Got the column repainted this morning and drilled the fender for the steering box bracket holes. Stuck a bolt in all the holes and clamped it so the edge was even. Tried a few different things to get the hole started but eventually used a tiny tiny bit for a pilot hole and then used a step drill bit to punch the hole. Going to try to use the holes for mock up before I slot them with the idea that if they drifted a little I can stick the step bit back in and make the hole a little bigger. Planing on putting the race in the steering box Wednesday afternoon. So assembly Thursday morning is the plan right now.
Also some photos from the internet. This dash is filed like mine will be, but has a plate under the center gauges. Seems to match the bead in the dash pretty well. Something to consider I suppose, the holes for the gauges will be the same either way so I could try it out easy enough
Alrighty, here’s a couple pics of the hole for the driver’s side spare mount: The center of the hole is 4 inches (or a hair more) from the seam between the fender and the apron and pretty close to 2.25 inches down from the top of the apron. The back edge of the hole is pretty much in line with the front edge of the cowl band. Also, it was asked a while back (but I forgot to look) how much clearance I have between the top of the front spring and the bottom of the frame rail...the answer is 1/2 an inch. I don’t have a ton of clunking from the front end bottoming on something when I am rolling down the road, but it will if I hit a good expansion gap, or coming down a speed bump and stuff like that. It’s not horrible but it does hit from time to time. Guess I’ll be needing to notch that at some point. Haha
I checked a LOT of cars at the hill climb and was surprised at how many were in the 1/2-1 inch range or even touching the inside of the frame rail. I’m going to notch this one for sure. I’m sure plenty of guys let it bang and say “it’s a hot rod they do that” but city traffic around here is anywhere between 65 and 80 mph and some of the freeways have expansion joints and pot holes that would even make a monster truck flinch haha. Thanks for the info
Well, some heat a 12 ton press and more than one prayer and we got the bearing race pushed in! Followed by the final polish to the sector bushings to sneak up on them fitting just right. Need to touch up the paint on the box from the heat, clean the inside of the box and we are ready to go together! Hoping that it’s dry when I get off work tonight and I’ll paint the box real quick so I can assemble in the morning.
Wow, I'm using my 8 ton press to squeeze the juice out of 12 gallons of prickly pears getting ready to make some wine.
Walking a mile in so many Craftsmans Shoes is interesting and a challenge...The pressure and those machines can be incredible and dangerous...In my last job we installed many nitrogen cooled bushings of all sizes and things and presses definitely test ones skillset...It's always ramps up the finger crossing after an anomaly...I did have a few of those but still have the Fingers and can tell the story...Glad that Second Jump at the Hurdle Cleared it...
Yeah we had a conversation while doing this about how so many online said they were using a 20 ton press to fit things and how we couldn’t imagine how often you’d just destroy things with it
Got the box and bracket sprayed and drying now for morning assembly. Mocked up the adapter and found that the bit of tube that comes up into the bell would keep the adapter from dropping down and being concealed in the bell with the wheel on. its about a 1/4 inch and it seems to be that it would look unsightly. Not sure what a normal gap there would be. I’d assume a stock wheel over laps more and would cover the space. @Blue One what’s the gap between the back of your wheel to the column look like? Thinking I’ll trim the tube inside the bell back to let the adapter drop all the way down
My wheel will have the quick release for the removal of the wheel so maybe a little bit different than your setup. I made the cup with finger holes to access the release collar.
Hmmm different but it helps. I’ll mock it up before I go cutting things up and see what it actually looks like together. Thank you for the photos!
Well we have steering! ...sorta. I need to trim the column and tweak it so it will slide over the box end, and I need to buy more gaskets for the bottom cap. You shim the bottom cap under the bearing race with more or less gaskets to set the bearing pre load and if I have the ore load correct it leaks, if I tighten it up it’s to tight and won’t turn. Solution for now? Put a bucket under it and add gaskets when I remove the box to work on the frame at a later date. So... pictures! box bolted to the bracket and the bracket on the frame over the fender. You won’t even see the bracket once the hood shelves are on. Still haven’t adjusted it side to side etc. waiting to have the column mast on first. Hard to read photo but after dropping the car some more my drag link is almost exactly parallel vertically with the tie rod. It just slight slops up to the pitman arm which is what you can see to the right. Previously mentioned bucket lol need to trim 2 1/8 off the length to get the back of the steering wheel more or less flat to the bell. And I need to make that 1 1/4 have a bigger ID to clear the box and slide over. Fun fact, this 41( ? ) box has a fatter tube for the column to slide over than the 46 spare box I have. I’d have thought they’d all by the same. Anyhow, plannis to lop the 2 1/8 off and put a 1.25 slot in it length wise with a cut off wheel and see if that relaxes it enough to slide over. If not I’ll try another slot on the other side. I was going to slit it anyways so the clamp had some room to actually clamp down. Figure that’s a good place to start before I start trying to figure out how to hog out the ID to fit. I’ll get it figured out with the short stub and then transfer what ever actually works to the actual column. Also decided to cut the tube inside the bell to make the gap smaller between the bell and wheel. If this car was already together I could live with the gap, but seeing as all it will take is two seconds with a plasma cutter to make it just the room I think I’d feel stupid for not doing it
Got the tube cut to length but a single slit isn’t going to cut it. I bought a grinding stone I can chuck into my drill I’m thinking that should work. Guess we’ll see!
