Lets see what you have done to hook up the steering on these beasts..... I am trying to wrap my brain around this and probably over thinking it. Since I am using a truck ch***is (chevy dually) the steering box lays down pretty flat.....but the column is fairly upright. What is the answer, u joints? Relocate the box? Lets have some pics of setups that work!
probably the toughest thing to do during a c.o.e. build and has beat a lot of builders.IMO there are lots of really screwed up attempts and sometimes not the safest. if you have an older steering where the drag link hooks to the pitman arm at a 90°. meaning the hole at the end of the drag link is tappered top to bottom you can mount a van steering box from an early eighties van to the inside of the frame rail which will help align the steering column to the box and the van box has about a 8in rise which helps with column angle. to determine where the box goes i put the box to the middle of its stroke and the drop the ball-joint into the drag link, this is where the engineering begins as you will need to lift the box up where the ball joint won't bind. don't be to concerned about the box staying at center as this can be corrected by regroving the splines on the pit man arm to center. i always try for the least amount of angle on the u-joints as well as the beefiest boxing of the frame. another way to decrease angle is to shorten the steering column up into the cab and support the end of the column. clear as mud scott. yours should be a little easier than the 38-47 beeing a little wider cab but you won't really know till you have things mocked up. good luck
Thanks Greg.......I have a van box, but I don't see any easy way to mount it where it will line up. I cant see it working inside the frame either, the cab is too wide. Here is a side view, the white pipe is the current column location... top view...
Looks like a u-joint nightmare to try to make that work. What about a step van box? Not sure if they have a straight axle or not. If it has independent, it might work. Let me check out an old motorhome my brother has. It is all GM ch***is. I am pretty sure it is independent and only have 50K miles on it. the box has to point up because you sit beside the engine to drive it. We used to take that thing all over but now it is a home for mice. Just talked to my brother and he is going to take a look at it.
I was hoping someone would post some pics of their setups........ Meanwhile I picked up another van steering box, this is what I should have started with! B ox on the left is from an '85 Chevy van, it stands on end and pitman hangs down. One on the right is from a '78 van and the one i will use. It raises the input shaft up about 6" from the truck box location. I will have to notch it into the frame a bit and make a new mount, but I think it will work.....
short dash mounted tilt column with double D shaft/universals and self aligning floor mounted bearing. I'll see if I can upload some pics of my setup
Finally was able to look at the motorhome at my brothers house. it does have independent front suspension and the box points up and leans back at about a 25 degree angle. Now that I have seen it.....I will be saving it for a future project. It might be the same as a 1 ton Van box but I do not have one to compare it to.
I shortened a steering column from a 93 Trans am and used a double joint from Borgeson on my 48 Ford coe sitting on a 1 ton Dodge truck ch***is. Worked like a charm
On my 49 Ford, with a 74 GM 1-ton ch***is, I used the stock pickup box. No angling of the box or new mounting holes, same as GM mounted it. Shortened the pickup intermediate shaft (that goes between column and box, has the rag joint at end) to about 5 inches length total, from near 30 inches stock. My column actually goes down between the pedals, so I have to left foot brake. U-joint at bottom of column connects right to the short intermediate shaft. I still have the rag joint at the box. My column is a 71-ish Chevy pickup tilt column, with a 40 Chevy truck steering wheel. The column through the floor between the gas and brake is not ideal, but since I am running auto trans it works OK. Been driving the truck for over 6 years now, with many thousand miles all over many states and Bonneville trips. So obviously it has stood the test of time. Sorry no pics right now, I am on work travel and pics are on my home computer. I think my explanation is clear enough?
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