Steering Box Location...

[Screaming Metal]

Hey guys....got my frame tacked up good, have got the engine and trans. on my stand where it needs to be with the rearend where it needs to be....
I stuck my headers on....and I'm looking at the location of the steering box. I'm looking at maybe going with a more traditional steering column angle....(I have a bad back...dodged 1 too many blower belts).

Now, I know I can get where I want to go with some ujoints on my steering shaft, but,...
1. Is there any advantage to running your steering box in front of your engine?
2. Is there any disadvantages to running the long steering rods on the rear mounted steering boxes.

I can do it like we build the AA/Altereds....just wanted your opinion before the metal starts Screamin'...and I get my brackets....

 

[RPM]

Which steering box do you have? Do you want to do cross steer on traditional steering?

 

[Screaming Metal]

Which steering box do you have? Do you want to do cross steer on traditional steering?

Hi Ron, picked up a new corvair box from one of the guys that comes into the shop every-once-in-a-while. Was gonna do the cross steer. I'm planning and doing notes for layout and all....making sure I won't have any issues anywhere. Well.....other than the weight! Ha!

 

[RPM]

I would suggest mounting the box in front of the firewall on top of the frame rail. The pitman arm will point down and it will all work just fine.

 

[bucketkids]

I would suggest mounting the box in front of the firewall on top of the frame rail. The pitman arm will point down and it will all work just fine.

I have mine monted up front, I'm running a 350 SB with a blower. When I mounted the alternator with Rons bracket it meant the alternator had to go on the passenger side. I cut of (cut and grind) the mechanical fuel pump casting to make room on that side, flipped the bracket over and wala. Done NOT! Then i had to buy an electric water pump (not yet purchased) and put 1 inch spacers behind to get belt to work.

Now, the moral of the story is,,, I wouldn't do it that way again.

 

[blownchebby]

I have mine monted up front, I'm running a 350 SB with a blower. When I mounted the alternator with Rons bracket it meant the alternator had to go on the passenger side. I cut of (cut and grind) the mechanical fuel pump casting to make room on that side, flipped the bracket over and wala. Done NOT! Then i had to buy an electric water pump (not yet purchased) and put 1 inch spacers behind to get belt to work.

Now, the moral of the story is,,, I wouldn't do it that way again.

 

[blownchebby]

I have mine monted up front, I'm running a 350 SB with a blower. When I mounted the alternator with Rons bracket it meant the alternator had to go on the passenger side. I cut of (cut and grind) the mechanical fuel pump casting to make room on that side, flipped the bracket over and wala. Done NOT! Then i had to buy an electric water pump (not yet purchased) and put 1 inch spacers behind to get belt to work.

Now, the moral of the story is,,, I wouldn't do it that way again.

 

[blownchebby]

I have mine monted up front, I'm running a 350 SB with a blower. When I mounted the alternator with Rons bracket it meant the alternator had to go on the passenger side. I cut of (cut and grind) the mechanical fuel pump casting to make room on that side, flipped the bracket over and wala. Done NOT! Then i had to buy an electric water pump (not yet purchased) and put 1 inch spacers behind to get belt to work.

Now, the moral of the story is,,, I wouldn't do it that way again.

Metal This my help .Its the way I did it. My not work for you.

 

[Screaming Metal]

I would suggest mounting the box in front of the firewall on top of the frame rail. The pitman arm will point down and it will all work just fine.

I had origionally thought of that and most of the T's I've seen are like that....But I've seen a small number of T's with the steering box forward....I didn't know if there was a advantage to this or what.

The old style buckets had the steering column coming up almost straight vertical, and alot of the folks would get a custom steering wheel and invert it. I was not much into that look.
Now....on the later cars....the older style.... has the column angled a more. I like the look.

Now....I was thinking of canting the angle about 10 more degrees on the column and giving the bucket a more traditional steering column to drivers seat angle to help my back out on long cruises. I'm 5'11", and the body has a stretch that fits me perfectly.

I believe I'll have to come up on the firewall opening at more of a angle and run 2 small u-joints on the steering shaft to get things to line up.

 

[Screaming Metal]

Metal This my help .Its the way I did it. My not work for you.

Hey, BlownChebby, I Like! I Like! I was gonna click on those little things and get them to pop up bigger, then I was gonna print them out for reference.....but it just opened a little white rectangle and sat there......oh well. Maybe tomorrow....but yes.....thats what I was looking for.

Gonna be cramped thought....392 Hemi....its kinda wide there....but I think we can handle it!

 

[LKE]

I mount my boxes forward. I dont use corvair though, I use vega boxes. With the vega, it mounts down low, not so visible. And it allows the column to come out of the fire wall higher, not interferring with foot room, and a better column angle.

My current build...

And my previous car...

 

[Screaming Metal]

I mount my boxes forward. I dont use corvair though, I use vega boxes. With the vega, it mounts down low, not so visible. And it allows the column to come out of the fire wall higher, not interferring with foot room, and a better column angle.

My current build...

And my previous car...

Yes,yes, I like! Now, let ask....how much engine clearence do you have? And secondly, it looks like you have a plate welded to the bottom there with the box mounting plate welded to that, am I correct? If not, how do you have it mounted?


