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Discussion Topic:
Which car steers easier, 34 or 35
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35gal |
02-06-2011 @ 5:22 PM
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Member
Posts: 66
Joined: Jan 2010
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For those of you that have driven a 1934 and 1935 car with the original steering unit, does the 35 car steer easier. Take less effort to turn the steering wheel. Could your wife steer the 35 easier then the 34.
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1934 Ford |
02-06-2011 @ 6:26 PM
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Senior
Posts: 574
Joined: Oct 2009
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We own both a 34 car and a 35 pickup. The 35 was easier for both me and my wife to steer. But because the 35 box was so sloppy I replaced it with a 40 box and now it's almost like power steering.
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flatheadfan |
02-07-2011 @ 2:44 AM
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Member
Posts: 450
Joined: Oct 2009
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No contest here! The '35 steering is a LOT easier. However, I also swapped out the '35 steering for a later box ('39). The change not only made steering MUCH easier but also made maintenance and adjustments much simpler. Tom
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ford38v8 |
02-07-2011 @ 10:33 PM
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Senior
Posts: 2764
Joined: Oct 2009
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I'm going to hijack this post to get something off my chest. I apologize for this, but this post is much the same as many others who wish to upgrade something on their Fords. I have mixed feelings about the subject of my hijack, so please don't think I'm too far one extreme or the other, as I think most of us have similar feelings to some extent: Yes, a '35 steering is an upgrade from a '34, which is an upgrade from '32, all of the above being far too spartan when compared to the luxury of steering of a '40, and my gosh, it's like floating on a cloud with those soft springs, isn't it? My point is, where do you draw the line? Everyone agrees that a '37 steering box should replace a '36 if the wife wants to drive the car, most everyone agrees that radial tires are an improvement over bias ply, but why would anyone wish to buy an old car and then fix it up to be a poor second rate new car? Heck just buy a new Lincoln Towncar and be done with it. So you want air conditioning in your Deuce Roadster? How about a couple of 12" speakers in the rumbleseat also? Me? I kind of think it's neat to stick my arm out the window to signal the guy behind me that I intend to make a turn. If I've been driving carefully anyway, my slowing down will give him a clue well in advance of my arm signal. Does my radio crackle and hum? Yes, and so did the very same radio crackle and hum back in the day. If you really want to listen to music instead of being bounced around in an old Ford, stay home and crank up the volume on your multi speaker sound system. I want to experience what it was like back then, and yes, I have also rocked my '38 forward and back to get out of a muddy plowed field. First, then reverse, then back to first again, careful, don't spin the tires... Yes, I do upgrades too. I use brighter headlight bulbs, and I put floaters in my '38 brakes. I have tin foil in my tail light buckets, and I use an Optima battery. Do I use a nitrile rubber diaphram in my fuel pump? Yes, and I also have an electric pump hidden on top of the rear crossmember. There are some who raise an eyebrow and say I crossed the line, that I'm no longer a Purist. I should carry a bunch of wooden clothes pins or maybe a wet sponge to really get the feel of how it was in the old days. I don't begrudge an upgrade to a later steering box, not at all. But when you do that, be sure you are aware of what you've lost on that journey to easier steering, and ask yourself if Henry, or even if Edsel would have made the change back in the day. The answer is yes, they would and they did just that many times, and they called it the new improved Ford the following year. I say, decide what year Ford you want to drive, and trade in your old car for a new improved model. That's all I've got. I'm happy now, I said it. Maybe I said too much? How about some feedback? anybody?
Alan
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flatheadfan |
02-08-2011 @ 4:20 AM
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Member
Posts: 450
Joined: Oct 2009
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Alan- I think you have opened a “hornet’s nest!” Yes, I understand your point and I am sure others also do. In some ways this is a very unending subject with no absolute answer. Obviously, if someone buys an old car they are buying it for a lot of reasons but foremost, it is NOT a new car. Let's face it you cannot buy a new "old car." A Lincoln Town Car, yes, but an “old car,” no. Different cars, different reasons for ownership. Let’s face it, no matter how well an old car is restored it is still an "old car" with its' inherent "old car" problems. I can only speak for myself but if I wanted to take an extended trip out West to see my kids, I wouldn't be driving my '35. No matter how well I have maintained and "quasi-restored" my '35, it is still a 76 year old car and as such as has its' reliability issues. As for non-original modifications, well, I do drive my car on occasion and as a result, I needed to make some accommodations to the environment in which it will be driven. As a result, I have hydraulic brakes, turn signals, Lovejoy shocks and yes,'39 steering. All of these changes are bolt-on changes, which serve to meet my driving and safety needs. However, these changes were made in such a way that the car "could" be returned to its' original condition if desired. Nothing "irreversible" has been done. So in that sense, I am "somewhat" of a purist. As an aside, the reaction of others to my '35 is interesting. It never ceases to amaze me as to the number of people who seem to be anxious to tell me "what's wrong with my car." I listen respectfully and then I usually thank them for their comments and then ask "Where is your car, I sure would like to see it?" The conversation usually ends with some feeble excuse as to why that is not possible and they quickly wander off. The bottom line is, it is my car which I have owned for 52 years. I make no apologies as to what it is or what it is not. After all is said and done, it is still my car and nobody else's! I am sure most of the respondents on this forum feel the same way about their “old car.” Tom
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Bill Wright |
02-08-2011 @ 5:58 PM
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Posts: 49
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Alan and Tom, It's your Rail Road run it anyway you want! Bill
Don't Believe Everything You Think! Bill Wright
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drkbp |
02-09-2011 @ 6:42 AM
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New Member
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Joined: Aug 2010
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I like it Tom! I do the same and I have not seen "theirs" yet. <grin> A fellow asked me once why I didn't have a non-fuel bowl fuel pump on my '35 Cabriolet I have owned for 35 years. I told him it catches junk (some) before the carb does. He let me know it wasn't original. Heaven forbid! So...What do you have on yours? (I couldn't help it.) He said he didn't have a car so I asked him: "How does that work out for you if you just hold the fuel pump in your hands? Seems like you should have gas all over you." ...He left. It is interesting for me to know that the '35's are easier to steer. You can pick up all sorts of info on this site and a person can make their choices better. I drive three old Fords on a regular basis, '14, '25 and a '35. Non-starter to real luxury but I get a kick out of the example of "the way it was" on any one of them. Thanks and have fun, Ken in Texas
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carguy |
02-09-2011 @ 10:32 AM
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New Member
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Joined: Oct 2009
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So why does a '35 steering box make the steering easier? Is it just that it is a advanced technology or is the steering ratio lower? And if I do go to a later box does it just bolt up with the same bolt pattern or do I need to put new holes in the frame?
Bill Brown '34 Cabriolet
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46fordnut |
02-09-2011 @ 3:52 PM
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Posts: 332
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i...unlike most people is talk to have only one old car. is as close to being unchanged from the day it was built as i can be! its completely unrestored. the only non factory things i have done are tube shocks and a glass pack muffler other then this she is as she was in 1946 ! even though i know there maybe some people that might pick it a part or just out right laugh i just love her and no mater what she perfect to me i could care what anyone else says or thinks . for 65 years old she mighty fine!!!! ) she's 99% fun and cool to drive and 1% pain.
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35gal |
02-09-2011 @ 4:09 PM
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Member
Posts: 66
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Just for the record, I'm not planning on installing a 35 box in a 34. I'm thinking about purchasing a 34 and since the only ford I have ever driven was a 35, I was wondering if a 34 steer the same or harder. And anything is possible I guess but to try and install a 35 unit in a 34 would be a heck of a lot of work. Even if you could make it fit.
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