Can't you mount the box a lot lower and just angle the column up a bit more. It kinda looks like the box is mounted very high with an almost horizontal column angle. When I mounted my steering box it ended up being very close to the stock angle. It's mounted well under the bottom of the cowl / dash. Drag link is level. I know this means a lot of reworking, but honestly, it sounds like you have some reworking to do anyway. Pete
It needs completely reworked. I am not sure I would have room for my big feet and 3 pedals id I lowered it considerably. 2-3 inches lower is about all the space i want to give up but I would still have a box that is just too fast. Since I still have the stock econoline spindles I am thinking of just finding an econoline box, frame mount it and quit trying to re-invent the wheel here.
A lot of Jap cars use an excellent pump made by Kayaba (KYB). It's remote reservoir, and the pressure is compatible with US boxes. I ran one on different race cars for years with no trouble. Many of the aftermarket pumps are based on this design. Whatever pump you use, make sure you have close to 180 deg of belt wrap on the pulley, or it will squeal like a pig at low speed no matter how much you tighten the belt. Just kind of FYI at this point, since it looks like you're going back to the drawing board... I believe the older GM straight axle 4X4 pickups used a similar box that might be slower ratio (they were designed to have a hanging pitman arm anyway).
Yeah, I know about the space issue. I have 3 pedals too. Feet aren't too big though. If you lower the box, you shorten the pitman arm. That slows down the steering. So you fix 2 problems. Yes, you still have the space problem but depending on your leg length and seating position it might not be so bad. My feet are back behind my steering box and mount. I'm only 5'9". The other thing is it sounds like you need to make a custom steering arm to fit your spindles. The longer you make that steering arm, the slower the steering will be. I think you need to work backwards and determine the locations of components based on functionality. FWIW. Pete
I have pretty much decided to make a chain drive drop box. Much less work than the alternative of starting over.
ford ranger pickup box's have a long sector shaft and are pritty small,toyota pickup's use a small pump and remote res
Usually a double roller timing chain and two crank sprockets I believe... Willowbill...if you can lower the box from where it is and use a drop chain box, then you also have room to lower the box and leave the stock steering column. You'll just need to change the column angle a little. In "my opinion" your going to need to lose the U joint in the extension shaft though. Promotes leverage on the box potentially causing excess movement.
great thread and very informative. I wouldn't hesitate to use even a stock timing chain as a chain drop... if you could inexpensively chrome the gears and chain it'd make a neat underdash detail (IMO).
Chains in the steering is nothing new, they have been on circle track cars as steering quickeners for at least 20 yeaars that I know of. I used to build them out of small block Ford timing sets.
I agree on loosing the u-joint, it allows some uncessary forces on the box. Dropping the box isn't something I want to do. Not only would I be starting all over but it would get into my foot room above the pedals. This way I can drop the chain down beside the pedals and I do have room for that. I saw an article in a magazine a few years ago that a company was actually making chain drop boxes. I am not sure on type of chain yet, I think a single #50 or #60 would be plenty strong but I am leaning toward double 50 or a snowmobile drive chain (double row silent chain). If you think of what a 530 chain goes through to propel 150 hp motorcycle I'm confident it would be plenty stout single. Surley less prone to fail than those weeny u joints lots of rods use in the steering shaft, or a rag joint. Maybe someone with more engineeering saavy than I have could calculate how much force a strong arm could put on a chain with a 14 inch steering wheel through a 16:1 box. I'm fairly certain it would be much stouter that the unsupported 8 inch pipe pitman shaft extension I've seen HAMBers do.
Soooo...your gonna drop the output side of the steering box and mount the pitman arm to a jackshaft mounted lower?
Someone is selling them commercially, for around $600. The name escapes me. I've seen it in Street Rodder.
It's called "Steer Clear" from http://www.wizardsteerclear.com/index.html ...but a spendy and billety solution.
That's what I'm thinking. My jackshaft would be in a 3 1/2" long bushing. I have a pitman shaft from a 37 ford I plan to used for the jacksjhaft. I will have it cut down a little so there is a shoulder about 1/4-1/2 inch behind the splines. That is what would keep it from walking.
Hey I have no doubt it can be done safely. There are hundreds of early RHD conversions running around the streets of Australia done this way. Not so much unsafe as maybe just a bit under done on the clever engineering front. I can also see tensioning as a potential issue. Not insurmountable but must be considered. Good luck with it Pete
Well...on THAT side of the steering box your right in the front lines and don't have the ratio advantage of the steering box easing the load on the chain. Gonna have to be a TOUGH chain! I wonder could you do the same thing with a simple tierod hidden INSIDE the cowl? No chain or sprockets involved. Just an example of what I'm thinking...the output spline has a limited turn, much less than 360*...it doesn't make several full revolutions like the input shaft with the steering wheel. Put a shorter "Pitman arm" (but long enough not to jam the works!) on the present box but aiming forward with the steering wheel centered. Have an arm of the same length attached to the lower jack shaft...also facing forward. Join them with a tierod assembly. Attach your outer pitman arm to the outer section of the Jackshaft and complete the steering linkage to the front wheels as normal. I wonder do you have the room...??? Brace the box cage well...because personally I think it looks just a little weak to give good results over the long haul. (Thats just me...right Fitzee? LoL)
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