I was wondering if with radius rods/split wishbone, and a dropped axle I can still run a cross steering. Is there clearance issues? I can't seem to find any pictures of radius rods and cross steering, they all have traditional steering. My frame(riley swooped frame) is already set up for a vega box/cross steering, and I want to run a dropped i-beam axle.
I can't give you a definative on Model As. Ford had cross steering in '38 ( probably before that) and they used a which bone and cross leaf. The same style of suspension as a Model A.
Yeah. Cut the steering arms off stock 40 style spindles & get the big 3"-4"? dropped bolt on steering arms, so all tie rod go below the wishbones
You could heat & bend the steering arms. With Hairpins you could use stock steering arms. A Panhard bar is prefered with crossstreering. NOTE: With bolt on steering arms, make sure the nuts or bolt heads sit flat on the inside of the drum against the backing plate & are not obstucted by the spindle edge. You could grind a flat spot in the lockwasher or spindle.
A typical drop axle with stock 40 style spindles puts the steering tie rods at the same elevation as a stock wishbone, obstucting it. You need Hairpins or dropped steering arms, either or, not both.
This is one option, and a popular one. You can also heat and bend the steering arms to put the drag link below the wishbones. Since the original spindles are forged, you can heat them safely as long as your heat is slow and consistent and you don't quench them. Your other option is to get a reamer and put a taper in the top of the steering arms so the tie-rod ends bolts downward into them rather than upward (like stock). This will raise the tie-rod up enough that it will usually p*** right over the wishbones with stock steering arms. If you are running early spindles that only have one eyelet per side on the steering arms, you can also run a 'double' tie-rod end to bolt the drag link to the tie rod. I hope that helps!
^ agreed. Heat and bend them. I have a swept frame and cross steering. Here you can sortof see the sweep in the frame. There's no real scope here but this is where a 40 steering box sits in my frame. It clears under the bones.
You are headed in the right direction.... I did a Vega cross steering on our 32 roadster. Late 40s spindles and split model A wish bone converted to radius rods. Had to bend the steering arms down so the tie rod rides under the radius rods. Running a pan bar and a steering dampener too -works great.
I just heated and bent the stock steering arms down about an inch so the tie rod would clear my Merc bones. The axle is one of Henry's finest that has been dropped to 4" by Joe's Speed Shop. No drag link in the pic's but it'll run parallel to the tie rod at the same elevation... <FIELDSET cl***=fieldset><LEGEND>Attached Thumbnails</LEGEND> </FIELDSET>
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