Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

OK. It's been a while since I posted anything new on my roadster build. Aside from going back to work two weeks early for a (mostly useless) training seminar, I have been helping my son thrash on his project. Like Don and his boys, we are trying to get my son's sedan ready for Daytona. Also, while doing all these other things, I have been mentally working out how to work myself out of the proverbial "corner I painted myself into"...

I decided early on that I wanted to put cowl-mounted steering in this car because that was common on the track roadsters of the 40's and early 50's. If this was a steel body I could just weld in some appropriate bracketry and bracing, bolt in a compatible (and expensive) race car type steering box and be done with it. I am using a fiberglass body, however, and I am also using a $40 Ford Ranger steering box I picked up at the local salvage yard. The problems here are (1) the steering box needs to be adequately supported, not by the fiberglass body, but by some sort of structure that bolts directly to the frame and (2) the output shaft on the steering box will need to be extended so that it passes outside the body.

In this installment I finally tackled the steering box mounting problem. In previous posts I already formed the tube (front hoop) that fits immediately behind the firewall and mounted the pedals to it.

I began making the steering box mount by cutting and shaping a piece of 1/4 inch steel plate. After drilling the necessary holes to match the steering box, I welded a 7/16 jam nut to the underside of each hole and then drilled out the threads. These form the needed spacers so that the box will bolt up. (The steering box is not flat on the mounting side and must be spaced away from the mounting plate.)

With the pedal assembly propped in place in the car, I started mocking up the steering box. Using a combination of blocks, wood shims, clamps, etc, I kept trial fitting and measuring until I arrived at what I believe is the correct angle and location. Then I transferred the whole shebang out on the floor and mocked it up again using the same measurements and angles. After heating and bending the mount plate three different times, I finally arrived at a useable angle (almost 90 degrees) and welded it to the front hoop with two pieces of 1/4 x 2 flat stock. Notice that I positioned the flat stock so that the bolts holding the pedals are accessible.