I just got my 27 T project - thanks to Zman for hooking me up with the seller. I'm posting a pic. The frame's been Z'd, the top's been chopped (its removable, too!). It still needs a lot of work: finishing body panels, engine rebuild/finishing, and so forth. Anyhow, I''ve never built anything this old before (my other car's a 50 chevy). Just a couple questions - one thing that I need to finish is the steering - what have any of ya's with T's been running for a steering box/column? Space is kind of tight... I've heard of people using old corvair's. If anyone can send me photo's of what they've done that would kick ***. I'll post progress photos as I go. But I've been working 90 hour weeks between the day gig and my shop, so progress might not be so quick...!
Dude that thing is nuts!!! Bob bleed set me stright ..On mine i'm going for vega..with cross steering. that way I could move my steering box foward to clear the starter on the nail head...this will also let me adjust my steering to any hight I want.. so you should look to see it the motor you got can clear close up near the fire wall for a (Reverse?) corvair. the problem with this is your steering might be kinda of High..sorta like me... hope that helps.. evel P.s. whats your Patch guy's email???
I posted this a year ago almost to the day... On Saturday I got the chance to reverse a Corvair steering box over at my good buddy El Rio Roachs shop/garage. We were using the instructions that California Custom Roadsters put out 30 years ago and it seemed simple enough. So we thought. When I first got the Corvair box it looked like a cow chip with a Pitman arm. After copious amounts of penetrating oil and wire brushing it went from a lawn sculpture to a nice aluminum steering box. Literally, all of the caked on grease and dirt from 30+ years made it look hellish, but it is sweet now. The first thing we did was remove the screw on retaining ring with a br*** drift, use a steel one if you want to screw it up dummy. Then we unscrewed the top cover of the box to reveal the guts inside. I took the top and tapped a guide in the center of the cap, still when we put it on the drill press the hole was a tad off center. This really was not a problem since you make your hole with a 5/8 drill bit ultimately (drill a small pilot hole first), and the instructions tell you to go oversize on the hole. So, we hogged it out a little bit and it went on slick on a test fit of the shaft. The directions are pretty straightforward which should have warned us that something funky would happen. According to the directions, you just flip the worm and sector gear and pop it back together. Not so, it took some finesse to get the end of the worm gear to seat well on the bearings AND line up with the first tooth of the gear on the Pitman arm shaft. As you look at the box from the top with the Pitman shaft on your left, lower the sector gear onto the first tooth of the Pitman shaft cog. Remember, you should see all of the teeth for both cogs and the first tooth of the sector gear should be on top of the first tooth of the Pitman cog, dig? It really did take some time and finagling and frustration to get it right, but we did. There is a seal that surrounds the outer shaft that goes to the steering column. We removed this seal so we could put a freeze plug in the hole the top of the shaft used to go through. CCRs instructions dont say anything about removing this seal, but you have to in order to install the 15/16 freeze plug. Dont bother with the parts bins where you buy your wax and fuzzy dice, they asked me what kit that was in and for what engine. I should have known, but they were closer. So, I went to NAPA and got one of what I needed and got out spending a mere $1.07 to finish the job professionally. I took a dead blow hammer and knocked that plug home leaving a tad above the rim for clearance as instructed. We could not convince the Pitman arm to come off no matter what we did with the cheapy puller we had, well, off to the machine shop for that. Better to spend a little cash to have someone with the appropriate tool do the job. I would have scanned the page the instructions were on, but I dont want to get Ryan in any copyright trouble, or me for that matter. Huge props to Rick for helping me get this done with his shop and experience he gained from doing his own Corvair box before.
how do you get in and out? cross steer sounds like a good ticket, should leave more room for pedals too. but I'm using an F100 box mated to a shortened Stude collumn 'cuz that's what I got. Paul
Evel - yeah, the Vega and the Corvair were the two that I heard about. You got any photo's of your setup? The engine Im running is a late model flathead... gotta put the starter on and see where everything lies. That stuff hangin is the flo'. Dude, the bottom of the frame/floor is 3 fingers from the ground. It's gonna be hellish with Boston potholes. haha... check your PM's El Caballo - thanks. Check your PM's as well. Ian - yup, it's on its way. First old Ford I've owned.... 60's - I'm 5'11", 250 pounds - so I get in it very methodically. I approach from the p***engers side, and do a spinning stage dive type of maneuver and land right in the drivers seat. Funny thing is, I'm not exaggerating that much... haha. Getting out is fine.I wont get on my knees to get in it. That's all when the top is on. When it's off, you just hop right in...
Sweet lookin T , a little more cramped then mine, but a little more protection from rain as well. You have any other pics of it? curious about the back half you have on there?
actually, its not as bad as it looks inside, a little cramped in the legs - but the floor's been dropped so there's plenty of headroom. I'll post more flicks of it later when I get home. I'm at the daygig right now...
You should do a Roll pan and track nose on that *****,,,,I love that roof... ..I don't have any pictures yet I still getting all my parts stright... I'll post the progress as I go ... That car RULES!!! that you got there.. MORE PIX!!! evel
Yo Truth, that thing is ****ing Sick!!! You going to take it to Road Agents? Hope you don't get in a brawl and have to get out like lightning quick. Bad *** man can't wait to see more pics.. You should see this **** box 69 ford parts hauler. Runs like a top. 351 v8 dual gl*** packs. I just run over **** here in dallas if it gets in my way. Okay bro! seeya in july! Buster
Evel - more progress photo's, etc will come. Especially when I get stuck'n stupid! Buster... Can't wait to come out to Dallas now to run over ****. My new ford wont even run over a friggin pebble, man! There's only a slim chance I'll have it done by the Road Agents show... but I'll see ya there anyhow!
48 recessed box with tubing welded in the curve..sits me kinda flat but plenty o leg room side bottom rear
Home-made column (tube with two bearings). ZF Box from '67 - '76 BMW. GM A-Body pittman arm. Iffin' you've got any questions, feel free to write. -jf
Jet Fuel - thanks for the photo's, man... Zman - thanks for the hookup - shoot me a PM, lemme know if there's anything I can do to return the favor.
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