If you know anything about these trucks, you'll know that this one came pretty well optioned in '58-- being a "Custom Cab". I believe that means that it came with a horn in the steering wheel, door panels, and a heater. Yes, the heater was "optional".
(Note that the factory heater controls under the stereo resembles a dealer add-on)
Times were rough & tough for a workin' man back then, so when the previous owner cut-somized the truck to his liking, he conceived and perpetrated a power assist contraption for the factory steering setup.
...And then he painted the truck a pearl metallic two-tone. I think the whole affair has a downright sissified feel to it, don't you? :)
Tech Talk
The factory steering setup is a push-pull system common to vehicles with rigid axle front ends. This system was in use from probably sometime in the 1920's on passenger cars...and all the way up the the mid-1980's on 4x4's with a solid axles in front.
<<< This here is all the power steerin'
that a real man needs.
It's not a pretty system, and there is some steering vagueness inherent with this configuration- but it's staying, along with the straight axle setup. Style points.
The cut-som "Power" steering contraption that was on the truck when I bought it, worked barely- if at all. Think Schoolbus.....OLD schoolbus w/ a flat tire in front.
It consisted of the following:
1) A GM Saginaw 600 series Manual steering box
2) A leaky 70's -something GM power steering pump
3) An aftermarket power steering "Ram" tube that bolts directly to the axle
4) A weird and complicated arm attached to the pitman arm with 4 inlet/outlet holes for fluid travel.
5) A S-C-A-R-Y mess of alien-arm looking tubes and hoses that were just laying on the frame rail.
6) More cut-som brackets.
here's the pics
Just kinda makes you wanna jump right in there and git'r done, huh??
Bright Spot
It turns out that this mangled mess is actually a fairly pricey retrofit power assist steering kit.
Anyhow--Classic performance products sells an identical kit for $899!!!
http://www.classicperform.com/Store/1948_64_Ford_Truck/5764PSKA.htm
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