Sounds simple enough. Thanks so much for the how-to! Should I have a bearing carry the extended pitman arm tube out near the inside wall of the cowl for support? How did you address this?
I didn't use a bearing because the extended portion is about 7" long, and when tightened down it is very stiff. I would say that up to about 12" of extension will require no bearing.
If you lengthen a sector shaft, and use a common size round stock (3/4", 1", 1.25") etc. its easiest to use a pillow block bearing. They usually have a flange with means to bolt it down. You can get them from Northern Tool, or locally. I get them at the Farm store. ROB
The stock Mopar pitman arm drops down quite a bit in its original application with quite a bit of leverage on it, and there is no need for a bearing there, so why make a big fuss over using a bearing when it is most likely going to be installed in a far lighter car. Totally un-needed.
My take: If you want a traditional 40's, 50's or even 60's I think an early Ford box is the one to have. Boxes manufatured from '37 - '48 are nearly interchangable and can be used for cross or side steer with a little thought. Pitman will point up in side steer applications but don't think in terms of absolutes with this stuff and you'll be fine. (pitman has to be in 6 o'clock for side steer? Pfffft.) Also Ford truck boxes on into the 50's are nearly a bolt in for most side steer applications - and you get to have your everloving 6 o'clock pitman position. Plenty of examples of earlier boxes being used successfully as well. I've heard these need more attention. Now someone may have used an early 60's Mustang or Falcon or whatever box in the 60's on a traditional 60's hot rod... but my guess is that there were still so many early Ford boxes readily available that it would have been an exception. Plus... it looks goofy. If you aren't as strict as some about certain eras and just want good steering I think you could expand your search to include Vega boxes. They make sense now for the same reason they were chosen initially. They work well and they are small. In my opinion you enter a completely different style of build when you add u-joints to your steering - and that should be no one's decision but yours. Cowl steering? Gives me a headache. I would be inclined to talk to a company who makes boxes specifically for that application and eat Ramen for a month. Modifying late model boxes with tubes and welded sectors held in place with pillow blocks seems like a real headache. I have seen some early boxes modded to center steering which is basically the same type of thing as what most are calling cowl steering. This does involve some of the same modifications I've seen on the late model box conversions but somehow the intentions seem more pure... that's my own baggage I guess. Good luck. I would say don't get so hung on the myths and really study what makes a hot rod steer the way it does.
Thanks Kevin, I'm really honored to have you weigh in on my little thread. I've got to tell you that R&C is THE biggest reason I got interested in this hobby. Sign me up for a life-time subscription! For a number of reasons (which I won't get into here) my project will have cowl steering. I will do my homework and build the safest hot rod I can. My version of a traditional hot rod might be a little different than others but here goes: My project will run a 289 SBF equipped with finned Cal Custom valve covers and twin Strombergs connected to a manual 3 speed. It'll have 17" early Chevy artillery wheels out back and Model A 19" spokes up front. My original Model A straight axle and '40 Ford brakes out front are contrasted by the '87 Toyota 4x4 rear end with it's OEM drum brakes. So you see already it's a blend of purely traditional components with more modern ones. In the end I think it's more as much about how all these things work (and look) together than whether or not my build fits a strict set of criteria for a certain period. Any build is a lot more than the sum of its parts. As for my cowl steering box, I think that a sixties aluminum Mopar unit will be just the ticket. It should work just great and the look reminds me of a sprint car box. I'm building my project on a budget, which has forced me to be creative about finding solutions, digging around for junk and re-purposing it. I think this approach is exactly what Hot Rodding was all about at its inception and what keeps it vital (and on the up-swing) today. I admire those committed to building Hot Rods exactly like they were in the 40s, 50s and 60s, but that's not what my project is about. It's more about creating something new and trying a few things that haven't been done before. In the end there will be no mistaking what it is. My project's a Hot Rod.
Nearing the end of this chapter.......... I scored a nice little sixties Mopar Box for 52 bucks last night on eBay. It comes with a column too, so I'm one happy boy! Here's a pic of my little jewel. Thanks HAMBers for "steering" me in the right direction.
About Vega steering. Can the box be mounted through the stock hole in the frame of an A? I've boxed my frame an would still liek to have the steering out the frame rather than cross steer. I'm using a 4 in dropped axle as well. So I guess my question is point the arm up or down AND... what about bounce steer?
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