Spent some time on it today, got the inside tube necked down. It’s a little ugly but I can’t see it so..... I’ll figure out a way to clean it up because it’s gonna bug me. Any how I cut a slit in the tube and got it ground down sooooo close to fitting. I need to shave off about a thick sheet of paper of the wall thickness and I should be there. The grinding stone in a drill isn’t very drastic so it takes a while, but that lets me keep I fairly uniform with out a lot of battling it. Getting closer
Still grinding the ID down to fit the box. I think had I known it would take this much effort to sneak up on it I’d have chucked the tube in a lathe before welding it all together. Most of the issue seems to be getting it started, because it’s such a tight fit you really need to have it really parallel to where it slips over. It currently slides over about a 1/4 inch so I’ve got about an inch to go before it’s all the way on. I keep checking it with a pair of calipers. It’s so close that it’s very frustrating. But when it fits, and it’s right I’ll be pretty stoked. Test fit the steering wheel adapter after I had confirmed that the measurements all looked correct the other day and it. Seems everything should work just fine. Really looking forward to being able to bolt the wheel up and turn the wheels. Anyhow, that’s basically teeny progress but figured I’d share what I’m up to. Between a bathroom remodel and getting ready for baby number 2 it’s just what I can sneak in at the moment
Well, some “progress” After an embarrassing amount of time using grinders, files, and other implements to open up the ID I finally gave up. It measures right but just doesn’t fit at all. I cut the end off and I’ll cut a new section and have a friend open it up on the lathe and then weld it all back together But it’s enough to mock up with the wheel and look a little more at the column support and the rest. The tube is currently held in place by putting the column clamp half on the tube and half on the box. Blah. Oh and there’s this ^ gap between the edge of the ball and the center of the wheel. Trying to decide is I want to put a filler in their or just hope it disappears when it’s black
Sooooo close. Bummer you couldn’t get it fitting with what you had. Better this way tho so it won’t always be a hassle trying to wiggle it all together or apart.
I might have the bottom section of an old column somewhere in my shop.... I'll look when I get a chance this weekend. Sent from my SM-G977U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Cool man, measure the OD/ID for me. This is 1.5 OD and like 1/16 wall The 46 box actually has a smaller neck on it than this seller box for some reason comparing the two side by side so I guess there must be different sized column tubes as well?
It's funny how similar some of these old parts look until you start swapping them around. I have three front crossmembers for my Chevy roadster, none are the right one and there is a bucket full of spring perches. Part of the fun?
I have to ask. Is the car still for the Mrs. or have you takin it over? Either way how much say has she had in design or esthetics? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yup, still for her. She does have input but that comes in various ways. We’ve been going to car shows together for about a decade, so I’m pretty aware of what she likes. She’ll send me photo’s of bits and pieces of cars she likes or ideas. Then I basically incorporate all of that into the build plan with out compromising how I want to the car to feel/ function. In this regard I’m treating it similar to a tattoo I would do. You ask a shit ton of questions, you look at a lot of the reference they like, ask some more questions and have some conversation. Some times that’s five minutes others it’s longer. But the end result you are aiming for is “wow that’s exactly what I actually wanted but way cooler than I had put it together in my head” At the same time maintaining the strength of the design, the sustainability of how you did it, and having it be something you put your style into and would claim as having done. I guess it comes down to communication, and figuring out what they are meaning over what they said.
Just kinda treading water at the moment. Started to snoop around more about the quick change to try and dredge up some info. The internet has thus far let me down outside of finding one place that makes parts, and some very basic info its a magnesium halibrand 101 there may be a letter after that I’m not sure. They made two different ones this is the second one, it has a small window on the front that a rod/mechanical switch hooks to. Basically it lets a dirt track car ditch the in and out box and puts the feature in the rear itself. This is about as complete of a photo as I could find, no cut aways, blow aparts or tech drawings that I’ve come across so far. I sent this guy a message to see if he had any info to spare and contacted hot rod works as well for info as they sell the lower shaft, the pinion and all the bearings etc. but the web site just shows a stack of boxes it does t say where anything goes or how many there are. I feel pretty confident that I can handle this but I just don’t even have a good scribble or photo of what’s going on. This is what I “know”so far •It takes most of a model a banjo rear to build •The rear cover from the 201 with the same bolt pattern will fit •the ID of the bearings etc are the same as the 201 but the OD is different, so in this case if you used a 201 cover you could use the 201 bearings that go in it. •you cut the pinion gear end off the model A drive shaft, trim the length to X length and spline it to fit the sour gears •you cut the drive shaft to X length and then Spline it as well, it has been mentioned you could use a later ford driveshaft that is already splined but you’d likely have to shorten it and it would be just as easy for me to have the end splined as it would be to weld it up • you then connect the splined driveshaft to the splined lower shaft with a collar like a stock 46 ish ford uses. •the spline for the spur gears is the same for the 201 rear but it will only fit the thinner gears under the cover. So from what I can figure I need measurements So I can cut and spline the stock ford bits to work. I need to know where all the bearings/ races/ seals etc go and part numbers for them. I can find a rear cover easy enough, and the lower shaft if I could find one to copy I could have made but I think it would probably be more efficient and cost effective to buy the hotrod works item. I’ve found bits and pieces enough to feel like assembly and setting it up doesn’t sound scary. Just need to know what I have or am missing. Seems like a common theme of this build. The rebuild guide is take it apart, replace the bad bits, put it back together and shim the pre loads. Which isn’t that helpful if you are starting with a few parts and not an entire unit that just needs rebuilt
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