I swear that my T and the flathead hate each other. Last night, I started hooking up the steering linkage and ran into a roadblock. The steering shaft runs way too close to the rear exhaust port. I can't get a stock manifold on there, let alone a set of headers. If I raise the engine, I lose even more of the driver's side footwell room, which I cannot afford to do as it's too tight already for a brake and clutch pedal. I tried a Corvair box, but I run into the same clearance problem and I can't run the box under the floor. I even considered cowl steering, unfortunately with the non-channelled body and Model A style crossmember, I'd have to run one hell of a long pitman arm to get anything close to the right geometry. Plus, it wouldn't really fit the car. I threw a F-1 box and column up there and I still have the same problem. The frame is 1 1/2" x 3" tubing with split wishbones, CE axle and CE dropped steering arms. The drivetrain is an 8ba with a T-5. Any one have some advice? I know there are a few flathead-bucket combos on here; how did you fit a steering box? The 400 SBC bolted to a Turbo 350 in the corner is starting to inch it's way toward the car, and I need to come up with a steering solution to stop it(God, that would solve SO many issues: Steering, clutch linkage,etc...) Thanks guys, Karl
Here...cowl steering w/Truck box. Guess my pics here at work are too big. ANyways, I used a truck box and shortened the steering shaft while I had to lengthen the pitman shaft and pitman arm. Works great. Just remember, there's no such thing as too much bracing.
Don't even shorten it. Just cut it and put the joint on. It'll drop it smartly down and more out of the way. Adjust to taste.
I though about adding another joint. Not shown in the first pic is where the steering column joint is going to be. It just shows where the column is going to come through the firewall. It look like cowl steering might be my only alternative to having 3(or more) U-joints in a 12" span. I have 3" between the bellhousing and frame, so the engine to frame clearance is tight.
Stock 37 box tipped back a tad, homemede tube section with '53 shaft: http://www.directimagehost.com/is.php?i=96561&img=DSC02444.JPG http://www.directimagehost.com/is.php?i=105762&img=DSC02615.JPG http://www.directimagehost.com/is.php?i=96562&img=DSC02446.JPG http://www.directimagehost.com/is.php?i=126104&img=DSC03305.JPG
We have joints and shafts and bearings.....looks like we raided a hardware store......but ya know what, this thing steers smoothly and accurrately with no slop anywhere. A Vega box does the turning.
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