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I have been looking at the steering box option for my wife's 64 F150 2wd. I will not be doing any of the other option like assist or rack and pinion.
I see option out there from CPP, ezsteer and Blue Oval Truck Parts.
Who has used them on a 64 and how was the fitment?
I am qualified to do this job so that will not be relevant. Thanks
I just purchased one of the kits from EZSteer that I believe uses the CPP box for my 1963 F250 4x4. However, I am of no help to you on this matter yet because it just showed up today. Between all of the house projects and work it will probably be a little while before I get started on it. A couple of issues that I did notice while looking at it quickly today when it showed up were: 1) The mounting / adapter bracket holes are drilled on 7.25" center and my frame is drilled on 8.25" center. 2) It appears that I may have a clearance issue between the steering box and the clutch linkage...and I don't know if I'm willing to start monkeying with the clutch linkage. 3) Another possible clearance issue is with the headers. However, I have block hugger style headers and the rear primary runs forward instead of aft, so hopefully it clears.
I pulled the manual box out of my 63 F250 4x4 today to see how the box from EZSteer would fit. First off, the plate they send you that mounts to the box and then bolts to the frame is for 1960 and down models. I called CPP and they said the same thing regarding their kits / mounting plate. The issue is that the 3 7/16" mounting holes in the plate do not line up with the 3 mounting holes in our frame. EZSteer told me to drill three new mounting holes, but I was not going to turn my frame into swiss cheese. I figured that I would just make a new mounting plate out of 1/2" plate steel that matched the mounting holes in my frame and the seven mounting holes for the box to the plate.
Anyway, to make a long story short...the box interferes with my clutch linkage to the point that I am just sending the kit back. If you have an automatic, it may be feasible to use the kit and fab your own mounting plate but with a 4 speed it was a no go for me. I still have tons of other stuff to complete in order to get the truck on the road. I may revisit the steering later on and consider the electric assist.
416Ford,
the kit that I purchased was the one that you have shown in option 2. However, Don at ezsteer ordered a bracket to match my March Performance brackets from a different company and that bracket was not compatible with the Saginaw pump (which the March bracket is) so my kit came with a 71-76 style Mustang pump. Also, the picture of the kit shows the bracket that the heim joint goes through to create the lower support as a welded assembly. Mine showed up in pieces so you would have to fab and weld it yourself...which may actually be better. I just thought that I would let you know that the image is a little misleading.
Last edited by wcs69rat; Dec 18, 2019 at 10:23 AM.
Reason: Typo
Power assist with a ram cylinder is the most unintrusive system there is. They get a bad rap sometimes, but when adjusted correctly they work great.
The Ford Granada had this type of steering. I have owned four of them. The ball socket that controlled assist would wear over time and have a small amount of play in it making for interesting steering. All it takes is about 15 minutes to adjust the link to the correct setting and the cars drive like new again.
If still made, there was once a kit that fit the '64 F100. You use your old steering box and no modifications to any part of the shifter or steering wheel assembly. I would put one on mine if I owned something like your truck.
They aren't kidding about connecting the hoses in the right position, I got them backwards on a roadside repair in my 69 Cougar. The steering wheel whips violently from stop to stop until you turn it off, assuming you still have fingers to turn the key with.
That's a pretty slick set up. I'll call CPP and see if it would be compatible with my 63 4 wheel drive but I'm guessing it's designed for 2 wheel drive only. Hopefully it will work great on 416Ford's 64. Thanks for the info.
Yardbird, Hopefully it will work great on 416Ford's 64. Thanks for the info. Chad
No assist steering for me. Not a fan of adjusting the steering occasionally after I put it in. This is my wife's truck and I will rarely be driving it so I want it done one time.
I do not have an issue with installing new mounting holes and welding up the old holes if everything else lines up. The truck does not have headers so clearance will not be an issue.
Dave
The only problem I've seen with anything but assist steering is the original steering column has to be cut and reworked, the shifter linkage has to be mounted through the floor, and there may still be exhaust and clutch linkage clearance issues if a manual. Power assist is mostly plug and play.
All I ever had to do with assistance steering was adjust the high mileage vehicles once each to get the assist piston the correct clearance because of wear in. Probably caused from the original owner not greasing the car, as there was a grease fitting there. The newer ones never needed adjustments.
Power assist and air assist steering at one time was used on some big over the road trucks as OEM and as a add on. I'm not trying to make a decision for you, and it's up to you what you put in for steering. I'm just pointing out a very easy conversion in comparison that is a proven design. My experiences with power assist steering have all been good, in cars and OTR trucks, so I may be slightly biased toward them because of the relative ease of conversion and cost involved.
I think the kit will work fine with your set up. Just my two cents , but I would avoid using the 1960 and earlier mounting plate and would fab your own out of 3/8" or 1/2" plate to match our trucks mounting holes for the factory box. I have attached an image of what EZSteer sent me as to their suggestion of how to get it to fit with my four speed. If you notice, they wanted me to not only drill three new mounting holes for the plate, but then install the plate on the outside of the frame which would require up to seven more holes to be drilled to mount the plate to the steering box, but then they wanted me to drill another large hole in the frame for the shaft that the pitman arm attaches to adjacent to the large stock hole that is already there. The way they wanted me to mount it would mean that there were four stock location holes and then up to an additional 11 holes in the frame within an area approx. 10" long. That is just begging for the frame to crack. If you fab a heavy mounting plate that uses your stock frame holes, I think you will be happy with it.
Last edited by wcs69rat; Dec 19, 2019 at 09:28 PM.
Reason: typo
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