Thats why i want to get this granada box to work. Should decrease the turning radius a good bit plus have power assist

ctfortner,

The information that I have obtained is detailed here http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/Topic63650.aspx?PageIndex=3#bm79676.

The cheapest way is usually the most expensive way. A steering box change is a very complicated thing. you need to get the input shaft and pitman spline very close to original. And have a pitman arm fit the spline and idler arm with the same lenght and bend. your working in three dimentions and it's easy to introduce all kinds of steering woes.

regards

Warren

Grizzly (Aussie Mainline)

Sorry, I didn't mean to stir the pot that much. some years ago I was in mexico and I decided to scout junkyards for the weekend to see what kind of old stuff I could find and every car/truck I came across looked original but had a late model steering column in it that just made me gag everytime I looked in the things, they just didn't go together looky wise. My opinion would be adapt your column to the granada steering so at least the inside of the car looks original.

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

Grizzly, I know what you mean about cheapest. But I say that about this situation only because the Granada swap has been a proven success in the 56 Ford car, and of the options I am presented, it is the cheapest, by far. If it wasnt already tested by many and used for years, then I agree it may be the most expensive in trial and error and parts to make it work. I wouldnt attempt this by myself as I have never done something like this, but I am fortunate to have a good friend that really knows what he's doing helping me out.

I actually bought this granada stuff from a guy on here (nite owl) that has been happily running the same setup on his car for a couple of years. He had an extra set. He is running the factory gear box, so the only thing I am going to do different than him and most others is see if the Granada gear box can be easily worked in place of mine, since I am already swapping columns anyway. There is a guy on the hamb with a 57 ford that put the granada gear box on his with the granada p/s setup and said it was simple and works like a dream. Changed the lock to lock from 5+ to about 3.5.

What I can tell so far is the 2 gear boxes are pretty close in dimensions. Looks like the 56 box is just a tad longer but the Granada box looks a little beefier. I can say that when mounted to the frame though, the Granada box will allow about 1/8" or more extra clearance between the box and motor, which is a bonus. We are going to measure, mark, take pictures, etc and then remove the 56 box and put on the Granada box, since 2 of the 3 bolt holes appear they will line up. Once there see what changes would have to be made if any to make it work. The swap is done by leaving the factory box in place and putting the Granada pitman arm on the 56 box, install the granada tie rods, idler arm and center link, mount the ram and run hoses and pump, etc.

So we should (hopefully) be able to mount the Granada gear box so that it ends up sitting with the pitman arm located in the same position it would have if installed on the 56 box and see if that is acceptable for the input shaft and the rest.

I will know a lot more tonight, me and a buddy will be working on this for several hours tonight.

In case you havent seen the info on this swap, here it is

Billy, sorry about the reaction to you comments. I am a bit sensitive because I grew up with a brother who wouldn't own anything that wasn't a Chev. He tells me to buy a real truck. He won't even accept a GMC. I don't want to be like him so I keep my mouth shut. I have brother in law who is almost as bad. He has a '55 Chev 2 door post (scrub lingo for a tudoor). He just shakes his head every time I talk about Fords. His brother is kind of an omnivore (Ford, Dodge, Chev) but he has a completely stock '29 Model A and he gave me the gears constantly about anything I changed on my vehicle although I could never understand how what I did or didn't do affected him 1 iota. About 4 years ago he came across a '54 Meteor, painted black with voodoo pinstriping and lowered to the point where he can't change tires without dropping the rear axle. Now he finds that the girls with nose rings and purple hair like his car and he now thinks customizing is cool. He wants to hot rod his '29.

With the steering in my case I have not chopped up my original steering columns in either My '56 Merc or the '55 Club Sedan. In both cases I acquired '50s Ford columns that were being thrown out. I salvaged one steering shaft from a '55 pickup. The worm gear was rusted into a stub. On the other I got a junk steering shaft from a repair shop from a '65 Mustang.

Mark

1956 Mercury M100
1955 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan
Delta, British Columbia

I am following this swap info with interest.My question is what mounting bracket do you use for the pump to engine mount?I dont see that info in the information sheet posted.

  

I just have a question. Did your car not come with power steering at all? I have a 57 Fairlane with leaky power steering, And have contemplated getting it rebuilt, or going with another power steering option.

OR

Would it be easier to find the power steering from a boneyard and Stalin an original? I mean for the other guys.

1957 Fairlane

CT, When Dick originally wrote that article in '54 Ford Club of America there was a sketch that went with it. My scan isn't as good as yours but you should be able to decipher the drawing. The drawing shows where to cut the hole in the frame to bolt on the "L" Bracket. Don't know why he couldn't weld on the bracket instead of cutting a hole in the frame.

Mark, I'm trying to remember back when he showed me the setup on his '54 Sedan Delivery. The pump mount looked stock. He was using the Granada Pump.

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL

Alrighty then, Found the picture. Sorry about the bad scan. Dick Cohen give this to me years ago.

I just checked Drop n' Stop web site and the photo of Dick's Sedan Delivery is still in the upper right corner. You may want to contact the new owners at Drop n' Stop and see if they have any info on the pump mount. http://www.dropnstop.com on the Granada Conversion. When Dick was alive freely told me about the installation.

"The Master Cylinder"

Enjoying life at the beach in SOCAL

Thanks Master Cyl, I had that one to. I never had the pleasure to talk to Dick but the new owner and (i think) son in law is Dave. He is the owner of the sedan delivery now which still has the granada p/s on it. He is a super nice guy, I got some disc brake parts from him. I have called and talked to him about the swap. The only thing different is they stuck with the factory gear box. As far as the L bracket, I plan to weld it on. Not much reason not to really, the ram/cylinder can be removed either way, and nite owl (a member here) who has this setup installed, welded his bracket on his. Dave will help you out for anyone that wants to talk about it. I am not sure if Dave is on this forum but he on the hamb as nascar dave.