Does anyone know if there is a recall on the 1956 Golden Hawk with Power steering?? Or should I just trade this car in and let the dealer worry about the possibility o f the steering be not working...?? Ok seriously my 56J just recently lost the steering because my leg hit the wheel and it actually pulled up on the steering wheel and I couldn't steer the car anymore. It was a hair raising experience and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this.. Everett (Chick) Nauha P.S., also when posting this question I couldn't read the whole message so I can't edit it properly... Any suggestions on how to read the whole screen would be appreciated.
There wasn't a recall AFAIK, but there WAS a service bulletin. The roll pin that retains the flange to the shaft going into the steering box has been known to fail and it was replaced per the service bulletin with a solid pin. When I disassembled the box on my '55 coupe I found the roll pin half failed (one end was broken, only one end was actually retaining the flange to the shaft.)
Also when you are replacing this, make sure that you loosen all the bolts mounting the steering box to the bracket, the bracket to the frame, and the column to the dash and retighten all of them with the car sitting on level ground with the weight on the wheels, making sure that there is no bind in the column. This will minimize any load on the pin and make the steering easier. (good advice for non-PS cars as well; they don't have a pin to break but they have been known to have the steering shaft itself fatigue from misalignment) Also unrelated but "while you're in there" you may as well replace the leather "bearing" at the top of the shaft to get rid of that annoying play at the top of the column, it's cheap and easy and makes the car feel much more "quality."
That happened on my 57 Golden Hawk in about 1977, scared the crap out of me, as I was going down hill on a curve toward a major intersection in LA. Figured out that if I pushed down on the wheel, I could steer with no problem. So, being the "young whippersnapper" I was, I drove it that way for about 6 months. Yes, the roll pin failed.
As to your posting question from your address I assume you are using the AOL "newsreader". I'm not sure if there is a good way to deal with it using AOL's software, but you could access the NG using Google groups, it works pretty well no matter how you are getting online.
Make sure that you did not accidentally shift, the steering post, rather than breaking the pin. If, and it happened to us, you accidentally, either getting in, or getting out, use the steering wheel to position yourself using the wheel, you can move the wheel left or right as much as one inch left or right. However, the movement, at the linkage is only a few millimeters.
By shifting the wheel, because the bracket under the dash is loose, you cause a HUGE bind at the link, where the three sections of the steering meets the box. Because of the Rube Goldberg design of the steering, as in 5 hours to replace a horn wire, while other cars of the same year are 10 min, the steering wheel has an angle that is off center.
My post shifted on the Merit Parkway at 60mph at night in the rain, I could not recover from any turn, without using excessive force, and then when recovered, using force to slop, to force etc.
Before you drive yourself nuts, lift the hood, remove the battery and tray to expose the steering post. Sight down the wheel thru the windshield and check to see if the post is straight. If it is staright, the wheel should be slightly towards the passenger side of the dash. If the wheel is directly in front of the driving position, it is wrong, and that will prevent you from steering, or more accurately returning to dead center coming out of a turn.
I can't be sure, as I don't have a book handy, but the steering shaft, is a long steel rod, that has a flange welded on, and has 6 holes, that flange has a rubber insulator, a metal insert, and then mates with the steering box.
Remember the 56J is one year only, and later steering boxes can be used, but to the best of my knowledge you cannot pull the the actual rod into the cabin, without unscrewing that flange at the base. To do that, you need to pull the wheel, then remove the clamp around the box to steering shaft, and then pull the jacket into the cabin, and then get down and unscrew the flange after you remove the rubber surround.
I just leave the rubber boot hanging on the jacket. A similar setup was used 53-56 for all P/S cars, but the shift mechanism was unique to the 56J (and the jacket as well? not sure) '57 used a similar setup with a different post, jacket, steering wheel etc. (basically everything beyond the steering box) but the basic steering box was very similar for all years.
It holds the flange onto the main shaft of the steering box. you wouldn't normally see it unless you were deliberately looking for it or else completely disassembling the steering box.
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