How much distance between steering box and exhaust?

Does this help?

Don't have a measurement right now, but the box in use is a Vega.

I have run a single primary as close as 1/2" to a Shoebox steering box with no problems.

I'm guessing the oil/grease within the steering box may circulate thermodynamically due to a hot spot and keep things cool enough.

Never really heard of a steering box failing in any hot rod due to close exhaust pipes.

 

I'm with C9 on this one-

Leave some sort of an air gap between. It the header is actually touching the box it might transfer heat and cook the grease. A safe bet would be 1/4 to 1/2" of clearance minimum.

jay

I already showed this pic on another post, but you get the idea of how close my exhaust is...

 

JB ... can I call you JB?

I lost track of the other post, but am still curious as to what your hood lacing is.
I use the old-timey stuff on the 32 and it works ok, but it strikes me that what you're using would be just as good and look better overall.

 

I don't know if we could consider the Miller-Ford Indy cars hot rods, Jay, but their well-publicised failure during their 1935 debut at the Brickyard was caused by the close proximity of the steering box to the left-side exhaust manifold.

Tuth to tell, the failure was precipitated by the design of the steering box, a characteristically complex piece of Harry Miller engineering. Unlike recircutlating-ball, recirculating-sector, or even fixed-sector steering designs that are the common choices for the hot rods we know, the Miller box was machined to very close tolerances and made up of dissimilar metals with greatly varied expansion rates. The Millers steering would reach a point where it tied up and could no longer be turned. There's little or no danger of this happening with the steering we're accustomed to.

My personal experience with a Saginaw box in close proximity to an exhaust system was in my '46 Ford coupe with monster fenderwell headers on a 427. The box got so hot that after an hour on the road the horn ring and steering mast jacket were uncomforable to the touch. Still, the steering worked perfectly. I cured the heating problem by treating the headers to a ceramic coating which drastically dropped the temperature in the engine compartment and barely warmed up the mast jacket to luke!

 

Did someone say Miller?

As seen at the Geelong Speed Trials a few weekends back:

 

Kevin, you're not planning on running a hood on your A-bone, are ya? I doubt if heat would be an issue if you have no pesky hood to hold heat in. I ran the headers 1/4" from my 39 box in my 33 ford pickup with no ill effects at all. I really expected some 80-140 to leak out because everybody here said they use heavy chassis grease in the old ford steer boxes to keep leakage under control but mine never leaked the thinner gear lube... You be alright. Here, have a nice photo, bro.

 

[ QUOTE ]
the Miller box was machined to very close tolerances

[/ QUOTE ]

A little off the subject, but not too far.
Close tolerances - as Miller and Ford found out are not all they're cracked up to be.

My own small case in point, headed for a deer hunting trip in NorCal I decided to glass bed the stock on my Mexican Mauser sporter in 6mm Rem. the week before we left.
It was a nice rifle with all the 'hot setup' stuff - Douglas barrel, Timney trigger, Bishop stock - and shot very tight 3 shot groups considering its sporter weight barrel.
Long story short with the Mauser, the glass bedding release agent didn't release and I broke the stock though the wrist taking it apart.

With three days to go before the trip, my friend loaned me his bolt action 257 Weatherby, one of the old and desirable Belgium made ones.
It was a highly accurate rifle and shot excellent three shot groups.

Long story short with the Weatherby, after a couple of days hiking around the dusty hills near Trinity, the W'by had a coat of dust on the bolt and down inside a bit.
The dust caused it to bind up and fail to cycle a round as it should.
Cleaning it every night took care of the problem which was simply - tight tolerances.
A small surprise to me considering W'bys good reputation in the hunting field.

The real interesting part to the whole trip was, the other guys - all but one a NorCal'er, which is not to indict NorCal'ers - were using me to drive the deer.
I knew it and didn't care cuz I was there for the trip and the social experience.

Guess who was the only guy who got a shot at a deer....

