Thread: mustang steering box and parallel 4 bars

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Work is progressing on the 1931 Ford roadster pickup that I am building. I have had to undo just about everything that was done on the chassis and start over, but thats what you get sometimes when you buy an unfinished project car. Yesterday I purchased a parallel 4 link set up to run with my dropped SuperBell I-beam, and wouldn't you know it, when I went to put it on the car , The mustang steering box and mount sat right in the way of where the rear bracket for the 4-bars should go. I burned the bracket off, and took the steering box off, but now I am wondering just how other people make this combination work The previous 2 rods I have built used Vega cross throw steering, but this time, since the car came with the Mustang box and the "hairpin" that bolts to the drivers side spindle, I would kind of like to use it. Does anyone know of a good website for photos of this combination?

To mount the Mustang box you need to get a different 4 bar mount for the left side. The correct bracket will have a plate mounted to the back of it for the steering box mount. It is very important where the box mounts or you will have bump steer.

Pete & Jakes has just the bracket ya needhttp://www.peteandjakes.com/

I don't have time to find a picture for you, but here's a link to several hundred hiboys, if you look long enough you'll find one that shows a Mustang side steer setup. http://www.carnut.com/photo/list/ford/f32hr1.html

Special note to dangeroustoy, look at #317.

As Tim (ibuildm) says, the mounting is critical to bump steer. My preference is to say MINIMIZE bump steer. The key is to have the tie rod end at the pitman arm/drag link end line up with the four bar pivot point, and have the drag link absolutely parallel with the four bar. Now that's going to be at static ride heighth and steered straight ahead. When the suspension or steering starts to move, those locations will change, thus inducing bump steer. It will be most evident in the process of turning, and the further you crank the wheel, the worse it will get (bump steer that is). That's why you see way more Vega style setups than the Mustang, there's just no way to completely eliminate bump steer somewhere in the operation with the side steer setup.