bob w
Still crazy after all these years!
This project is and will continue to be a process of discovery. Cool that we can cone along.
1927 Roadster
- Thread starter offroadrolls
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rods Rule:
Yes, it'll make headers an easy task.
I double checked and found that the tranny case is Cast Iron, The pan, side cover, tail shaft housing and bell housing are all aluminum. The aluminum paint fooled me[S
Today I pulled the 27 out of the storage container, pulled the turtle deck off and cleaned up the front seat area that was full of parts. I lifted it up and rolled around underneath it just to get my first good look at all the frame work. I went ahead and pulled the partial exhaust system off that was meant to go with the hemi that was is in before I bought it.
My plan is to remove the grill and get the body and frame situated under the Engine that'll be hung nice and level from an overhead hoist we have. Then I'll be able to mock up a test fit. It measures up like it'll fit.....but it'll be close.
One of the things that's missing is a way to easily steer it when rolling it around because the center link is not installed. The reason can be seen in the photo below, the radius arms are in the way. The PO said he'd heat up the steering arms on the spindles and bend them down..... I'm not sure about that?
I think it'd be better to drill out the taper in the steering arms, make some taper bushings and mount the drag link upside down, up over the radius arms. But, the problem with that is, I'll have a crank pulley in it's path in the near future.
Ideas, advise?
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Bamamav
Well-known member
Heating and bending the steering arms is old school. Speedway Motors has a diagram in their catalog on doing it. Probably find out some info over on the HAMB. I’ve never done it, so I can’t tell you how….
Thanks Bama! I went to speedway and see that they sell a set of "drop steering arms" for 100 bucks [cl
earthman
Fascinated by rolling objects!
My '42 came with heated and bent straight down steering arms. Hard to turn and ackerman was off. God bless Speedway.
Test fit
Right on Earthman!
Today I went for the test fit and decided the gantry hoist was overkill. So I rigged up a sling and used the forklift
And so there it is. It's sitting on a 6" block of wood so there's no weight on the suspension.
The distributor is a mile from the firewall. Which is good because I'd like to move the engine back some for more clearance up front.
But I can't move the engine back because the steering gear hits a motor mount boss on the bell housing and the flange on the output shaft of the tranny hits the body cross member. I think both will be easy fixes. I can cut the bosses off the tranny and move the steering gear a bit outside the frame rail and modify the body cross member with a half hoop so the flange has a home.
This is just a cool shot to close the post
Right on Earthman!
Today I went for the test fit and decided the gantry hoist was overkill. So I rigged up a sling and used the forklift
And so there it is. It's sitting on a 6" block of wood so there's no weight on the suspension.
The distributor is a mile from the firewall. Which is good because I'd like to move the engine back some for more clearance up front.
But I can't move the engine back because the steering gear hits a motor mount boss on the bell housing and the flange on the output shaft of the tranny hits the body cross member. I think both will be easy fixes. I can cut the bosses off the tranny and move the steering gear a bit outside the frame rail and modify the body cross member with a half hoop so the flange has a home.
This is just a cool shot to close the post
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zzrodder
It ain't grey hair, it's chrome!
It looks right at home! [cl[P
Had a few spare minutes up at the warehouse today so I screwed around with getting the engine back further. Looks like I'll need to lower it about an inch and a half so the tail shaft is in the right place while maintaining a good engine/drive-line angle. The pan will be 3.5" to 4" off the ground. I took a picture with the 32 grill shell in it. It's going to have to be in front of the axle if I want a radiator to fit.
Here's one with the Bentley grill in front. It won't fit between the frame rails without some notching. Or I could put he Bentley grill vanes in the 32 shell[S
Here's a shot of how far out off the frame I'll need to mount the steering gear that came with it to clear the side of the engine. I believe it's an old International box. Anyway, I've been reading about a lot different ways to do the steering and am certain this will turn into one of the bigger design hurdles I'll need to clear. (Geez, steer by wire would solve a bunch of issues)
Any input will be greatly appreciated
Here's one with the Bentley grill in front. It won't fit between the frame rails without some notching. Or I could put he Bentley grill vanes in the 32 shell[S
Here's a shot of how far out off the frame I'll need to mount the steering gear that came with it to clear the side of the engine. I believe it's an old International box. Anyway, I've been reading about a lot different ways to do the steering and am certain this will turn into one of the bigger design hurdles I'll need to clear. (Geez, steer by wire would solve a bunch of issues)
Any input will be greatly appreciated
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earthman
Fascinated by rolling objects!
Rack and pinion will eliminate the box. I always found engineering D shafts and u-joints to be fun 
Pillow blocks help too.
