What are you guys doing for steering?

I've been thinking about building a HA/GR, but I'm not sure about what to do for steering??

Also any one around Lexington building one?


Ryan

 

We're using a reversed, cowl mounted Corvair unit. They're small and light. There could be a better choice, but choose something that doesn't take up too much space.

 

We turn the steering wheel, works most of the time.

Sorry, just couldn't resist that one.

Most of us are using cowl boxes and drag links.
There is some "bump steer" if you don't (or can't) set the geometry right on but as few drag strips have much to offer in the way of moguls it's seldom a problem.

 

Could I see some pics

 

Mine will be set up similar to the others, center mounted, left side drag link. The box is from a Westcoaster 3 wheeler (like a Cushman 3 wheeler) really small and light, nice mounting pattern, splined mild steel pitman arm. I haven't started on it yet, I'll post pics when I do.

 

I know it's tacky to leave it full size, but it'll help to see the detail.

 

The reversed Corvair unit is a good way to go. If you need help getting it out the side for cowl type steering PM me, I have a kit.
2B

 

2B, I'm interested in your kit could you elaborate. I'm using a F1 box and need some ideas.

 

Our box is of unknown parentage from something metric, maybe Fiat. Very small and light.

 

on my old ha/gr I used an early vw stearing box. it worked great.

 

Thanks for the help, I was thinking a samurai box might work. But I am not sure about keeping the wheel centered?

 

Are you forced to run at an NHRA track?

 

No, I think the closest is IHRA. But, I would also like check some our the rides I've seen here, if their closer. Mokan is a little far for me.

 

Any recommendations on drag link material and steering arm lengths, I'm using an F-1 steering box.

 

7/8" DOM is a popular hot rod choice- it taps out easily to fit 11/16" Ford tie rod ends and is plenty strong.

steering arm lengths will be determined by your steering degrees of travel and by your desired final ratio. Trigonometry stuff that I'm not good at.

 

when I was building mine, I used a 2x4 in place of a drag link to determin the right length and then, you can order any length that you need from Speedway. Thats the easy way. When I order anything from Speedway, if it is before about ten AM it will be on my front porch by nine the next morning. Good luck with your build. Joe

 

I found that if your steering arm is about 1" longer than your pitman arm. it works pretty darn good. Also keep the drag link as level as possible, It cuts down on the bump steer. JMO.

 

Would a quick ratio box be needed for a small steering wheel? Is everyone pretty much steering with one hand?

 

That one hand thing happens alot when you are grabing gears. I use an aluminum corvair steering gear box. You can control some of the steering speed with the length of the steering arms.

 

I am also running an aluminum Corvair box and it works well.
As far as the one handed steering, I probably only use two hands when staging and coming off the track at the end. Between shifting and stopping( hand brake), I do not have a lot of time to put both hands on the wheel.
As a lot of this comes naturally, it is hard to tell if I'm steering with both hands going down the track.
If the car is set up right, it will almost go straight down the track by itself, unless something out of the ordinary happens.
Robert

 

And imitating Wild Willie Borsch ...

 

I made a center steer out of a VW bug box. It works smooth and easy..In fact, It's almost like power steering......

 

Does that mean it's mounted near the front axle? Pictures would be good.

I've got an email sent on a somewhat older sand dragster being parted out that has a small steering box near the front axle. The thing is, it's centered and the driver is on the left. How could I make that work?

... Buying that part is out.

 

U-joints and a long shaft. You can make it as complicated as you want. Thingy extended the pitman shaft on his box...I believe he has pictures on his build thread.

 

I checked both build threads (and I'm stuck with dial-up ) and most of the pictures looked like this >>>

 

Sorry,

Village Photos shut down their free accounts that I'd used to post Dick's pictures. I'm now with Flick'r but all the old posting pictures are gone.


The steering in center steer cars is most often "cowl" style. Think slingshot rails, butterfly steering wheels, extended pitman (sector) shafts, long drag links.

We run a very quick box (1 1/2 turns) common to slingshots. This set-up allows the minimum hand movement needed to keep the car straight but takes quite a bit of arm to turn. Starting over I'd go with a slower box.

Butterfly wheels are however, a bloody nuisance for turning the wheels very far. As in going around a corner, navigating through the pits, getting to the line, exiting the strip, etc.

So we use (and recommend) a round steering wheel for exactly those reasons. They can be found in any size and actually are more period correct as well. Weren't many butterfly wheels in '50.

 

Around a mid-30's Chevy truck box. I cut the splined portion off the pitman arm and welded a heavy wall tube to it. Large enough l.D. to get a socket on the pitman nut. Then made a new pitman arm.
After two outings I ditched the butterfly wheel and went to a small round wheel. Much better. Next, I'll slow the steering down a bit by shortening the pitman arm or lengthening the steering arm on the spindle.
There are better steering boxes than the one I used. Used it cuz I had it.

 

No apology needed.

No offense, but I'm not a fan of cowl steering. I got a 60's Mustang box for cheap. I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

I'd like to find (cheap is the deciding factor) or make a vintage airplane steering (control) wheel. What kind of steering ratio would you recommend for something like this?

 

No sweat, I'm not offendable.
Cowl steering is the cheap & easy way out of the design problem, its drawbacks accepted and dealt with by the user.

Aircraft wheels have like characteristics to butterflys, ie. not round. For those I'd go with a fairly quick ratio also.

A quick box isn't as bad for a front engine car as it is for a middie, you have much better visual reference and less tendency to over correct.
Heck, it's been working for slingshots for rather awhile.

A few of'em have used shaft steering, the main hurdle being getting around the engine in a short distance. I don't know how NoHotRodsAllowed'd react these days but I recall seeing an occasional chain & sprocket "side-step" set-up back when. And sprocket selection'd give you nearly any ratio you could want, easily changeable to boot.
As I recall, these were used with rack & pinion set-ups typically, but there's no reason a box couldn't be set up that way.

I don't think torsional flex on an HA/GR length shaft'd be a problen at all.

Yet another option combining a box and a drag link is Tom's Rapid Rabbit answer of a vertical column (bus style) set-up. Rather like several altereds of the '60s & '70s.

This's the best shot I have of his installation .......

 

Good luck on the aircraft wheel.......they tend to be very pricey if you can find them. We just went with a large diameter, (17") round wheel...as Old6rodder's picture shows, the steering wheel shaft is vertical and along with the seating, offset to the left approximately six and a quarter inches, give or take a gnat's ass. The large diameter wheel helps provide leverage to offset the quick steering box.