Idea for Cowl Steering, Will it work?

I am thinking of using a reversed alum Corvair steering gear for a cowl steering setup on my 27 modified which will run a 350. Has anybody done this or does anybody have some advice. I am open to suggestions.

 

Have you actually got a corvair box ?

 

Yes, I do have the box. I have some reservations about the strength of it.

 

Not a problem until you get to the fact that the sector shaft is too short and will place your wheel right next to the door!

I have a 30s GM PU box in my touring. I squeezed it in there w/o extending the sector but I AM running a dinky 12" wheel. It works fine but wouldnt cut it in most apps. Read Clarks tech in the ToM on lenghtening the sector.

 

im still trying to figure that one out
will tell ya that you must be able to weld and have a lathe
i think then you can do a nice job
i know pics would be helpful but i dont have any
sorry bout that

 

I wonder about the strength of the aluminum box. Would it stand up to the pressures applied to it in this application. They have been used for years on T buckets (Total Performance for example) so maybe I'm concerned needlessly.


Frank

 

As far as strength goes I don't think the box will know "come here from sick 'em".If it is strong enough to use on the chassis it's strong enough to cowl steer.
T.OUT

 

Id the box is strong enough to frame steer it is strong enough to cowl steer.Hell, it don't know the difference from one or the other as long as the rotation is correct.
T,OUT

 

We are using a Corvair box on our dragster. Recycler is extending the shaft this week. I'll post installation pics next weekend, if all goes as planned.

 

yo baby, I realize that the box will not know the difference. My concern is for the driver if the forces applied to the aluminum casting overcomes the strength of the housing and he goes careening off the highway or into oncoming traffic. A small concern I'm sure. Turning 61 and hot rodding since I was 14 tends to turn you into a chicken shit wimp when these matters come up.
Also, your post reveils the fact you have no understanding of how a component that is used in one application can respond quit differently when applied to a different invironment.

Frank

 

sprint car boxes are aluminum ???

 

Hey thanks guys for all the discussion. It is a big help. I do have access to a lathe and I can weld, but I would take it to a professional.

Rand Man I look forward to your post. Tack it on to this one if you can.

 

Yo baby, you are right the box doesn/t know from whence the force cometh (dark side or light side Ha!) The only way to exceed the limits of the box now that I think of it would be if my front end is heavier than a corvair van front end, then the torque required to steer it would be greater and could exceed the limit of the box. Anybody know what a corvair van front end weights?

 

Here's a suggestion. If you are sitting back far enough, mount the gearbox over to the left so you don't have to extend the pitman arm shaft and then use a double U-jointed shaft from the wheel to the box. Now you can place the wheel where it's comfortable and looks right. Just don't exceed the maximum angles specified for the U-joints.

Another benefit of doing it this way is you can mount the box at the correct height that still keeps your draglink level.

 

slazzen]sprint car boxes are aluminum ???
Slazzen, At your first opportunity lay a sprint car steering next to a Corvair box and see if you can detect any difference in the size, construction (noting where the strength is placed in the casting) weight, etc. If you can report there is NO difference I'll withdraw my whiney post. Apples and oranges perhaps?

Frank

 

Johnny, I will research that, but I still think the shaft is so short it would have to be lengthed some.

 

Frank, That is kind of why I asked the question in the first place. I will bet the factor of safety in the race box is pretty large, they have always looked like overkill to me.

 

Sprint car steering gears such as Erlbacher, Schroeder, and Halibrand were made with cast aluminum boxes. They were rugged units built to take the rigors of dirt track racing. They were also very quick ratio...usually only 6 : 1 or 8 : 1....too quick for the street without either a very short pitman arm or a gear reduction unit between the steering wheel and the box. A sprint car usually steers quick...one half turn lock-to-lock.

The early sprint car power steering boxes were modified cast iron units from regular cars. I have one here. Then, in order to lighten them, they cast the boxes in aluminum. Also, there were guys who modified '61 Buick Special/Olds F-85 units for center steering. I have a NOS stock one that I won't be using. One advantage of the modified passenger car boxes is the ratio....mine is about 14 : 1. This will allow me to use a reasonable length pitman arm and still have a lock-to-lock that makes more sense for street driving....around two turns.

You can find the early power units fairly cheap. I paid $250 for mine delivered (eBay). You can use the power units as manual steering too. Just loop a hose between the inlet and outlet ports and fill with lubricant. Steers the same as a manual gear.

Here's a photo of the $250 gear....made from a cast iron box.

 

if it'd be too close to the cowel with the stock shaft, what about mounting it where it needs to be under the dash (close to the cowel) and putting a sprocket on the steering shaft, and install the column where you want it with a pillow block bearing setup and sprocket and chain going over to the box?

if a chain is strong enough to push a scooter, its gotta be strong enough to steer a car safely right?

T

 

Yep....I've seen that done too....

 

That's what I was thinking... only not in those exact words.


JOE

 

Here's a pic of my RARE Halibrand 8 : 1 manual gear. I bought the other one to replace this. I hope to see the Halibrand unit used in someone's restored dirt champ car and it will be sold eventually.

 

I made this one for my midget using a Ross/Crosley gear. It would be too puny for a street rod.

 

Hey Johnny those are awsome. I like the chain and sprocket idea too. I think I have a couple of ways to go now. As usual the HAMB comes thru.

 

Viva La HAMB man

 

You're right,I give.
I never built a Hot Rod or a Race Car or engineered anything from scratch.
I never scared the shit out of me or anyone else when something broke.
I can't find my ass with both hands full moon and radar.
But, I can spell "REVEAL" ,so spare me the sarcasm.

T.OUT

P.S. I would like to think you are just being so sarcastic is because of my back to back posts,,,,,,but I doubt it.
But for the record there are 2 posts because the computer said "this page cannot be displayed" after writing the first post,so I wrote it again and it displayed both for whatever the electronic reason.

 

CENPEN Speed Shop sells a 3 gear unit that moves the column aover several inches like you would with a chain. That chain Idea scares me, no matter how tight you got it, there would still be slack!

 

hell Trent,,, just wash the chain in hot water and dry it...LOL it'll be smaller then

in all honesty, i did have second thoughts about what i posted with the sprocket and chain assembly... Trent is right, thats got a high ass clinch factor to it

 

Really the sprocket and chain isn't a bad idea at all.We used to use dual roller timing chain and gear assemblies as steering quickeners for our roundy round cars before the advent of high tech steering quickeners and they worked great.

T.OUT

 

The chain and sprocket idea is scarier than running an open driveshaft thru the cockpit with the u-joint spinning next to your knee....

For another idea... You could center-mount the gear and extend the output shaft with a coupler or side mount the gear and fab a simple 2-joint angled column shaft to the proper wheel position.

Along the topic of flimsy looking steering boxes, here is a pic of a Ross no2 mounted in a modified.....