Technical Upper steering arm for dropped axle?

I installed a 4” dropped axle on my model A and I can’t find an upper steering arm (the one that ties the drag link to the drivers side spindle). There are many sources for the 2 lower arms but I cannot find one for a dropped axle. The best I can find is a straight hoop (made from 5/8” round stock) that I would have to bend myself which I really do not want to do. I find it very odd that I can’t find this part when so many vendors have the 2 lower arms, it’s pretty obvious that it’s needed. If anybody can help me source this part I would appreciate it.

 

Look for slingshot steering arm.

 

Flipping the steering arm upside down will give you most of the needed drop. That was adequate for me back in the sixties, and the car still felt good at over 100 mph.

On my current A, I got a flame cut arm and heavily ground all the corners and cut edges smooth. I used the old sixties spindles I had as a kid and re-bent the spindle arms so the tie rod ends mounted flat. Just an aesthetic change to fit my adult sensibilities. Axle is an original dropped 2-1/2”.

 

Depending on how much drop you are looking for there's a variety of sling shot upper arms available. As long as they are forged steel or flame cut steel they can be carefully heated and bent. You need to check as some of the after market upper arms don't work with stock Ford spindles because of the grease zerk location. I routinely bend the stock 32-34 spindle upper steering arm to match the contour of the dropped axle.

 

When I was in high school we used an old connecting rod.

 

Came across one like that once; the con rod was welded to the heads of the backing plate bolts and a ball stud was welded in the eye.

 

My Boling Bros spindles do not have steering arms so there won’t be any bending of the stock arms. I am only doing mock up at this point but with the 3-4 inch drop it looks like I will need an upper steering arm that is bent if the drag link geometry is to stay close to stock. I find it really surprising that nobody is making these since everybody and their brother is making lower arms for both sides.

 

Its because one size doesn't fit all the different drops of axles.

Like said above. If you don't want to heat it. Just orientate it so the tie rod is down. I do this on most of my builds.

 

OTB HOT ROD PARTS check the web site. Under stainless steel parts they show a dropped
arm for early ford spindles. I hope this helps!

 

Speedway Motors, 2”drop, may be difficult to get a zerk fitting in there, as was mentioned earlier.

 

I’ve a similar arm on a Disc brake conversion axle for a TF pickup, the zerk is a straight one, I thought to myself “why didn’t the knucklehead who put it together use a 90 instead”?

 

It is not too big a deal to plug the old grease fitting hole, drill a new one, and press the bushing in to match.

I usually screw a 1/4 fine thread bolt in the old hole, cut it flush, weld it, and grind it smooth.

If you already have new bushings, you can use a die grinder to cut a slot from the new hole to the existing grease grooves.

90 still comes close on some arms and you may need to grind a little relief to allow the coupler to fit the zerk or you could use a needle on the gun.

 

Thanks guys!

 

I have a 4” dropped I beam on my 27, used a “ dogbone” arm from Speedway, it looks like it was waterjet cut , shaped it with a body grinder, been there since 95

 

Recently got an e-mail from Ray at Roadster Supply. He now has a dropped dog bone upper steering arm that is the thru bolt design instead of the blind hole.

 

I used the U shaped arm and bent it to fit.

 

I modified a Super Bell arm to accept a rod end.