Steering column conundrum

[Bad Bob]

When I bought my T, I liked that the steering wheel came up out of the floor, leaving lots of room in the front for the motor. It had a reverse Corvair and drag link that I wanted to reuse as well.
First problem came when I mounted the steering and sat behind the wheel during mockup.
I am a tall guy, and my left knee got stuck between the steering wheel and the side of the cab.
So I welded a 4 inch extension into the middle of the steering shaft, then found a 3/4" race and mounted it about 4 inches above the floor for stability.
Problem solved... but...
On the first test drive I realized how wobbly the steering column felt, just shy of the skinny end of a fishing pole sometimes.
I can deal with it, but I don't think anyone else would feel safe.

A tape measure reads 16 inches from the shaft to the firewall parallel to just under the extra instrument cluster.
There isn't much room for my size 12's as it is... and I'm afraid if I do a wedge shape brace it might make it even more of a pain to wrap myself into the driver's seat.
Any thought or suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Neshkoro]

Mine is mostly vertical, too. It’s ok for me as I’m a bit shorter at 5’10”. If I did it again I would make I’m more conventional. Driving it is fine. As I’m getting in or out sometimes my shoe gets stuck between the steering column and the seat riser.

 

[Bad Bob]

I'm thinking maybe a brace like the picture (the legs are all wrong and not to scale, obviously.)
2 legs should make it plenty stable.
My interior firewall is 3/4" marine plywood, so attaching there is no problem.
Right now I have an old shower curtain rod covering the shaft, which is only 3/4" diameter.
I imagine chrome pipe is a bit pricey...

 

[old round fart]

Go from the column to the seat riser. Keep it low and heavy duty and put some wall thickness to the column.

 

[Gerry]

I used a cut off of 2" SS pipe to cover mine...

 

[Neshkoro]

Gerry do you have a bearing at the top
of the tube?

 

[choppinczech]

Go from the column to the seat riser. Keep it low and heavy duty and put some wall thickness to the column.

That's what I would do too. An angled brace (or braces) down to the floor right in front of the seat. It's dead space any way.

A bit off topic, but check this out.

 

[Gerry]

Gerry do you have a bearing at the top.

of the tube?

Yep One torrington and a teflon one at the bottom.

Heres some of the part from the top end.
I did a whole thread about this part of my build but most of the pics were on Photo*uckeit, so they are lost to that thread


and some detail of the bottom end dentent etc

 

[Bad Bob]

That's what I would do too. An angled brace (or braces) down to the floor right in front of the seat. It's dead space any way.

A bit off topic, but check this out.

I like that idea. I was thinking I needed to go forward with the brace to make it stable, but going backward into "dead space" makes more sense. Now I'm thinking a small V brace from the floor to about 8 inches up to a SS pipe might be appropriate. I thought I'd need chrome, but SS polishes up pretty good even after welding. I have all the materials sitting around except for the pipe.
Thanks for the input.

 

[Neshkoro]

Gerry,
You did some nice work on that! I like the polished brass and the stainless. Quality work!

 

[Gerry]

too kind

 

[choppinczech]

Gerry,
You did some nice work on that! I like the polished brass and the stainless. Quality work!

Gerry's a true craftsman. Wish I had him next door.

 

[Gerry]

Gerry's a true craftsman. Wish I had him next door.

Feeling is mutual.You leave me standing on a lot of the things you do.

 

[Neshkoro]

Gerry. Credit where credit is due!

 

[fletcherson]

My advice is to seriously consider whether or not the column suits you and the car. Personally, I do not like them like that, no offense intended to anyone with a different opinion, but my bucket had it when I bought it. I liked the nostalgic look of it, but it was totally unpractical for me and my intended use for the car. I put a lot of thought and work into redoing all of the controls... the column, petals, shifter, everything. I opted for a custom built tilt, telescoping column to provide room for me to drive it comfortably and to enter and exit. I also did not relish the thought of having a steel pole between my legs in case of a collision. It was a lot of work but made the build much better for my taste. If you car drives good and you are comfortable with it, go with it and add a support bearing. My car is a manual shift and I too am a large guy with big feet so it was just too crowded to suit me as it was.

 

[Gerry]

I also did not relish the thought of having a steel pole between my legs in case of a collision.

That's why I put a UJ at the bottom of the column; which is also weakened with holes along the front side of the outer tube. This is in the expectation that should a collision happen I would hit the wheel and force the column to fold forwards. Also I have mounted the wheel with the spokes at 45* to my body (when going straight ahead) so that there is not one aimed directly backwards. After all that wooden rim is only held on with 4 wood screws. Seat belts help.

I was just as concerned by a 'harpoon' of a steering column that runs at an angle from in front of the firewall aimed at the top of my chest so its 6 of one and half dozen of the other to me. As you say its all personal choice.

 

[Bad Bob]

Even though I much prefer a manual, the automatic left more room for my left foot, so it stayed.
At first, I was apprehensive about having the steering between my legs, but once the height was correct, I didn't really mind. Lizzy drives so well I am comfortable most times just using one hand. The camber, caster and toe-in are spot on so she has the feel more of a sportscar when going down the road. I know some of that is wheelbase, but there is no looseness at all.
The steering wheel is stout and is almost flat... probably break a rib or two but not impale me.
Man, this is creepy just to discuss, but I suppose it is good to think about... and makes me drive even more cautiously.

 

[fletcherson]

That's why I put a UJ at the bottom of the column; which is also weakened with holes along the front side of the outer tube. This is in the expectation that should a collision happen I would hit the wheel and force the column to fold forwards. Also I have mounted the wheel with the spokes at 45* to my body (when going straight ahead) so that there is not one aimed directly backwards. After all that wooden rim is only held on with 4 wood screws. Seat belts help.

I was just as concerned by a 'harpoon' of a steering column that runs at an angle from in front of the firewall aimed at the top of my chest so its 6 of one and half dozen of the other to me. As you say its all personal choice.

I retained the collapsing feature of the GM column that I modified for just that reason... harpoon.