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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Mercury Discussion / 1951 Mercury Power Steering Addition

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Discussion Topic: 1951 Mercury Power Steering Addition -- page: 1 2

Tracker

02-04-2013 @ 1:03 PM

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Can anyone tell me if its possible to add power steering to a stock 1951 Convertible ?

With 7.60 X 15 Bias ply tires my car is hard to steer but rides well. Would radials help or is a power steering assist available.

Thanks for your comments or suggestions .

Tracker

TomO

02-05-2013 @ 10:19 AM

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The front end components on a 51 are very similar to the 53 when power steering became available, so it would probably be fairly easy to adapt a 53 power steering to your 51. The problem is finding the parts.

The 7.60 x 15 tires are over-sized tires, the original size is 7.10 x 15. The over sized tires will make it slightly harder to make turns at low speeds.

The recommended tire pressure is 24lbs, but that was mainly to give a softer ride. You can increase the pressure to 28 lbs without loosing any traction or ride quality and that should help with low speed turns, 30lbs will still not reduce traction much and will ease the turning effort a little more. I would not go above 30lbs unless the tire manufacturer says it is OK.

There are other things like wear and adjustments that can affect the steering effort.

Power steering has caused us to develop some bad habits, like trying to turn the steering wheel when the car is not moving.

Tom

supereal

02-05-2013 @ 1:52 PM

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I agree with Tom, and add that any incorrect front end alignment will interfere with operation. If your steering doesn't return to center itself after a turn, your steering gear may be at fault, or misadjusted. The Ford steering was often referred to as "Armstrong" because of the effort required. That is why the steering wheels were often quite large, compared to today's type. It would seem that one of the modern "power rack" systems would be adaptable, but most manufacturers are reluctant to provide kits due to the liability issues.

Tracker

02-08-2013 @ 11:53 AM

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Tom

Thanks for the info....I am going to first try to find a 53 donor car for the pwr steering. Failing that, I am going to switch to radial tires altho I hear a lot of pros and cons on putting radials on older rims.

Tracker

02-08-2013 @ 11:58 AM

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Thanks for your reply Supereal. The car rides very good with the 7.60 x 15 tires but very hard to steer. I could have gone with the recommended 7.10x 15 bias tires and probably saved myself the grief.

I am going to make an effort bto adapt a power steering unit but if not. I will try radials offsets to the 710x15 bias tires.

TomO

02-09-2013 @ 7:17 AM

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Tracker, your car should be easy to steer, even with the over-sized tires, when you are moving. If this is not the case, your should check out the front end completely.

Some things that can affect the steering effort are tie rod ends, king pins, upper and lower control arm bushings and wear in the steering box. You will need to check out these items and make any necessary repairs before installing a power steering unit or going to radial tires as the worn components will cause more problems with handling with either of the options.

What exactly is your hard steering problem? A good description may help someone give you a solution to the problem.

Tom

supereal

02-09-2013 @ 10:34 AM

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There is an ad for Lares Corp. on page 60 of the new issue of the V8 TIMES regarding steering components. You might try them for adaptation. Apparently hydraulic power steering is being phased out in new cars. My wife's Lexus has electric steering that is a real improvement. That saves horsepower, and the need for a belt driven pump and plumbing.

Tracker

02-22-2013 @ 7:24 AM

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Tom

The car is hard to steer around curves at minimum speeds...at idling speeds its tough to turn the wheel when rolling forward or backward...it tracks good on the hwy almost no hands required to keep it in a straight line and rides well. The steering wheel does return to normal after the turning process

I pumped up the 7.60 tires to 31 lbs and it made a noticeable difference in turning effort but still much heavier than I care for or remember from my familys car back in the 50's.

I took the car into a frame and tire shop its straight and nothing but age was detected in the front end. I have found all the new components to do a complete rebuild but want to make certain before I do this
that I have the problem identified.

Tracker

02-22-2013 @ 7:30 AM

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SR...I have been searching for the same info you suggest...I think electric power steering is the answer also but I think it will be a challenge to find in 6 volt.

My car is completely stock and I want to keep it that way as long as I can. The electric steering however, would make this car a real pleasure to drive. I bought the car with a bogus "original engine " but found another and rebuilt it...it has plenty of power and could power the hydraulic steering but the electric steering would be ideal.

TomO

02-22-2013 @ 8:18 AM

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From your description of the problem, your tires seem to be the problem. Have the front end shop set the toe-in to 3/32" and the caster to less than 1 degree. That will put your adjustments at the minimum level.

Caster 0-1 1/2degees
Camber 0-3/4 degrees
toe in 3/32"-5/32"
King pin Inclination 5 degrees with 3/4 degrees camber.

Here is a link to an article explaining how the adjustment affect steering.

http://www.ozebiz.com.au/racetech/theory/align.html

If you are looking for an electric power steering system, you will probably have to change to 12volts and an alternator in order to get enough electrical system capacity to supply the current needed. The Lexus system uses a rack & pinion and would require replacing most of the front end components in your car.

Tom

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