'34 Dodge Brothers, double build.

[Tripper]

Steering... always my favorite hassle!

BoB

 

[MercuryMac]

A few years ago, I was whining to a friend that I needed an 'impossible' part. He said, while grinning, "Oh, I enjoy a challenge". He made me that part and it worked beautifully. Now I try to live up to that mantra, but sometimes when I'm doing a challenge, my smile slips down a wee bit.

 

[MercuryMac]

Today I fielded a call from my machinist friend that said he had put the lefthand, 11/16, fine threads on the end of the drag link so it will hook up to the rack and pinion cross-steer box. I had bought a turnbuckle sleeve to join the two and adjust the centring of the steering.
I worked some more on the steel plate bracket that the rack and pinion will bolt to the frame by. I put gussets on each side where I could.

 

[joedoh]

nice work on the steering, should be a treat to drive with a rack. [cl[cl

 

[Old Iron]

^^X2^^

 

[MercuryMac]

I had a devastating thought late yesterday. This shiny steering will be the only non-'old school' thing on this truck, I hope. I may not be able to call it a 'ratrod' and keep my head up. Man o man, life just keeps throwing me curves.

 

[DozerII]

I had a devastating thought late yesterday. This shiny steering will be the only non-'old school' thing on this truck, I hope. I may not be able to call it a 'ratrod' and keep my head up. Man o man, life just keeps throwing me curves.

MM all you have to do is buy yourself a new pair of underwear, then they will be the newest thing in your ratrod making the steering rack old er

 

[kenny c]

MM all you have to do is buy yourself a new pair of underwear, then they will be the newest thing in your ratrod making the steering rack old er

[cl[cl[cl

 

[MercuryMac]

I pride myself in problem solving, [sometimes uniquely], but this 'new underwear' solution blindsided me. I'll take it under advisement. Thanks guys.
I had a frustrating day today trying to make a bushing to help out a new spring hanger bushing. The old hanger was run so long that the spring eye was worn a wee bit and not round anymore.
Here's my rack-and -pinion bracket, gusseted, painted and mounted.

 

[MercuryMac]

I got my shortened drag-link finished up, [sorta] and here it is.
I spent an embarrassingly long time today taking the steering wheel off so I could get the steering column out. The horn button was still in good shape so I had to be careful when figuring out how to take it off there, [it's only 86 years old]. The steering wheel is also dang old and really stuck on there. They hadn't yet invented bolt holes in the bottom of the steering wheel to mount the wheel puller bolts.

 

[bob w]

Progress [cl[cl

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

They hadn't yet invented bolt holes in the bottom of the steering wheel to mount the wheel puller bolts.

You need an 84 year old steering wheel puller.

.

 

[Old Iron]

[cl[cl[cl

 

[Torchie]

You need an 84 year old steering wheel puller.

.

I suspect Mac has at least a 80 year old one.[ddd [cl
[P [P [P
Torchie

 

[bob w]

You need an 84 year old steering wheel puller.

.

I'd go over and pull it but I'm only 78.

 

[MercuryMac]

I cobbled up a puller, which took thirteen hands to hold together and tighten. There were many spoiled tries and some cursing, but I didn't break anymore of that 86 year old bakelite. Today I took the grille and shell out and pulled the whole steering shaft out through the front. [pic one] has the shaft, the wheel, and the painted draglink sticking up from the steering wheel.
In a fit of 'psycho-advance planning' I went out to a shed and dug out some of the old front fenders that I've been collecting over the years. Unfortunately, I've been collecting all kinds of stuff so the fenders were deep in the mess of collections. [pic two] is my assortment. There is a pair of fixable Plymouth fenders that look like they'll do nicely.

 

[05snopro440]

I cobbled up a puller, which took thirteen hands to hold together and tighten. There were many spoiled tries and some cursing, but I didn't break anymore of that 86 year old bakelite. Today I took the grille and shell out and pulled the whole steering shaft out through the front. [pic one] has the shaft, the wheel, and the painted draglink sticking up from the steering wheel.
In a fit of 'psycho-advance planning' I went out to a shed and dug out some of the old front fenders that I've been collecting over the years. Unfortunately, I've been collecting all kinds of stuff so the fenders were deep in the mess of collections. [pic two] is my assortment. There is a pair of fixable Plymouth fenders that look like they'll do nicely.

The Plymouth fenders are the ones without the spears, right? Personally I always liked the spear body line on the Dodge fenders.

 

[MercuryMac]

Right you are, Snopro, those spear ones are Dodge Brothers. I like the spears so much that I'm going put spears in the Plymouth ones, ----- somehow.
I shouldn't have worked on those fenders, because I don't need them for quite a while yet, but they beckoned me so I beat on them for some time. Some of the big dents came out quite well. No pictures of my bodywork.
I took a chance and went to the post office today to see if a parcel had arrived. It was a draglink repair kit from Andy Bernbaum, and it was in. In the picture it is right at the right hand side, so here is the finished draglink.

 

[Old Iron]

"I like the spears so much that I'm going put spears in the Plymouth ones, ----- somehow."
I'm most interested in how you do this. I have a '33 Pontiac drivers rear fender on my '37 GMC that I need to do this to.

 

[MercuryMac]

So far, OI, I only have dreams of what might work. At the lower end of the spear there's a triangle that widens out to the perimeter reveal. Hopefully, I can make a 1/16" plate triangle, male and female and then hook them onto my biggest 'C' clamp and stamp them together, sandwiching the fender tin. For the spear I hope to make a bead roller the right size, maybe even make new rollers for my English wheel.