I've got a '27 T roadster sitting on a fully boxed Model A frame with a 59AB and '46 open drive tranny mounted at the correct angle for the pinion angle. Looking at as many combinations of steering setups as I could find, I tried the F1 box. Didn't like all the screwing around with making everything else around it fit so I thought about going with a reversed '78 F150 box and cowl steering. I don't think I would have enough clearance for my size 11 feet, the steering box and all 3 pedals. I considered a Gemmer box out of a Chris-Craft but when you turn the wheel right, the car would steer left. Too bad because it's a really nice small box. Walking through the swap meet last Saturday at Atlanta Dragway, I found a very smooth operating '55 F100 steering column with the box, a good wheel, three on the tree shifter but no pitman arm. Fellow wanted $40 for it and I damned near broke my arm getting my wallet out. Gave @Bill Nabors a call to tell him of my find and he had a pitman arm he gave me. Yesterday, I got the column stripped down to the box and shaft. After much reading about how to modify the box flange and extend the shaft, I just set the box on top of the frame and it clears everything. I've got clearance between the box, the center and rear tubes on my headers and clearance between the shaft and the back corner of the head. The bottom of the pitman arm stops just above the wishbone but I can bend it out for clearance. I can use a heavy section of 3/8" angle welded to the top of the frame to mount the flange but I'll need to remove part of the top of the flange and drill another bolt hole lower. The steering column is currently just to the left of my clutch pedal so that will involve bending the clutch pedal sideways until it's outside the shaft and I'll still have foot room. The brake pedal will need to be bent to the left as well. The steering column lines up pretty well with where I'll be sitting and I have room enough to locate it wherever it works best and it won't need any u-joints. Aside from the steering box being out in the open, does anyone see a problem with this?
Looks good. Will you have enough room for a steering wheel? They can get pretty tight with the doors on these things.
Thanks, I have a little better than an inch clearance to the top of the door. I guess I could use a smaller diameter wheel but the '55 pickup wheel just looks right.
Don’t the F1 boxes and the F100 boxes work the same way? I thought the F100 boxes were a bit beefier, just wondering why you decided to go with it and not do the same thing with the F1 box?
I had already boxed the frame and I couldn't see undoing all that work for the sake of the F1 box. There's the additional work involved in cutting down the box and adding an A mount. Another thing I didn't care for was the wedge that Tardel made to go inside between the frame and the box. It looked to me like the nuts would set square on the box but the bolt heads outside the frame wouldn't be flat. It's a small thing, I know, and a lot of guys have used them but for it to work right, you'd have to have another wedge outside turned 180 degrees to the inside one. What I'm doing with the F100 box won't be as pretty as hiding the steering box inside the frame but it clears the headers by a bunch.
As I mentioned, I thought both boxes worked in the same fashion, any chance you can put the two side by side so I could see? If mounted by now, no worries. I'm just looking ahead for something I need to do as well
A common solution is to mount the box on top of the frame. Here is the F-1 box mounted to the A chassis under my old crosley. A little late for you project but a popular cowl setup a few years back was a modified aluminum Volvo box, they mount high behind the dash rail on a lot of cars. 4.5 turns lock to lock.
@Budget36 F1 boxes have the steering column coming out of the bottom of the box. F100s come out of the top.
Got the mount worked out for the F100 box and it's going to work even better than I thought. I found a formed piece of scrap that looked like it would work and, I'll be damned, it did. Sometimes you just luck out. View attachment 4887777
There are twisting forces against the steering box , you might consider a triangle gusset to the top of the frame ..
I was actually going to use the same setup. But could not get it to chive no matter what way i tried it. And tried it for 2 days. Lolol. So i actually scored a reverse corvair box for cheap but to design a mount to position it on da top. I am stuck on tradional steering for some reason. Cross steer would been alot easier, but whats the fun in that? Ha. The catch to my mess is the headers i got are Patriot lakesters coming over the frame rails. But on a lighter note. I made my own steering column out of already possessed parts. So i guess ill have an f100 box for my next build.
2OLD2FAST, you beat me to it! That plate screams for a triangle gusset! I am the King of overkill! I would also add a long nicely shaped piece of about 1/4 strap along the bottom of that plate, longer than the plate, tapering down to help spread the stress and add weld. Alan that scrap piece of steel looks like it was made for that set up! Looking good! Bones
As you may know. There are at least a couple places to buy a pre-cut mount set for mounting a corvair box on top of the frame rail. One is California custom roadster. The other is RPM (ez tbucket parts) .If nothing else , check them out for ideas...
i think the oem pitman arm pinch bolt has a non threaded shoulder, plus there is a fold over tab washer under the nut.
Thanks for da info. I will keep it in mind for my next go around. It wasnt the mounts i was having trouble with, i could make mounts for wherever, i would think. I just couldn't get it to a spot anywhere with my motor, body, headers setup, to work right.
Yeah, after I got the thing where I wanted it, I was thinking about welding 2 pieces of 1/4 x 1" flat stock flat down across the top of the frame and butting them up to the bracket. Then I plan to do a gusset on either side of the steering box from the flat stock to the bracket. I had to shave an eighth off the back side of the bracket to bring the steering wheel in to clear the door.
That scrap piece of steel used to hold back a fork lift mast at the last place I worked. I was walking across the dock and it was just laying there so I said to myself, " Self, there must be something you can use that piece of iron for ". Five years later, there was something that it worked out perfectly for. And, No, I'm not a hoarder.
Somewhere on the forum there is a thread about using a VW Bus steering box mount to put the steering box on top of the frame. The flange is machined off and the OD of the box behind it is turned down to fit the VW mount. This gives you a bit of latitude in placing and adjusting the box and column.
Lol. Im alitta slow. I just realized thats da headsup you gave me was for ideas with da corvair box mount, not da f100. Took a look at both. Good ideas. Thanks again. Lolol. Da..... Dont count me out, ill get it sooner or later.
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