I just now saw this thread... Most of the folks on here play well with pictures, maybe not so well with just a bare description. Can you post some pics of what you have? If you've already solved the problem, put some pics up anyway; it may help someone else.

As for cowl steering: I have cowl steering in my Track-T. It looks cool and works great, but building it was a pain in the butt. Also, it limits how sharp you can turn left (tire rubs drag link). The Deuce roadster I'm building now will NOT have cowl steering!