Hot Rods 32 Ford roadster mount column drop to dash...

Just got a Brookville 1932 roadster body - have built fiberglass cars before and they had a steel member behind the dash to bolt the column drop to.
I have no experience with original type steel and how to mount a column drop to this "flimsy" dash is eluding me - can anyone please fill me in?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

The original dash had a thin (1/8”) backer reinforcement on the back-side of the dash lip, where the column support bolts. You could add that.
Or, you could bend up and weld in a piece of square tubing, running side to side behind the lip.

 

There's stock Ford, and I've seen chopped Alloy Conn. Rods used that lookrd good.

 

I'm tracking on what you're saying, but the entire dash seems flimsy...there's nothing tying that mounting point reinforcement to something else to keep the whole dash from flexing fore/aft (example, muscle cars have a structural piece that runs from the dash where the column mounts to behind the master cylinder - the column mounting point is solid)

 

You could make a similar piece to what you describe. But the column itself will stiffen the whole thing anyway.

 

I've done between 15 & 20 Brookville roadster package cars for customers. I used a 1.5 diameter steering column I manufactured either for the 39 Banjo or 40 Ford wheel. For a drop I always used either the 4 or 5 inch drop designed for the deuce from Lime Works. I would always add a strip if 10 gauge angle about 8 inches long to the lip of the dash for the steering column drop to mount to. Never had any reported problems. I also made a small bracket to secure the bottom of the column to the firewall.

 

You gotta realize the stock 32 column was solid mounted to the box, so it never had any forward/aft movement. The tin dashboard was all that was needed to keep it in place.

If your new column isn't mounted solid to the box, or floor, then you ought to consider it. But welding a strip of 1/8" steel all the way across the bottom lip of the dash is a good idea also.

 

The Deuce Customs fiberglass body I had previous to this had a half mile of 1" square tubing inside of it with a connected pad to mount the column drop to - it was simple and crazy strong.

So, it sounds like - if I reinforce the bottom edge/flange of the dash with a strip of 1/8" thick steel AND firmly attach the column to the floor - Voila, it'll be stiff.

Thanks all for your help

 

Try "sandwiching" 1inch X1/4 thick flat bar.

 

Not a roadster but I have a 32 dash (in my A coupe) with the reinforced bottom lip and a 1.5" steering column with a floor clamp. You can grab the column to try to move it and it rocks the whole car. Extremely solid.

 

thanks...what make floor/column clamp is that?

 

Got it from a fellow car club member who was was making them from scratch. Quite a bit beefier than the ones you find online. Sadly, he has since passed away.

 

Maybe a 1 1/2 exhaust clamp with floor bracket welded to it.

 

Yes this is what I have done on my UPAC 5 window i.e stiffened the bottom lip of the dash and made a bracket to bolt to the firewall. Using a Limeworks column drop. Interesting as my current 5w is also a Deuce Customs unit.