Offset in drag link okay?

I am putting a cross steer rack and pinion in a model A roadster. This is a customers car and it is being built with the leftover pieces of 3 previous builds and he would liek to use this piece. I have built a bracket to mount it to the frame and the the steering shaft line up is good. The problem is that the drag link rubs on the bottom of the P/S split wishbone when turning left. I can move the bracket down but it takes a lot of down to make the desired effect and it starts to look crappy with the gear hanging so low. Are there any potential problems with putting an offset bend in the drag link tube that connects the rack end rod with the outboard TRE? I would only need an 1 1/2" or so. I am not worried about adjusting it like a tie rod, as the rod that comes out of the rack will spin for adjusting.

Thanks,

 

Post some pics ...

 

Kinda hard to tell with out pictures.....duh

 

I think I understand what you're doing... I'd heat and drop the steering arm before bending the tubing links...

 

Thanks BS, missed you.
I attached a picture I found on the board. This one has a foour bar though. Where the drag link crosses the four bar in the picture is where mine crosses underneath the wish bone, and where I would like to make an offset.

 

Here is a picture of a commercially made one, apparently they do it regularly on 4x4s.

BTW BS, did you ever get your quickie bearings changed?

 

you can bend or drop the link aslong asyou don't weaken it and there is enough adjustment to offset the drop.

 

The drag link should be parallel to the ground, level in other words, and if it was you wouldn't have a problem.
A properly located stock draglink doesn't have this problem and the type of steering box makes absolutely no difference...other than the rack gives you a draglink thats excessively short to start with. Being short makes it all the more important to have it level at ride height or you will end up with bumpsteer.

You can't hide ugly and neglect proper steering geometry in the process.
The geometry comes first.

 

Thanks for the responses. Hacker, I understand about a level draglink not rubbing, that is what the offset would accomplish. It is definitely not a stock setup though. When you drop the axle 4" and change from side steering to cross steering there are always some compromises. I can't see that hanging the steering gear below the scrub line, in order to level out the drag link is a better alternative though.
I searched through the archives for pictures of Unisteer install and have not found one that has a level drag link. Apparently this just goes with the territory when you use one. Most have a 4 bar though.

 

I made new ends for the bones which moved them down. Looks stock but not. I used Model A bones

 

Yes you can, Henry did it some on my '47 truck. I've done it alot more on other cars.

 

Dropping the axle has nothing to do with it really.
The tierod is still in the same basic area in relation to the wishbone because your gonna need to drop the steering arms to give the tierod working room.

Using a cross steer as opposed to a side steer comes with advantages...not compromises..at least with a regular steering box and that nice long draglink!
Thats why all the later Ford cars had it.

Offsetting the draglink isn't the same thing as having the link level. It might look level on one end because of the bend, but it isn't. To be level BOTH tierod balls have to be the same height above the road surface. The shape of the piece of tubing that joins them doesn't matter.(except to the strength of the part of course)

If you need to hang the steering box BELOW scrubline to make the draglink level, then the tierod between the spindles and the spindle arms themselves must already BE below the scrubline.

Doesn't matter if you use a "Unisteer" or a regular box...if the box side tierod end or pivot is higher than the axle side pivot, some amount of bumpsteer will be present.
Due to suspension stiffness/overall movement, it may or may not be an issue.

Isn't it amazing that to get that incredibly precise response and totally modern coolness of a steering rack that the manufacturer raves about, we need to figure out ways to cheat or ignore the basic geometry of steering that was developed and applied over the last 100 years?
Such is the cost of improvement I suppose....

I'm not giving YOU a hard time BTW.
I realize your up against a wall more or less. I'm sure you'll get it done in an acceptable fashion.
I'm just trying to point out to others that maybe everything isn't a suger coated as some of these "new way" parts pushers would have you think!
Regular boxes in good shape aren't "broken"...why fix them?