| Again, I've been into this and that. But since I got the steering column, shaft, and pump finally assembled, that's the theme now. |
| Since I opted for a modern 605 power steering box, I had to replace the original solid column as well. You can cut the original column and buy a "column saver kit" from some rodding outfits like RB's Obsolete Automotive. Those kits include a bearing or bushing and a housing for it, to support the lower (cut) end of column shaft. But for myself, I decided to pass the whole column/box to someone who needs it, and went looking for a later model column, one without a shift lever or ignition lock. What a tough job (in Finland), but I finally came up with a '63 Riviera column, from a junkyard. At home, I discovered it missed the turn signal switch, which mounts on the lower column. I was lucky to find one via the BCA Buy/Sell forum. When removing the rag joint at the end of the Riv shaft, I accidentally broke the lower bearing housing. The OE bearings were ridiculous anyway, so I machined my own housing for a real bearing. The Riviera column is the same diameter as the OE one, so the upper U-clamp worked as is. |
 But
I had to fabricate the lower column support to secure the column to the
firewall. I simply welded a length of exhaust pipe onto a piece of
sheetmetal,
and bolted in onto the firewall, as seen here. On the inside, I welded
a couple of nuts on the pipe perimeter - some 120 degrees apart, so I
could
remove any slack with a couple of allen-head set screws. You want the
lower
end of column stay put when you are using U-joints.
No, you don't see any Flaming River or Borgeson U-joints here. I was able to get away with a couple of old 200-series Volvo joints here. The law says no welding of steering components allowed, and I had to search high and low to find something that fit without welding. Yet the major challenge here was to make the shaft clear the brake booster. I actually had to do play a lot of trial-and-error with the booster system. |
Here's a commonplace GM power steering pump. This one supposedly came
from
a SAAB, so I swapped the original pressure valve, for steering rack, to
a valve for a box, as the pressure required by a rack & pinion is
typically
only 60-70% of that required by a steering box.
What I wanted to show here is the belt tension adjuster. Go to your local marine store and ask for a rigging screw (turnbuckle). They are made of stainless, look neat, and do the job. They come in a variety of designs and sizes, and you can fabricate your own custom ends for mounting, but this one I used as is. I learnt this trick from my pal Warre. |