out, no amount of adjusting the steering box will help.

2. If you turn the adjustment screw too much you will be able to turn the steering wheel left or right, but then it will not return to the straight ahead position.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[zeroroadkill]

Thanks Doug, I couldn’t figure out how to do the star washer! So does it “lift” up as you mentioned?

 

[doug7740]

Under the cap there is a lock nut. After you remove the lock nut you can lift the up the star washer.

doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue

 

[Mauto348]

Looking for any information on general maintenance I should look at doing. Car is in great condition but do not know what has been done. Also is it common for somewhat sloppy steering or should I be looking into replacing some steering parts. My hand floats a few inches back and forth going down the road to stay straight.

Lifelong t bird guy and ASE cert Master tech here, few inches is way too much, but dont expect the tight feel and response of newer rack and pinion. Few steps, first, check every part of steering linkage from the output shaft bushing in the steering box to outer tie rods and ball joints. Older cars have a lof of pivots and if you get small amount of play in each one they add up to a lot of steering play at the wheel. If those all check out next step is to adjust the steering gear box, ford used recirculating ball type in 55 I believe, pretty common. Not difficult but you have to do it correctly or risk steering binding and damage to gear box. Guessing you can find a You tube video, but if not let me know and Ill find it and direct you if you like

 

[Ponydoc]

My 57 had a similar problem and I have been doing Mustangs for over 30 years and they have the same problem. I also removed the cap bolts and greased the box, as it was fairly dry. I'd imagine yours hasn't been greased for decades either and a little grease will really help. Just keep track of where the slot is so you can start where it was before you greased it. If they're anything like Mustangs, you don't want an immediate response when you turn the steering wheel- indicates the gears are too tight. There should be just a slight delay from the steering to the wheels. It's how Ford designed them.

 

[dadspony]

On my 57 Bird I pumped out all the oil i could get out, flushed it and filled it up with ball joint grease. Seemed to help some.