Greetings and Happy New Year!
I managed to stay up a little past midnight last night to welcome in the new year and about jumped out of my seat when my sons went outside to fire off a celebratory rifle blast. There are no shooting restrictions in my rural neighborhood other than common sense and courtesy. Speaking of courtesy, I hope this year brings peace and prosperity to us all.
And, speaking of prosperity, I had an idea that I believe is worth a patent. My lovely and single daughter Haley likes the idea and suggested a patent search to see about any similar product, called "prior art". As I may have mentioned, she works for a successful patent attorney in Mesa Arizona and knows what she's talking about. So, before you know it, it's wealth and prosperity for me!
Back in the secret laboratory I've been working on getting Gary's '51 Chevy coupe off the jack stands. The disc caliper mounting brackets were delivered just before the New Year holiday so I was able to complete the front suspension and mount the front wheels.
Then, I focused on the steering linkage and discovered a slight problem: the power steering rack mounting brackets were positioned on the new crossmember so as to place the input shaft very close to the chassis. If I put the U-joint in place and attempt to connect it to the steering column directly, it will definitely hit the frame rail. Gary's car would not be able to turn more than a few degrees either way. But! It would look stunning while doing so!
It seems to me that when they were designing this crossmember they could have mounted it 1/2" further away from the driver's side of the frame and compensate with tie rod end adjustment. It's possible that they thought of that and just decided to make us work harder at making things fit. This eliminates the weak at heart and keeps the hobby staffed with valiant problem solvers. That's got to be the reason.
I
Then, if I use a length of double D shaft to run from this intermediary U-joint up to the base of the steering column it should allow for smooth and safe operation. My peripheral concern with these modifications is exhaust header clearance. I'm also going to have to trim the inner fender panels to clear the new suspension brackets. Some operations need to be completed only after another operation is done. Here, for example, I need to have the engine & transmission mounted so I can bolt up the exhaust headers to check clearance. But before I can mount (or even mock up) the eng/trans, I need to have the car on it's own wheels so I can level the engine in relation to the ground, taking into consideration the new stance the car will have now that we've decided to swap out the stock suspension and rear axle. But, I can't put the car on it's own (rear) wheels until I install the rear axle.
I managed to stay up a little past midnight last night to welcome in the new year and about jumped out of my seat when my sons went outside to fire off a celebratory rifle blast. There are no shooting restrictions in my rural neighborhood other than common sense and courtesy. Speaking of courtesy, I hope this year brings peace and prosperity to us all.
And, speaking of prosperity, I had an idea that I believe is worth a patent. My lovely and single daughter Haley likes the idea and suggested a patent search to see about any similar product, called "prior art". As I may have mentioned, she works for a successful patent attorney in Mesa Arizona and knows what she's talking about. So, before you know it, it's wealth and prosperity for me!
Back in the secret laboratory I've been working on getting Gary's '51 Chevy coupe off the jack stands. The disc caliper mounting brackets were delivered just before the New Year holiday so I was able to complete the front suspension and mount the front wheels.
Then, I focused on the steering linkage and discovered a slight problem: the power steering rack mounting brackets were positioned on the new crossmember so as to place the input shaft very close to the chassis. If I put the U-joint in place and attempt to connect it to the steering column directly, it will definitely hit the frame rail. Gary's car would not be able to turn more than a few degrees either way. But! It would look stunning while doing so!
It seems to me that when they were designing this crossmember they could have mounted it 1/2" further away from the driver's side of the frame and compensate with tie rod end adjustment. It's possible that they thought of that and just decided to make us work harder at making things fit. This eliminates the weak at heart and keeps the hobby staffed with valiant problem solvers. That's got to be the reason.
I
I took a short length of "double D" steering shaft that I had left over from a previously completed project and put it into the U-joint. Then I angled it more parallel to the frame rail so it would miss it cleanly when the steering wheel was turned. If I use an intermediary U-joint in this manner, I'll need to anchor the double D shaft to the chassis with a spherical rod end so that nothing moves but the rotating shaft. I will have to weld a threaded bracket to the chassis near where my blue fingers are pointing in the picture, either on the top of the frame rail or on the inside, and support from below the shaft.
The same relationship is true for the firewall panel; I can't weld it in place until I finish with the steering linkage and the brake/clutch pedal positioning. I also want to put off sealing the firewall until I've mounted the A/C unit so I'll know where to cut the holes in the firewall panel and I want access to the under-dash area while doing the installation because I'll probably be welding a bracket or two under the dash for mounting purposes. I also need to install the electric wiper motor in there, not to mention the wiring harness installation. So I have to wait for all those tasks to be completed by somebody before welding on the firewall plate. Probably by me.
Clearly, the next task it so mount the rear axle. I've decided to exchange the axle for another that is slightly wider. My measurements tell me that the one I sourced from TeePee is too narrow for a good fit and proper look. I just wish it wasn't twenty-something degrees outside, because I'll be laying on my back getting another rear axle out of a car/truck. Oh well, the extreme cold will make the warm shop seem all the more inviting when I get back!
Doug
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