Great post, and some of the tidiest fabrication . Stole your idea with the string and split pin as a plumb bob .. looking forward to more progress pics. Thanks for posting .
So, major brain Fart. I actually welded in the driver side floor pan without adding a hatch for the MC. (its my first Hot Rod) . I figured I would add the hatch after but that wasn't the right choice anyway. But as it turns out I needed to re work all the geometry and panels for the lower firewall to better fit the steering column, brake pedal and trans tunnel. Since the floor panel with hatch is literally where I step to enter and exit, I used 16 gauge (.060) and welded in a piano hinge plus added support flanges. I also finished the tunnel, the floor from firewall to trunk is 95% i will be adding a couple small filler panels around the cowling and a removable "shelf" under the dash.
My initial steering set-up only used 1 u-joint but that gave me little flexibility in overall angle and finish mounting brackets, by going to a 3" shorter column with a 2nd u-joint i got a better placement and can use the column in all 5 positions of the tilt mechanism. I welded a mount with support rod for the steering bracket to bolt to and milled the floor bracket for clearance to the brake pedal lever. I am very happy I chose to mount the steering column behind the dash panel so i can access all the wiring, switches and gauges without dropping the column. the last pic you can see the cowl sheet metal patch
The Jalopy Journal