Pillow blocks help too.gene49
Well-known member
Can you off set the motor another inch or two towards the passenger side? If you could gain 1/2 or 3/4 of the space you need to move the steering box, that might make things look a little better.
Old Iron
Well-known member
What earthman said, I pretty much quit using the steering boxes and went to a rack and pinion.
The Dodge Omni is a rear steer and fits the drop axles very well.
This link is the page where I mounted the steering.
http://ratrodsrule.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36917&page=15
The Dodge Omni is a rear steer and fits the drop axles very well.
This link is the page where I mounted the steering.
http://ratrodsrule.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36917&page=15
05snopro440
Well-known member
Moving likely the single largest weight in a light car to the passengers side is a bandaid that will cause a number of other issues (ride height, handling, aesthetics, etc.). It's not the best idea for a light open-engine car like this.
Rack and pinion will eliminate the box. I always found engineering D shafts and u-joints to be fun
Yes, that's the first thing that crossed my mind as I've done plenty of that on 4WD stuff. Mostly converting old Land Cruiser to Saginaw power steering. This thing though has such limited space under the dash it would be a lot harder than the stuff I'm used to.
If I did it would not be centered in the frame plus, the starter on the other side is nearly on the frame.
The things that are currently rolling around in my brain are: A reverse Corvair box looks like it would work. At least those don't have the long snout on them like the one that's in there now.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/HF8AAOSwXdVkIfrW/s-l500.png
There's a deal called a "Steer Clear" Those look cool especially because they help to eliminate the column shaft going down between your legs.
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/_nex...3-9ad4-466e-b279-304279e825a1.jpg&w=1080&q=75
I suppose cowl steering could be an option but, common sense tells me the rod going from the pitman arm out to the steering arm need to be on the same plane and pivot as the radius arm on the suspension or it'll bump steer. Cowl steering seems like it would disrupt that relationship because it moves the pitman arm back.
05snopro440
Well-known member
When I built my 46, a guy I knew had a 46 Chevy pickup he had just built. Both had GM tilt columns. His truck had the column going through the floor way down by his feet, and when driving having the wheel tilted all the way down still left it high. It also made for an awkward foot position because the column was in the way. Mine goes through the firewall higher up, closer to the original location. It just clears the engine on the way to the steering box, but gives me more adjustment on the tilt (but the wheel is a bit lower when I get in).
I really like the driving position of mine with the column being on less of an angle to the firewall. I notice a lot of rods have them really low at the floor, though. The steer clear definitely can be a big help. I believe ZZ used one on his Packard gasser.
I checked out the link to your build OI and it looks like the rack and pinion worked out very good. The issue on the 27 is, I have no place to mount one. My crank pulley is dead center just behind the front cross member and spring.
After looking at it again today, I think my best option will be a reverse Corvair box and a Steer clear.
Old Iron
Well-known member
[P[P[P
Steering, OK I took a closer look at it yesterday and realized if I mount any box on the frame it'll be too low to match the angle of the radius arm. Here's a picture I found where they mounted the box up off the frame so the steering rod angle would match that of the radius arm. It's the same scenario I have. "Mount box on frame, steering rod goes up hill to the spindle"
I think the box mounted up off the frame looks strange. So now I'm thinking about cowl steering again. I was mistaken before when I said it would not work. Now I think it may be the answer plus I think it looks cool. A manual steering gear from Mopar a and b body cars 64 to 78 or so.
I think the box mounted up off the frame looks strange. So now I'm thinking about cowl steering again. I was mistaken before when I said it would not work. Now I think it may be the answer plus I think it looks cool. A manual steering gear from Mopar a and b body cars 64 to 78 or so.
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After the car show in Craig I made my way over to the warehouse to dink around on the roadster. First, I pulled the body off the frame because I plan on hauling the frame to the shop in Steamboat to go over all the welds and rework the center cross member so the drive shaft has a place to run. I'll also weld in the motor mounts at that time. Next I lifted the engine out and set it back down on a pallet on the frame to see how far the suspension would drop. It dropped 1 1/2" which means the oil pan will be 3.75" off the ground at ride height. I figure I'll make the motor mounts so they can be adjusted 1" up in case that's not acceptable. I removed the mechanical brake servo thingamajig from the back of the tranny and set the engine back down between the frame rails and got everything just where I think it should be. Today I cut 2 grooves off the cast iron crank pulley so it'll fit behind the front cross member.
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earthman
Fascinated by rolling objects!
Interested in seeing how you engineer the support for the box.
Me too!