By the way Very good workmanship!

 

[Screaming Metal]

Hey, BlownChebby, I Like! I Like! I was gonna click on those little things and get them to pop up bigger, then I was gonna print them out for reference.....but it just opened a little white rectangle and sat there......oh well. Maybe tomorrow....but yes.....thats what I was looking for.

Gonna be cramped thought....392 Hemi....its kinda wide there....but I think we can handle it!

Also....that is some beautiful work there!

 

[LKE]

Yes,yes, I like! Now, let ask....how much engine clearence do you have? And secondly, it looks like you have a plate welded to the bottom there with the box mounting plate welded to that, am I correct? If not, how do you have it mounted?


By the way Very good workmanship!

On the bottom one (the blue one) it is mounted with a bracket welded off the bottom of the frame. It looks real low in the pic, but is no lower than the oil pan. That car had a SBC, and had a lot of room between it and the engine.
The install in the top piture is done a little differently. Because that car sits so low, there was a notch cut in the side of the frame, and a structure built out of 3/8" plate to strenthen the frame, and provide mounting for the box. The box mounting tabs are recessed into the frame. This car has a pretty narrow frame (big pinch to the rails) and a BBC, and there is still plenty of room. Your hemi should fit fine. An early hemi block is only about the size of an SBC. Its just the heads that are huge. Here is the best pic I have showing clearance.

that bracket on top of the box will get bolted to the frame. It just wasnt drilled in the picture.

And here is another pic, a little better than the one I first posted...

 

[LKE]

Here are two better pics of the install on the blue car. These are from the other side during the install build.

In that second pic, notice the oil stain under the box ? brand new flaming river box... in another thread some were saying how they were not impressed by flaming river parts... its because of this kind of stuff. I never could get the box to stop leaking.

 

[Screaming Metal]

Hey LKE....is that 2x3 tubing your using? On mine, I'm gonna have the seat fastened to a removable insert that fits the inner contour of the body, so the seat is going to sit really low. And Ron had shown me how to do that body....I had my fiberglass guy build it up over the frame so it looks finished. The door is longer than usual so I can slide in comfortably instead of looking like I'm getting into the General lee! Ha!
Its bad when you get like me....my back is shot and my knee's, they're gone too. But I got hearing aids! The last track I went to in California 2 weeks ago.....one of the guys on one of the crews was reminding me to take my 'aids out....as I laid my hand on the motor to see how she was running....I showed him the remote control I had in my hand to turn them off and He grinned and gave me a thumbs up...yep, he had on those big ear muffs like the airline engineers wear. I wish I'd done that about 30 years ago....

 

[Screaming Metal]

Yea....they just don't make the parts the way they used to....I love the motormounts though. Ted had given me the idea of using leaf spring eyes for mine so that 392 can jiggle to its hearts content.Ha!

 

[Youngster]

First off LKE that's some awesome fab work! My hat's of to you.

Next .. Screaming i hear (pun intented)ya about the ear protection. I worked around twin engine jets in the U S canoe club with lil or not protection. Everyone please note your hearing needs to be protected.

I like the box on top of the rails but sometimes that isn't possible. I'm also not a fan of forward mounted cross-steering set ups. I like the front to be as clean as possible, kinda simple looking. Mounting the box under the frame will limit room for your feet. I always sugest on a scratch built car to mock up the engine with the steering box and headers if possible. Nothing looks like and "add on" this way. Adjustments are easier to make at that point. There are lots of compromises when building these great lil cars, but a lil for thought show in the completed car.

Ron

 

[Screaming Metal]

First off LKE that's some awesome fab work! My hat's of to you.

Next .. Screaming i hear (pun intented)ya about the ear protection. I worked around twin engine jets in the U S canoe club with lil or not protection. Everyone please note your hearing needs to be protected.

I like the box on top of the rails but sometimes that isn't possible. I'm also not a fan of forward mounted cross-steering set ups. I like the front to be as clean as possible, kinda simple looking. Mounting the box under the frame will limit room for your feet. I always sugest on a scratch built car to mock up the engine with the steering box and headers if possible. Nothing looks like and "add on" this way. Adjustments are easier to make at that point. There are lots of compromises when building these great lil cars, but a lil for thought show in the completed car.

Ron

I totally agree with the mocking up.....that was what I was doing and thought about the steering box location to column angle and have it all work.

I'm taking a totally unique approach to the exhaust.....I kinda like the look of lake pipes of the old flatheads with the exhaust fasted to the bottom of the collectors for the street....pop open your collectors and run straight.

Well....I've fab'ed up some stainless steel fenderwell exit style of headers with the collectlooking down toward the ground at about a 35 degree angle. On the bottom of the collecter, I have a exhaust tube to were I can hook up my exhause pipes. At the end of the collector, I have a cable actuated butterfly valve, (shaft and all made from 308 stainless), with it closed, it looks like a pipe with a end in it....you don't know its a cutout until I open the thing....that way...I can go to open pipes while inside the car.

 

[LKE]

Hey LKE....is that 2x3 tubing your using?

On the blue car the frame is 2x3. The other one is 2x4. And from 4" in front of the firewall it starts tapering down to 1 5/8" at the front. So where the box is, it is probaly about 3" tall.