Chain Driven Steering, Brakes & linkage

[Charley Davidson]

I'm thinking about a steam punk look for my 47. I would like to use chain and gears as much as possible. I have a huge stainless steel chain I would like to incorporate into my steering. Then I'd like to carry that theme throughout the truck on all mechanical functions.

Any advice, pics of things done before?

 

[Sam_Fear]

Well, I'll go first with the negative. For steering, the slack will introduce slop. For brakes, they are a major safety component, I would want to keep the system as simple as possible. Complicating either system unnecessarily seems to be asking for problems.

 

[donsrods]

I've seen a couple of sucessful chain steering systems, one is the Steer Clear one they sell and the other was built by a VERY talented hot rodder named Ken Thurm, who is on another forum. But you have to understand that Ken builds stuff like v12 Lincoln engines with Ardun heads (They never made Ardun heads for a V12, he made his own. )

To make it right and safe you need idler sprockets to keep the slack out and to keep the chain from coming off at the worst time. There are a lot of things I will mess with, but brakes and steering are at the bottom of the list. I just go with tried and true systems and know my cars will stop and steer.

Interesting idea Charlie, but it would really take some doing to make them safe and functional.

Don

 

[Sam_Fear]

I guess I should add that just about everything else could be punked, even all the electrical switches and such. Didn't the cord have hidden headlights that had to be cranked open?