Thread: would like good advise on 28 model a build

Tweet

I should say that the car is 28 model a tudor seadan thing on the build is going fine motor in streering box ,headers are in.. here is the ? going to the junk yard this week for a streering colunm. I have a 302 with o/d tran. would like to have a colunm shift ,and tilt colunm. any help out there that maybe did this type of build before.also will be looking for a gas tank to go behind the seat. has anyone found some about 16" high 5" deep and 36 to 40" long. thats will be my search for the week. thanks for any help. terry

High Terry. There are probably a lot of options for steering columns if you are not afraid to shorten one (it's really pretty simple). Personally I prefer the GM units. Mid 70's Chevy/GM vans sometimes have the tilt column and do not have the column mounted key and locking wheel. A lot of the 78-88 G Bodies have the tilt column and column mounted key and steeing wheel lock, they do not have the gear indicator mounted on the column however (The 78-80 units did not have the wiper switch on the turn signal stalk). You could also look at the higher 70s GM cars and you might end up scoring a tilt/telescoping unit. What ever you get you will want to get the plug and couple inches of wiring where the switches plug into the wiring harness.

I think most cab mounted pickup truck gas tanks are going to be too big, but it might be worth lookng at.

Terry, Mike had the good info on the GM columns that most folks have used in the past. Unfortunately many of these have been well picked over and the better ones gone. Then there are the other bug-a-boos, the missing key, the clunky plastic cover, wiring and a connector that's cut, broken or missing. Then you need a steering wheel adapter and nice wheel. All this means is you start approaching the price of a nice after market IDIDIT or Flaming River, especially if that column needs rebuild. Both have column shift versions and (reasonably) easy to connect linkage

Gas tanks - the late '50s - early '60s Chevies and GMs had an about 16 gallon tank behind the seat version. I used one for an aux tank years back, bed mounted in my '76 and '79 F350's. It wasn't internally baffled so even mounted in the bed, you could hear gas slosh plus was pretty wide. With that said, TANK'S Inc have a nice selection of good after market tanks along with sending units and pickups that are easily available.

It's really a shame that so many of the parts that we used in the '60-'80s are gone or are in such bad shape with the new and 'improved' items now sitting in salvage yards, and in many cases, not easily adaptable. Luckily the after market makes some replacements, but you sure do pay their price and that's keeping many, and especially younger folks away from street/hot rods

We need pictures of your build, too

thank you for your advise and help. they are both worth looking into. thank again terry

“......Mike had the good info on the GM columns that most folks have used in the past. Unfortunately many of these have been well picked over and the better ones gone....”

Guilty as charged Dave

I often times forget that what my reality in AZ is, is not the same as other parts of the country. Where we don’t have the rust issues and there are still a few of the smaller mom and pop wrecking yards around, life is a bit easier finding parts for me than it would be elsewhere.

As an example, I’ve been working on a customer’s 1966 Fairlane the last couple of months. Last week it was getting the wipers going. The problem was the switch which is not available new or aftermarket. A 15 minute trip to the local wrecking yard and I had 3 parts cars to choose from.

As far as the steering columns I mentioned, I can go back to the same yard (or hit one of the bigger swap meets here) and find good examples any of them, so I sometimes take for granted that other people can do the same.

A couple of years ago I went back to the mid-west and while I was back there I decided to see if any of the local yards had anything I could use on my 83 El Camino project (basically anything from a 78-88 G Body). I got a variation of the same answer from every place I checked......... “we haven’t had any of those in here in 10-15 years”.

Originally Posted by Mike P

......we haven't had any of those in here in 10-15 years.

You're right on that, Mike. We've had several large wrecking yards closed down and wiped clean in the past 10 years around KC, one a very active internet based used parts dealer (I35 Salvage). They bring in a portable crusher, a few flatbed trucks and systematically go through the yard crushing everything in sight, regardless of rarity - scrap is scrap, and the yards are considered to be "an eyesore" by many who don't understand the value of keeping old things running.

All of the big yards in my area, same as with Roger. They bring in a couple of huge crushers and in a few days, cleared out and either gone forever or ready for the next batch of treasures. My wife and I were out wandering today for other reasons and three of the mom and pop yards I used to frequent are now empty fields. There is still one left, but he has gotten so expensive for 'junk', I can about pay for new if I add my gas plus clean 'n' paint time and cost - but he does still have a few 'relics' of the past in a special area but $$$$$$

The 'traditional' steering box for that car would be 50's-early 60's Ford F100 as it will all but bolt up to the original steering box location - you have to mess with the holes in the frame some but it is a very close fit.
You'll about have to make your own fuel tank, there is space behind the rear spring pocket of the floor board (inside the car) where you can fit a good sized tank. theres lots of doner tanks but the problem is the filler neck as one will have to be made for it so you can fill the tank from outside the car - if you get a used tank you will be hard pressed to find somebody dumb enough to weld on it (i am an experienced welder so don't even try to tell me about filling them with water or sand etc). Don't think you can just have a cap on the tank and fill it inside the car - the pump hoses are now so short you probably won't reach the tank, remember?
Gotta love a Tudor model 'A', they make a great hot rod - how about apic or two?

How long of a column do you need? I bought a one out of a 69 Chevy van for $125 of Ebay, column shift with indicator, column ignition, and tilt. Now I'm finding it's to long. It has the 3/4" splined shaft so I don't feel comfortable shortening it. I'm with Dave, in the end I wish I had gone with an Ididit, Borgeson, Flaming River, or Billet Specialties column. Then you can get exactly the size you want. I'll get some measurements for mine if your interested but I imagine it will be too long for yours if it was for mine. Seems like it was 7" too long. It wouldn't clear my goodies.

David

if you get a used tank you will be hard pressed to find somebody dumb enough to weld on it (i am an experienced welder so don't even try to tell me about filling them with water or sand etc). [/QUOTE]
Teacher told me in welding school way back when, Only thing that'll happen welding on a gas tank full of water is "you'll die wet"

so very right on the gas tank. thanks for all the good help. will be welding up a new tank. made a mock up from plywood looks like it will work good. thanks for the help terry

so very right on the gas tank. thanks for all the good help. will be welding up a new tank. made a mock up from plywood looks like it will work good. thanks for the help terry

the early s10 column works well. no saftey switch to mess with. they are short and column shift .
gas tank , i would just use a deuce tank. i do not want a 10 gal tank of gas inside the car period !