(Gotta admit though, I missed. I just wasn't used to a 1 1/2# trigger and cooked one off before I was truly ready.)

 

C9-

You can call my anthing you like.. (I used to be BilletProof_J on the HAMB, and you sent me a copy of your book as a raffle prize a few years ago- So thanks again!)

The lacing is stock model A cowl stuff from Mac's Antique Auto... Radiator shell for a 32 (of course).

Hope that helps,

jay

 

Jivebomber,
What pitman arm are you using in that picture above? I have a F1 box but I need a pitman arm and need a place to start looking. Or if anyone knows which pitman arms will fit onto an F1 steering box sector shaft.
Thanks,
Don

 

Ford Fan - you can use any of the pitman arms from '48 F1 on up to the '59 F1. I have used a '52 which has the old style drag link (has a ball on the end of the pitman arm) on one of my cars and used a '59 F1 Pitman arm on another (accepts an early ford tie-rod end rather than the old style pitman are).
Hope this helps!

 

I'm really glad this came up, as I'm dealing with the same issue. I'm going to be very close to my manifolds with that 283 next to the steering box... I was having the same worries. People were throwing theories at me, but no one actually had any experince running a motor that close that I knew. SOunds like it should be fine... just to be careful, I'll run some heat wrap around the manifold and my steering box.

 

C9, a freind of mine recently busted the stock on his M1-C garand when bedding it, the receiver is a tight fit ina garand as is but he used abit to much glass. Sorry for straying, the aluminum Steering box in my 62 Valient is only about 3/4" away from the down pipe.
-Jesse

 

I have approx 0.100 between my down pipe and Flaming River
(Vega) box. I didn't worry about it since I have fenders
and no hood or sides.

But, being the concerned person I am I pulled the top off a
couple weeks ago to ensure I didn't "Cook the grease".
Everything was fine inside the box. This is after 18k
miles.

This concern will go away as soon as I get those headers
built.
TZ

 

[ QUOTE ]
C9 - Here's something to go with your semi-off topic story. I heard that when the Army was looking for a new standard issue sidearm to replace the 1911 that the Ruger P85 actually outperformed the 92F in testing - especially in really dirty conditions. Supposedly Beretta got the contract because we wanted to install a few missle silos in Italy. I wonder if that's true.

Also - Is this Bishop stock you speak of made by the same Bishop that lives in Pittsburg, Kansas? I rode a Carbon Fiber bicycle he designed and built once and talked to him about "making things" for a while one day. Interesting guy.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm guessing the missile silo bit could be true.
There was some behind the scenes maneuvering about the sidearm contract.
Interesting part about the Beretta, they found that some of them were coming unglued and tossing the slide into the shooters face after about 10K rounds.
A lot of rounds for sure, but military pistols get used a lot.
I understand the slide problem was rectified not long after the problem was realized

As far as the Bishop stocks go, I don't know about Mr. Bishop proper.
The other stock at the time was the Fajen I think it was.

As far as the schedule 40 tubing/pipe headers go, I was back at the shop of the guy who built them a few days back and we talked about them some more.
I misunderstood his comment about the weight being the same.
Turns out the schedule 40 headers are lighter than the stock exh manifolds, but not by a whole lot.

 

53 Chevy truck with a small block, the exhaust was so close to the steering box I had to grind the flange on the manifold for clearance. Had maybe 1/4 inch, no problems , ran it 40,000 miles like that.

 

I have about 1/8 ‘’ on mine.
Stock 32 frame and steering box, french flat and made a custom header with a cheap china source.
Didn’t start the engine with headers yet. Hope there will be no problem.

 

Nice to see a 19 year old zombie post come to the surface again...

 

Run it until it leaks.

 

I heat wrap my exhaust where it passes the steering box on both my 32’s . There is space between the two but I figured it could not hurt. Have no issues . One car on the road 10 years.

 

A small stainless steel heat shield mounted between the header and steering box will make a big difference. Shield should not touch header.