Thread: Install steering shaft and multiple u-joints in model A roadster pick-up

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This has turned out to be a considerable thrash, but the roadster pickup now has steering. There was absolutely no way that I could connect the steering column to the Vega steering box without adding a third universal joint and a second intermediate shaft with a support bearing. On other rods that I have built, I either used block hugger headers or Limefire lakes style headers, and got away with 2 universals and one intermediate shaft. This time, I used a pair of $25 flea market rams horn manifolds, and even with the exhaust pipe massaged as much as it could be, I had interferance problems that necessitated using a third joint. I welded a peice of 2" x 2" x 3/16" angle to the inside of the framerail to act as a mounting bracket for the support bearing. The u-joints are "phased" correctly, and everything now clears alright. I disconnected the drag link from the Pitman arm, and the steering wheel turns full lock to full lock without any binding. I wanted to put the support bearing on the shaft which runs from the steering box to the first universal joint, but there simply wasn't enough room. It serves the sane purpose mounted on the upper intermediate shaft, and there was more room.(the thing that looks like a bent pipe on the left side of the picture is the hook on the end of my trouble light)----Oh what fun we have!!!!

Brian,

Do you get any odd feel at all in your steering lock-to-lock? (An odd number of U-joints causes a change in velocity as the shaft rotates, peaking every 180 degrees.) I couldn't feel anything in mine, but I think I have a shallower angle.

It's never caused me a problem, but I thought I'd ask.

look like thats going to be one nice ride when your done, your pics keep me motivated. i wll also be tackling steering in the next while. mine is going to look like a pretzel ( never spelled that word before) when i'm done. big blocks are cool but they sure make things tight.

I don't notice anything feeling weird, no "hard spots", but then again I only got this installation finished about an hour ago. It will be a few months yet before this thing is driveable, so I hope nothing strange shows up then. The angle on that lower joint is not as severe as the picture makes it.---There is a certain amount of "parallax" happening due to camera angle.

looks good ,thats my worry too once i get things together is there enough room to run steering.
it looks like you couldnt have done it better.

Big blocks are no problem . . . they even fit in an A-bone. Oh,by the way, the hood sides will fit - but why hide the motor.

Odd story. I was sitting by my car during rod days at Scribner raceway in Nebraska. A guy walked by, did a double take and said "Hey that's a big block Chevy, isn't it?" I said "Yep. Sure is." He said "a big block Chevy won't fit in a Model A." So, I said "Dang. I wish I'd known that before I put it in."

Originally posted by Henry Rifle
Big blocks are no problem . . . they even fit in an A-bone. Oh,by the way, the hood sides will fit - but why hide the motor.

Odd story. I was sitting by my car during rod days at Scribner raceway in Nebraska. A guy walked by, did a double take and said "Hey that's a big block Chevy, isn't it?" I said "Yep. Sure is." He said "a big block Chevy won't fit in a Model A." So, I said "Dang. I wish I'd known that before I put it in."

looks good, if theres a will, it'll fit .
mine is a 53 chevy pickup with the musang II setup and a 348, according to borgeson you can have a 70 deg angle with a double joint, i think i will be using all of that .i hope it works good. i'll tell you in a year or so