1951 Buick Power Steering

[51BuickWoody]

I'm new to this forum. My father and I are about to rebuild a 1951 Buick Woody Roadmaster. We're plann

ing on adding disc brakes and power steering. The brakes seem to be a simple find but I'm not getting much luck finding a suitable power steering kit. Aside from buying a '52 (nearly impossible) I'm not sure where to go from here?

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by 51BuickWoody (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

Go to a good front end shop. Have them inspect the suspension, replace worn parts, and do an alignment. While they are at it have them fill the shock absorbers with hydraulic jack oil. Use original equipment size bias ply tires if possible, in any case inflate to 32 PSI.  I have given this advice to many old car owners, those who followed it, were surprised at how easily their car steered and how nice it drove. Having the steering and suspension working properly took away all desire for power steering.

When your car was new it was a luxury product sold to older men and women who wanted a car that was easy to drive and comfortable.They would not have bought a car that was hard to steer or hard to drive.

 

O by the way you might want to have the wheels checked and straightened if necessary and the tires balanced.

[c49er]

It's funny back in the day when say that  1951Buick Roadmaster was new petite ladies had no issue driving a car like that.Nor did the 140 lb gentleman.

Now days a lot of people are a bit delicate and need things to be effortless.

Me ....I have my newer vehicles but really like driving my big ,  my old heavy and slow to respont cars. 

Plenty good and fun as they are.

My low mileage 50 NewYorker Newport Hardtop is one of them.  I Love it.

To the OP maybe the Buick forum people here can help you out on the PS.

[Guest]

If you do what Rusty_OToole says it will steer with two fingers, even when parking if the car is moving at all.

[C Carl]

Hi 51BuickWoody ! 

Welcome to you and your father ! From my experience with Cadillacs of the period, I agree fully with your new AACA friends above. I expect that big '51 Roadmaster would be quite similar to the several '49 Cads I have owned. If not, I would be quite curious how they differ. If similar, you are also lucky, in that the stock brakes are very good also. I doubt you will be driving as hard and fast as I did in my hydramatic trans '49s, over a period spanning from 50 to 60 years ago. I was a young teenager when I started to own '49s, and found them to be very roadworthy cars. Even ditched a cop perusing me on a winding snowy road at night, back about 1971 in my '49 fastback. I had recently purchased the beauty in great shape for $250. So look : Why not just bring it back to new spec mechanically, and see what a fine car it really is. But please don't try to ditch any cops in it. Just pull over and take your speeding ticket like a gentleman. Sometimes the cops are very interested in cool old cars, and if you play it right, you might just get a pass. And stick around on the forums. You know everyone here would love to follow you guys as you bring the old woody back to life.    -    Cadillac Carl 

[Dynaflash8]

6 hours ago, 51BuickWoody said:

I'm new to this forum. My father and I are about to rebuild a 1951 Buick Woody Roadmaster. We're pla ming on adding disc brakes and power steering. The brakes seem to be a simple find but I'm not getting much luck finding a suitable power steering kit. Aside from buying a '52 (nearly impossible) I'm not sure where to go from here?

 

First, I don't know why you want to change the brakes.  I have a 39 and 41 Buick and the brakes are 100% effective as far as I'm concerned.  As for power steering, Buicks had power steering from 1952-1956 with the same old king pin front end they had from 1938 through 1956.  Why not use what was designed for your car?

[51BuickWoody]

I live in San Diego at the top of a 4 mile long hill. The disc brakes will be more effective going down the hill. The power steering is more for my father who has had both his shoulder joints replaced. Its just to make it easier for him to drive. We figured we would make the changes while we have the stripped chasis.

[keiser31]

Welcome to this forum! Glad you were able to get on that Buick and make some progress. Can you post some photos of the car on here? We LOVE photos. Yep....what those other guys have stated....the car should do fine if brought back to factory specs. Those engineers had them dialed in as far as brakes and steering.

John

Edited March 7, 2020 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

At this point you have several choices.

1) Listen to the hundreds of years of accumulated experience and restore the steering as designed. If it turns out we are wrong and you are not happy you can always look into a PS conversion later. Feel free to come back and call me a jackass but try the steering as designed first.

2) Sell the car and buy a newer one that came with PS and disc brakes

3) Hire some hot rod shop to hack the front of the frame off with a cutting torch and weld on one from a Pinto  and hope it works half as well as the original

4) Find a slightly newer Buick Roadmaster with the same design of steering and suspension and adapt the PS pump and PS mechanism

[bryankazmer]

While I wouldn't buy a modern car with drum brakes, I don't really get the not uncommon urge to convert older cars that are intended for hobby use to discs, unless perhaps a lot of mountain driving is in store.  Disc brakes are more fade resistant in multiple hard stops - not typical use for an antique.  If you are able to lock the wheels and skid, you have enough braking force - you are tire limited (and of course maximum stopping is before wheels are skidding).

[Dynaflash8]

Given the information that the questioner has provided, I still do not think disc brakes are required.  However, the '51 Buick was extremely hard steering.  The '41 was not so hard.  I always thought they made them harder steering just before power steering was introduced so as to put it into the head of new buyers that they wanted to spend the extra money for power steering.  I'm sure, given a little time and search, that a 1952 Buick with power steering can be found somewhere in a junkyard.  The '52 Roadmaster also had a 4-barrel carb.  It was the only year for the straight 8 to have both.  The A-frames and shocks might have been changed for '54-56, I'd have to check my parts books, but all of the power steering equipment should still work and the same old king-pins were used through 1956.  There are plenty of the 1954-56 Buicks in junkyards across the country.  Yes, a rebuild would be necessary for the parts, but if you need to do that for your father, I feel you should do it right; not chop the frame and make the car look like a snooping dog.  Either you want a street rod or you want a restored antique Buick straight 8.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Dynaflash8 (see edit history)

[Walt G]

A lot of sage advice here, if you can fit parts from a Buick a few years newer and not chop,hack, and weld then that is the way to go. As Earl wisely states you either want a street rod ( restomod, restorod - whatever) or you want and antique car. Bolt on parts can be changed back at some point. I have not driven a 51 Buick in a long time but can also agree with Earl about how the early 1940s Roadmasters steer - I have a 1940 Roadmaster convertible sedan and it steers great ( unless you have a very small amount of space and have to cut and fill to get the car where you want it)

[Dynaflash8]

Yes, turning into a right-angle garage is pretty stiff, even with a pre-war Buick. ☺️