Thread: model A hotrod steering column length

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Since I had a fit of tear it apartitis the other night, and trashed my Chevy tilt column, I am now starting another search for a column to fit the roadster pickup. Something that I am curious about is how much column should actually stick out past the firewall. I am running a Vega cross steering, a small block Chev engine, and a set of flea market rams horn manifolds. I would think that this is a fairly common combination of components. I have one single u-joint which will fit on a Chev double D steering shaft, and a second single u-joint which fits the Vega box. The Vega box sets with the input shaft practically horizontal. I will be running an intermediate shaft betwen the universals, with no support bearing. I am a big man, weigh in at about 260, so I will probably keep the steering wheel end of the column as close to the dash as is practical to gain belly room. No, I'm not going to buy a Flaming River column, they cost about a zillion dollars up here in Canada. I am going to haunt the wrecking yards and find something without a shift lever, but with a key switch and signal light lever. Any guidance regarding column length and projection beyond firewall is greatly appreciated.---a very big thank you to people who have helped with this question on other posts.

Brian,

A length that worked for someone else may not work for you. Considerations include intake manifolds, height of the engine relaative to the frame, and setback relative to the firewall.

If I were you, I'd set the engine in place and attach a manifold. Then I would get a dowell that fits the U-joint, mount that U-joint on the Vega input shaft and jockey it around to see where it should meet the firewall without interference. From that, you should be able to determine the protrusion of the column from the firewall. Then, I'd get a dowel and a pie-plate and simulate the steering wheel location in the cab with the seats in place. Start with a dowel that's too long, and chop it off until you're comfortable. Those two distances will solve your problem. That's how Ididit.

Most folks seem to use the GM columns, but FoMoCo columns work very well.
My friend and I got a Mercury column ( bout circa late 70's - early 80's) that came sans shifter, but with key start and turn signals.
It was an easy adaptation to his Buick V6 powered 1938 Morris (very similar to an Anglia).

The V6 didn't last long.
After I got my 462" Buick powered 32 roadster running, he drove it, liked the HP, went home and four weeks later had a strong running SBC 350 with T-350 in the car.
(A finished car incidentally and he didn't scratch a thing.)

From what I remember about the column it would be about the right length for a Ford thin fender car.

It worked with both engines in the Morris.

Thanks Henry, of course you are right. Only thing is, right now, I don't have any seats. From what little I have done in terms of interior mockups, it appears that to get comfortable I may have to dispense entirely with the seatback, and glue in some 2 or maximum 3" thick foam and create a "molded" seat back like you see in the old T-buckets, in order to get the leg room I want. This car is not channeled, so I can use a conventional height seat base, without having my head stuck up over the top of the windshield. I may be going about things bass ackwards here, but I can't start a bunch of burning and welding in the cockpit area to install column and hanger after the seats are upholstered and installed. One thing about G.M. columns---while they are a bugger to stretch longer, they are pretty easy to shorten up at the non steering wheel end. If they are a bit short, you can add a spacer between the hub and steering wheel or use a deep dished wheel. I am kind of dealing in generalities here, and my aim is to install a column that is "close" to being correct. I will not finish the column hanger untill I do get some seating figured out, and will not weld anything solid at the floor untill I have a column angle that works for me..

I am using the column out of a 1995 GMC Sonoma in my Model-A coupe. It is a tilt column without shifter. Like you said, it was easy to shorten.

I used the column out of an 80's Mustang in my last hotrod and it worked well, too. I guess it's a matter of preference....

I've got a 31 Ford coupe, I'm running a 79 Chevy Blazer Tilt Coulumn, that I shortened. It's real easy to do. No special tools required other than a mig welder & some kind of cutting saw ie. chop saw or sawzall. As far as how much to stick out past the firewall that's up to your clearances with the exhaust.

My 31 5 window had what appeared to be a camaro tilt column, But the rebuild now has a Caddy Seville of the 80's Column,with tilt & telescope,and have decided to utilize the column shifter for more floor area, the Caddy column was shorter than the Camaro one. but the caddy one seems to fit just fine,and I can fold it up & colapse it to get my belly past it , Dang them little bitty A doors.

This is about what you can expect. This is a small block Ford,
with a Bitchen firewall, in a '30 sedan Model A.

You can see the column is only sticking through the firewall
a few inches. It is tight. I got mine in without a carrier bearing, but it took some doing. I even had to massage the u-joints so
the wouldn't bind up on themselves.

I'm using a Limeworks column with nothing on it at all, 1 3/4''.
I'm using a floor shift, and a toggle turn signal.

Daver.

Previous post pics:
I'm using the Vega cross steer as well. The steering shaft passes
under the motor mount.

The bare column and banjo wheel give an old fashioned look
to my car. I wouldnt put a fat chevy tilt wheel in a Model A
for all the tea in China....but that just me. I put a Ford engine
in it as well, so what do I know !

Daver.