..... and automatic overdrive transmissions, billet pulleys, 17" wheels, etc. But.....some day those things will be considered traditional old-school. So like the Amish, it comes down to what point in time one chooses to draw a line. "Automotive Amish"; glad you liked that.
"Automotive Amish" Lol! I admit its probably not very traditional. I have seen some similar set ups used as quickeners not sure how far that dates back. I tried to keep mine well hidden for just that reason. I had planned to stay much more traditional across the board but have made quite a few comprimises due to cost, ability to find what I want, and wanting to have a little fun this decade driving it.
You could make your own.. but... i know for a fact the guys that made this went through several versions, trying all different configurations of tensioner's, chains, sprockets and so forth and have came to make the product you buy today. So you are paying for their trial and error, and your piece of mind. I back this product up 100%
The biggest concern I had was whether it was safe or not. I was also wondering if it would pass tech at the drag strip. I got confirmation from a tech inspector from Mission Raceway that it would indeed pass tech.....which has me thinking I'm gonna order one. I prefer the steer clear unit. It is a lot more money that the one from Possies, but I'd rather have the splines and has better selection of sizes. Yet one of the counter guys at a local shop said the Possies one is gear driven, while the Steerclear is chain. Gear driven to me would be fool proof, but again I'm not crazy about the double D shaft in and out of the offset box.
If you had one of the sprocket bearings on an eccentric you could adjust the chain tension by turning the eccentric. Since the slack side of the chain is both sides, depending on which way you are turning, I don't think an automatic tensioner would work very well.
Some timing chain tensioners have a spring loaded ratchet that allows the tensioner to tighten as needed but never back off. Provided the ratchet mechanism was strong enough something like that could work. While it would be best to set and maintain zero play, per what some of the others have said, I believe chain wear would be minimal with one of these set-ups.
Traditional hot rod,rat rod.street rod. In the 40's and 50's they were thinking outside the box with what they had available. Same thing today. Some of the stuff on those traditional rods were just unsafe! Roll bars made out of beds.seats from lawn chairs,And they passed tech inspection. If it's safe,solves a problem,go for it. It's your car. JMO.
Wouldn't it be easier to just use a cowl steering set up? I guess it depends on the car and the budget...
does anyone have a picture of the inside of this unit? i would really love to see how they tie everything together
I talked to the guys at Wizard Fabrication today about their units. i am looking at using one on a van project (similar steering to Van Go) they said that they sell same sided output and input units for the same price a the other units you just have to let them know what you want when you order from them. they also refered me to their "faq" page. this is everything you ever needed to know about a steer clear Q. What's Inside Steer Clear? How Is It Made? A. Steer Clear is made using 3/4" 36 splined input & output shafts. Each shaft is machine welded to a 21- tooth laser cut steel sprocket. Each shaft has two radial ball bearings on it which are held with metal retaining rings. We use R12-2RS bearings - single row radial conrad-type steel bearings w/double seals. These bearings are pre-lubricated and never require additional lubrication. Next we use a #35 ANSI approved single strand, continuous (no master link), preloaded, riveted steel roller chain. Preloading aligns the various chain components which helps to eliminate initial elongation and increase the usable service life of the chain. The chain we use has an average tensile strength of 2,134 lbf. There are four preset chain tensioning guides cut from a sheet of 1" thick Ultra High Molecular Weight (UHMW) Polyethylene. UHMW is a linear high density polyethylene averaging 3.1 - 6 million molecular weight which has high abrasion resistance as well as high impact strength. UHMW is also chemical resistant and has a low coefficient of friction which makes it highly effective in a variety of applications, including it's use in Steer Clear. UHMW is 6 times more abrasion resistant than steel and virtually unbreakable. UHMW Characteristics: The highest abrasion resistance of any thermoplastic polymer Easily machined / fabricated and requires no maintenance An excellent sliding material due to low coefficient of friction Self-lubricating (non-caking and sticking) Outstanding impact strength even at very low temperatures No cold embrittlement, works from -155ºF to + 200ºF. Absorbs no water and is impervious to most chemicals Doesn't chip, peel, crack or rot. Non conductive, nonmagnetic, and non-fibrous. FDA and USDA approved For Steer Clear's housing we had a custom die made which was then used to make our extruded tube. The housing is 6060 T5 mill finish aluminum that is cut, formed, welded, and machined to our specifications. The two bearing caps are C & C machined from 6061 T6 aluminum. Q. What About Backlash In The Chain? How Much Is There? A. We only allow a maximum of 1 1/2 degrees backlash which is not very much at all. We set the tensioning guides during assembly which allows us to carefully control the amount of backlash, and every unit is checked before being shipped. Q. Do I Ever Need To Adjust The Tension? A. No. There are no external adjustments. A lot of engineering went into the design of Steer Clear to make it maintenance free with a lifetime warranty. Q. Has It Been Tested? A. Steer Clear was designed to work in addition to your existing steering system. Realizing the importance of that system, we have carefully tested, and continue to randomly test our product. Before assembly, the chain is measured and the four tensioning guides are measured and weighed. Once fully assembled, we check the degree of backlash, then mount Steer Clear to a test stand and run it on a machine that spins it forwards and backwards (switching directions randomly) at 1,500 rpm's for about 100 hours. (This translates into roughly 9 million revolutions, or a whole lot of steering). After running it for 100 hours, we measure the degree of backlash again, inspect and measure the chain, then weigh and measure the tensioning guides. What we consistently find is 1) the degree of backlash has not changed & is exactly the same as it was originally, 2) there is no visible wear on any of these parts, and 3) there is no measurable difference in size or weight on any of these parts.
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