Advice on ‘57 T-Bird repairs

[willcarter]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some input on the following:

My ‘57 T-Bird is currently in the shop to have various things done. One of those things is to address some small leaks I had been noticing under the car when it’s parked in my garage. This morning, the shop emailed me their findings:

“We also looked at the leaks. Some of the culprits are the power steering control valve and the hoses that feed it. One hose is torn fairly significantly. Also the power steering pump has signs of seepage. The fuel pump is leaking oil (not fuel luckily) past its seal from the crankcase and seems to be traveling through the inside of the pump to the outside. Small drip from the oil pump cover on the block, small drip on the bell housing possibly from oil pan or rear main seal. Some red fluid on the trans may be the pan or a front seal.”

Any thoughts on which of these must be addressed versus should be addressed versus can safely be ignored because they’re just minor inconveniences? I’m not averse to getting them all repaired, just wondering if there’s a hierarchy. My initial thoughts are to get all of the issues identified regarding the power steering fixed (control valve, hoses, pump), since those seem like they could create a safety issue if the power steering fails while I’m driving. I’m also inclined to get the fuel pump leak repaired, under the assumption that although it’s apparently not *yet* leaking fuel (just oil so far), the issue might progress to the point where it does begin to leak fuel, which is a fire hazard. I’m ambivalent about the red (transmission?) fluid and the small oil drips. The amounts leaking are small enough that I don’t mind monitoring them and refilling as needed (I do not actually know how/where to fill the transmission fluid, but I do know how to check and fill the oil). That said, these may pose safety issues as well since these oil leaks might in theory cause an engine fire.

All of this is completely uninformed speculation on my part because I know very little about car maintenance and repair as of yet. So, I’d welcome any input!

[1957Birdman]

Will,
Deal with the power steering issues and fuel pump. The other leaks are not very bad as you describe them and just adding oil and transmission fluid as required should handle the problem. Those leaks are not a fire issue. If they were my car would have burned up ages ago. Fortunately it is mostly just messy and smelly.
The transmission is filled through the dipstick tube. You need to get a funnel to do it. Just make sure not to overfill it.

Good luck,
Lew Bachman
1957 Colonial White

[willcarter]

Thanks for your response, Lew!