Thread: Front steer on a Deuce

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Hello again. I am building a front steer independant suspension for my full fendered Deuce. The Mustang rack is going to be very close to the radiator shell. Does anyone run a front steer suspension? If so, will the rack clear the shell without cutting away the lower edge of the shell and will I have steering shaft clearance problems? I don't want to create bump steer and ground clearance problems by mounting the rack too low or too far forward. I need help. Thanks. Hey Rocknrod, are you driving that Deuce yet?

Man I just got back from a LOOONG job overseas........
Hatin life working somewhere else. But the money was too good to pass up.
I'm back now and will "git er done"

Consulting in the sandbox, Master Chief?

Basically

Deuce4papa,

Why front steer? Are you doing that for handling reasons or something else?

To keep the usual proportins on a Deuce, the radiator shell is pretty much right between the front wheels with the rear edge of the shell in approximate alignment with the center of the wheels. To make a front steer system, the rack will almost certainly interfere with the grille shell unless you move the radiator & shell forward. Also, the input shaft will need to pass through or under the front crossmember which may be another problem.

The engine sits back far enough in a Deuce that there is ample room for a rear steer system and seems to me it would be a simpler and cleaner installation. If you do the front steer system, I would like to see some pictures. If it turns out good, you may start something...

Rod,

I'll be back in your neck of the woods over the Thanksgiving holiday. I'd sure like to drop by and see the roadster.

J. Robinson
I had intended to use a rear steer system, but had no luck finding spindles that I could buy at the time. Money was also a factor. I have seen several stock Ford units under 32's, so I took a chance on this working and used dropped Mustang spindles. I have the crossmember made, and the rack and mounting brackets tacked in place on crossmember. And yes, I did have to clearance the crossmember for the steering shaft and joint. The crossmember looks a lot like the TCI unit. I like building the a-frames so that I can check bump steer to verify location of rack. I'm just concerned with the shell hitting if I have to move rack up. I am sure that I will have to modify front apron. I was hoping that someone else had been through all this. I may have to scrap everything! I will post pictures when I have a-frames built and installed. Thanks for the information in your reply. One more thing that you might help with. What is minimum ground clearance for chassis components? Thanks

The best way to measure for adequate ground clearance is to simulate a flat/blown tire. This is sometimes called a "scrub-line" test. The object is to have enough clearance so when a flat or blow-out occurs, nothing would come into contact with the ground and potentially cause the car to lose control.

Scrub Line: On both the front and rear suspension of the vehicle, stretch a taut string from the bottom of each wheel rim to the bottom of each of the other three tires at the road surface. If any part of the steering, suspension, or chassis is below this string, the vehicle will fail scrub line. Allow an additional ¼ inch assuming the tire will not come off the rim if the tire should go flat. Items exempt from scrub line check will include body sheet metal, bumpers, exhaust system, oil and transmission pan.

troy_cryer J. Robinson
Thanks for the replies. Great information from both of you! The guys in this forum have been a great help to me. I am pretty confident that I have adequate suspension clearance according to troy_cryer's info. J., I will mock up the firewall, hood, and radiator/shell once I have the final rack position figured out. I will know if I should bail on the project then.

Originally posted by Henry Rifle
Rod,

I'll be back in your neck of the woods over the Thanksgiving holiday. I'd sure like to drop by and see the roadster.

I dont own a Roadster ?

My bad . . . the coupe. I dropped by last year with my son & grandson.