looking for 37 Hudson steering box info

Looking at fitting a 37 Hudson steering box into a 32 frame, I know this has been done in the states alot and it seems to be a great swap. Problem I have is has anybody over this side of the world done this swap, I know they are an extremely hard item to track down and as we drive on the other side of the road are the steering boxes the same, other than LHD verses RHD. Any help would be greatly appreciated before I start the hard task of trying to track one of these beasts down.

 

Contact Nealinca, I believe he has an article coming out in R & C. One of his boxes just sold on E-bay for around $1,400.00.

Geoffrey

 

i`m not sure i understand your question, are you building a LHD `32? or are you building a rhd `32 and wanting to adapt a LHD `37 hudson steering box to it? if it`s the latter, just off the top off my head - i don`t think it will work.

 

Damn I guess I should have drove the 13 hours each way for the 40 dollar one......

I've got a thread on the hudson box somewhere. let me dig it up.

 

BOOM

Some good links in here.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=469620

 

Nope, building a RHD 29 sedan on 32 rails, just wanting to know if the 37 Hudson boxes we get here (RHD) are the same as the ones you guys use in the States, I Want to try something different and really like the way these steering boxes look and fit. So in short im wanting to use the RHD box if they are the same.
Thanks Jason.

 

hello, i got it now. i didn`t know hudson made a RHD steering box, and i`ve never seen one. i will post some images of a LHD hudson steering box so you can compare it to yours, if it will help. the real benefit to using this steering box is the better ratio [17:1] and the fact that it uses a roller sector.

 

Here's the info you need, as Mart did exactly as you propose in his 31 roadster with a RHD Hudson box...

http://www.martsrods.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/steering/orsteering.htm

Here is a converted LHD Hudson box in a 32 frame for reference...



Neal

 

Thanks so much for all your help and info guys.

Jason.

 

Thats some great info, thanks Neal, Ive got the Hudson club over here on the lookout for a box for me so hopefully I be able to track one down soon, They are a good looking box and im pretty hell bent on fitting one in my 'A'

Jason.

 

Jason - If you don't have any luck finding a RHD Hudson box, look at flipping a LHD F-1 box over and use it for RHD. You'd just have to redrill the fill plug hole...but it's virtually the same as what you are looking for.

I'll take some pics tomorrow and post what I'm talking about...

Neal

 

Here's a stock 37 Hudson and and a 48-52 F-1 box flipped over...



and the same with the frame flange machined off.



With the addition of a fill plug, you'd basically have a RHD Hudson box.

Neal

 

What's the advantage of the Hudson box over the F-1? Or is there one?

 

They are both Gemmer III rolling sector boxes, but are configured differently. The Hudson has the steering shaft over the sector, like a 32-34 Ford, while the F-1 is under...



Using an F-1 in a 32-34 changes the steering column angle making it much steeper...unless you use a really long column drop.

F-1's seem to work out better in A-V8's because of that difference, as they give more header clearance.

Neal

 

So somebody paid $1400 for three inches of foot room between the pedals?

 

Once again thanks so much Neal, its a really big help to have info from people who have done it all before.

 

Cool. Thanks Neal. Learning is FUNdamental!

 

How's about we get an international exchange going? All the Englanders and Aussies send us their RHD F-1 boxes and we send them our LHD units? Then we have foot room on all sides of the world!

 

That is honestly not a bad idea.

 

Haha, great idea, problem is in New Zealand the RHD F1 or bonus boxes are as rare as hens teeth.
Neal if you roll the LHD F1 boxes over to put the steering column on the top does it not reverse the steering action?

 

I'll chip in on this one.

Amazingly, if you take any side steer box, turn it upside down and bolt it in the opposite side of the frame, then reposition the pitman arm in the same orientation (either "up" or "down") then it will still work correctly. Shut your eyes, think about the relative rotation of the parts and it will become clear. Don't forget that the action of the drag link is reversed on the opposite hand drive of car. In other words to turn right in a LHD car you pull the drag link back. To turn right in a rhd car you push the drag link forward.

Thanks for the link to the old Rusty Hudson steering page Neal, the page on my site that links to that page has disappeared.

Mart.

 

Valid point, easy when you think of it like that.
Ive also been told that early Mopar used the Gemmer boxes as well, so are they the same and if so has anybody used them??

 

Isn't the Nash also a gemmer box?

 

I found this pic of a 39 Nash ch***is, it looks like a Gemmer box...but mounted on top of the frame. That might work kinda neat in certain applications...or that could be fixed real quick in a lathe...



Neal

 

Neal you sure are the man when it comes to steering box info, thankyou very much for all your help. Ive just managed to get my hands on an F1 box, rare as rocking horse **** over this way but im hell bent on a Hudson number, or any Gemmer box be it Nash or whatever with the steering shaft on top.
Just got hold of a guy with a huge warehouse full of non ford stuff, bout to send him pics of the Hudson one, so heres hoping he has one.

 

I know this an old thread, but I stumbled on a 37 hudson box buried in the blackberry bushes obviously rusty but turns, though the wheel is shot.
So the question is are ford pitman arms the same spline ,as this box has no steering arm.

 

`32 -`48 will slip right on. congratulations, good find!
tom

 

Thanks , thought they look similar, actually found two in the blackberry bushes. Just need a soak them in the mol***es , or may try citrus this time.

 

@Mart could you or someone please refresh this old link to the Hudson steering box.
http://www.martsrods.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/steering/orsteering.htm

 

That website is gone.