Hot Rods Steering box for AV8

Hi all

I finally decide to swap my original model A steering box, but what's the best choice?



As I live in europe, it's not so easy to find a F1 box... I do have a VW box form a bus, but I do not feel confortable to drive my hot rod with a german steering... ;-(

Please give me your tips, advice, recommend.

Many thanks

Peter

 

you can make a f1 style box using a 40's ford steering box casing and rhd(ford pilot) innards

 

Hey dude! Where's your blower? Chevy Vega steering box is good in cross steering.

 

I would tend to think that that would get away from the look he is after. Now he just made my brain work and I need to call my buddy.

 

Do you have any info on this conversion? I have an early F-100 and a 40 pick-up box, I'm trying to decide which to run. The starter on the flathead is a problem on RHD cars.

 

Hi everyone

Yes I did sell the blower set, it was time to test something else...The engine plan is now a stroker 296ci, i will check for a better steering box first ;-)

Thank you for your help

Peter

 

Mustang steering box work great. Looks traditional to.

 

Pete, I'm using a VW bus steering box in my 26 Ford modified. It was the only one that would fit,between the engine,frame and engine mount. It was an easy install and easy to remove if I have too. I have no second thoughts about using this steering box. It worked perfectly for me.

...............Jack

 

Thank you for the reply, do you have picture of it?

 

One on the left is F1 the one on the right is VW

 

Ok thanks a lot

 

I've used the VW bus steering on a couple of cars, a 'T' bucket and a Model A Coupe.
The pinch-bracket mounts like in the picture above, ideal for an 'A' frame. With the box mounted on top of the rail like this, the drag link is closer to parallel with the wishbone/radius rod (hairpin).
Vary sanitary approach, available, and cheap. Detailed it looks like a 'hot rod part'.
Just find (or make) a longer pitman arm, will steer nicely.

 

What year VW steering is in the picture?

 

Any year up to the early sevnties. I too have used that box in early ford applications, and it does work pretty well. I would however look into the early Ford/Anglia combination talked about above. The reason is that although the geometry of the Bus box with it's arm pointed up is acceptable, it is not ideal. I have experianced a small bit of bump steer with the draglink parrallel to the wishbone in a couple situautions. Ideally, the pitman arm should point down and the drag link should bisect the wishbone pivot point so that both the wishbone and drag link pivot on similar radiuses. A small point, but not to be overlooked. If it was possible to "reverse" the bus box similar to what is done with Corvair boxes for T- buckets, that would be better. I haven't taken the time to see what would be entailed in the conversion.

 

Thank you so much for the info.

 

I have reversed a couple , very simple to do. Take the cap off the bottom and bore it to accept the column ( I generally re-sleeve the column with new tube anyway). Trim up where you've cut the old column off and fit a freeze plug. I also machine housing and shaft to accept decent sealed roller bearings . Makes a decent box out of it and as mentioned above gets the geometry right to eliminate bump steer .

couple crappy shots of the last one I did .

 

If you can find one, either a '61-'66 Ford Econoline van or '64-'69 Dodge A-100 van box and column works great. I gave a Dodge A-100 van box and column to a friend of mine who used it in his '21 Studebaker roadster with good results. Both the Dodge A-100 and the Ford Econoline boxes were used on many T-buckets back in the ' 60s and '70s when they were cheap and plentiful in the junkyards. Both work well. The Dodge A-100 box is a Saginaw design, both are designed for a drag link running parallel to the frame rail and connecting to driver's side spindle.