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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Power steering for 1951 flathead

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Discussion Topic: Power steering for 1951 flathead -- page: 1 2

TomO

01-21-2026 @ 12:11 PM

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Jay, when bias ply tires get old, the rubber gets harder and makes all steering more difficult. Just the opposite of what you would expect. The forces present at the tire contact area are very complex. There is no simple explanation of why it is easier to turn the wheel with a belted tire vs a bias ply tire.

Tom

same

01-19-2026 @ 9:33 AM

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I would have to agree with some that had went to radials .i put modern radials on my '37 3 yrs ago and they do everything better than bias plys did. especially the ride. i also would love to have power steering on the '37 but that would entail a bunch of parts. one of the reasonds ive thought about selling the car and getting into something newer like in the early 50s. nobody seems to want to work on the early 30s cars around here. my old decrepit joint repaced body says no now these days. Tom.

This message was edited by same on 1-19-26 @ 9:41 AM

trjford8

01-19-2026 @ 8:31 AM

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Radials do in fact make steering easier. I've experienced changing from bias belted to radials and the radials do in fact make steering much easier.

Kens 36

01-19-2026 @ 7:21 AM

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Jay,

Believe me, our old cars are much easier to steer with radial tires. This was true on my '36 as well as on my '50s. I cannot explain why like an engineer may be able to do.

Ken

JayChicago

01-18-2026 @ 9:30 AM

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"and the fact that radial tires make for easier steering."

Why would that be? The bulging radial tires appear to have a bigger contact patch with the ground than the skinny, hard original tires. Seems like radials would need more effort when parking.

52flatv8

01-18-2026 @ 8:39 AM

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Something else not yet mentioned, is proper air pressure in the tires and the fact that radial tires make for easier steering.
They sure did on my 52 Victoria.

TomO

01-16-2026 @ 5:10 PM

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Ron, If you have the car moving slowly as you turn the steering wheel, it will be much easier to turn the steering wheel. Front end alignment can also help.

My sons, who grew up with power steering are amazed that I can steer my car into the garage with one hand. To get the car into the garage you have to make a sharp left turn and then a sharp right turn and then straighten out. The two turns are done within 20 feet. Neither one of my sons can pull the car into the garage in one pass, like I do.

I have injections in both shoulders about once a year for pain relief and do not have elevated pain when I drive my 40 into the garage.

Tom

carcrazy

01-14-2026 @ 9:34 AM

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Here is a short video for one of the Electric Power Steering Systems offered by Summit Racing.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/eps-1022?srsltid=AfmBOooUkw7WLKFw-CcdZR8F6B5D_YnXIo4rH0pptUcWB5IoUsLe6cDEHbg

carcrazy

01-14-2026 @ 8:38 AM

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If your vehicle has an automatic transmission or a manual transmission and you are willing to go with a floor shifter conversion and to a 12V electrical system, you might want to consider going to an electric assist power steering system which mounts on the steering column. There are several of these systems available commercially but the prices are very high. If you use an electrically assisted power steering system from a "modern" production car, the system used in some recent model KIA Souls with the ECU mounted to the steering column might be a good system to look at.

russonator

01-14-2026 @ 6:01 AM

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Here's a set of instructions for a Borgeson unit: https://www.borgeson.com/instructions/999062.pdf

I would also suggest you email Chris Whittington at Shoebox Central (shoeboxcentral4953@gmail.com). He could tell you the pros and cons of different alternatives.

This message was edited by russonator on 1-14-26 @ 9:48 AM

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