I have a 1950 F-1 that I am now painting. When I'm done I'm gonna move to the steering/master cylinder pedals etc.

I'm powered by a 1988 Ford 302 with a T5.

Which steering column would you recommend and what length did you put in? I'd like stainless or chrome/tilt/key/floor shift.

Thanks,

Dick

 

I put a billet specialties one in my '55

 

My 53 with a 302/AOD has a 33" with a 4" drop.

 

I put a Billet in mine. 28 1/2" (shorter than normal due to the channeling)






_____________________________________________
46 Ford Tudor - Street Rod
48 Ford F1 - Darkside Custom

"Automatics are for washing machines"

 

Howdy,

Same thought here.....

I want to find an automatic steering column for my 55 but they seem to be few and far between.

I like the Ididit models. too.


Regards,


Rick

 

I used an Ididit. I'd suggest finding the steering wheel you want to use and any needed adapter before ordering the column. the diameter and dish of the wheel and the adapter thickness as well as your prefered seating position, the U joint or anti vibration coupler, and your steering box choice all will affect the length. Dummy it all up using a broomstick or PVC pipe to represent the column then adjust the length until it feels right. I made the error of ordering the column first and ended up having to shorten it 2". Ididit wanted way too much money to shorten it, so I took it apart and did it myself. It wasn't very hard to do, took a couple hours, including figuring out how it was put together. Now I could do it in less than an hour even taking my time. Getting one that was too short would be a much bigger problem.
I used a Grant 15" wheel and the Ididit adapter for the Grant mounting pattern rather than the Grant adapter that came with the wheel, the ididit blended into the column perfectly and was much shorter than the Grant setup would have been. I found most aftermarket steering wheels are for imports and are too small (IMHO) for our trucks.

 

I did the exact same thing however I had the column for several years before installing it, took it out of the box today installed and realized it was too long.

How difficult was it to shorten? I figure cutting the 2 1/4 inch housing would be easy, but not sure about the shaft. Any addtional info you could share on this would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

It's not at all difficult if you are reasonably handy and have at least a hacksaw and file, easier yet (the way I did mine) with an angle grinder and electric drill. PM me your email addy and I'll walk you thru it.
Ididit was willing to do it for me, but they wanted 65.00 plus shipping both ways.

 

I used a 30" Ididit with 4 1/2 inch drop and it worked out great.

I think shorter is better than longer. If you're a little short you can make it up with the u-joints and a short section of shaft.

Rick: Ididit does auto column and I recommend their cable shift kits as well. If you're going to use their cable kit, make sure you have at least 2 inches of column outside of the firewall to make the cable connection.

 

30" F.R.

 

David, you have mail!
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Guys any pics??

 

Sorry, I didn't take any pix of the shortening process. I probably have a pic or two of the column in the mock up stage if that's what you want to see?

 

Hey Dick,
We also have a 1950 F1 - with a 351W & an AOD.
We used a 30 inch column with a series of joints to hook the steering up to the front Mustang II Rack.

We went with a cheap Ididit knock off from Ebay - lot's of plastic in the column - ended up tossing it for a better model. We also have a 15 inch Ford 40's looking wheel set up for GM Harness.

Good luck over there!

Ben in Austin