forgot to say, the chassis tubes for the bumper brackets are over size to allow some 'jiggle'. the bumper is bent all ways so we couldn't properly line it up meaning it got set as close as possible. we also enlarged to oblong holes in the valance so the bumper would sit closer to the body, as you do.
neil.
Attention to detail that we've come to expect mate.
Cheers Tim W
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2 steps forward blah de blah etc. so while waiting for the engine block it seemed a good idea to address the couple of finger nail size scabs on the top of each strut tower. first the 2 strut braces were 'pruned off out of the way (to be refitted later). so when we started cutting a small square out there was lots of filler. so switch grinders to the grindy one to quickly remove said filler. so the area got bigger and bigger revealing more of the patch on patch we'd seen before as well as some nice structural body filler in rusty holes on the top between the stud holes, see first pic below. nice. in the second pic you can see what's left ready to start shaping steel
.
neil.
What engine are you waiting for Neil?
Are you building up the whole car?
I may live in East London, I may have a number plate that reads "Chopt",
but I do NOT use 6" wheel spacers!
the ford 351 cleveland that was in it ian, and no just the welding and steering rack conversion. although..... when he dropped the short engine off today there was talk of a big disc brake conversion for the front struts. he's taking the struts to gaz for new adjustable inserts and probably a 2 1/4" spring adjustable coilover conversion. when they come back it looks like they'll come here for the brake job.
neil.
he wants the short engine back to finish assembly so we left the strut tops and went back to the rack conversion. we started with my transmission jack and various blocks of wood to hold both the centre link and the rack where they need to go. the sump position meant the rack sits a fair bit higher than expected which is good as it's above the bottom of the crossmember and the bracket which will go twixt rack and centre link will be more straightforward to make, bonus. the problem with setting it all up on the jack is you can't see how much gap there is everywhere so we needed a plan b. after some thought out came the bag of cable ties. we left the block between the crossmember and centre link and tied all 3 tightly together. then we hung the rack from the back of the engine's bellhousing bolt holes with some to also hold it forward as it hung too far back. then out with the jack and remaining blocks and we had a much better view of where it all sits. next was the column position and how it would affect the headers which will be made to fit but still making as much room as possible seemed like forward thinking. it would've been nice to keep the column close to the chassis but the rack stuck out too far and would limit right hand steering lock. so the new plan is move it over fairly close to the bellhousing and starter area and the header pipes will run between the column and chassis. no pics until the rack is getting brackets so you'll have to wait, soon hopefully.
neil.
Sounds good Neil.
Cheers Tim W
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ok i'll let you have one pic today as you've been very good. also i only took one pic, lol. first job today was to make mounting plates to bolt where the steering box and idler arm were. these give a nice solid base to make rack mounting brackets from. the o/s is clamped to a solid part of the rack so is first to make. the n/s will clamp round the rubber end cap thingy you can see. we made the strip that welds to the chassis bracket (now with a horizontal plate tacked on) and a conventional but thicker gauge clamp piece that holds the rack to this. everything will be getting braced for strength but you get the idea. the n/s will be much the same but further out from the chassis that side. you can see the centre line point and the two bolts in the middle of the rack, there will be a plate welded to the centre link and bolted to these two bolts with spacers. that'll just leave the column which is easy in comparison. note how the track rods are nice and parallel with the tca's, they should be as that's where they were originally.
neil.
Looks like that's going to work well! Few more zipties and you'll be done
Chris
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Bumper sticker - This is an historic vehicle and only has three speeds....... if you don't like this one you sure as hell won't like the others.
Getting there Neil.
Cheers Tim W
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today the other rack bracket and clamp was made up and both sides had some bracing added. after tacking it all in situ we removed them, fully welded them and then cleaned, primed and painted them. doesn't sound like much but it took about 4 1/2 hours. we'll get them bolted back in place then cut, bolt and weld the rack to centre link piece in place. at that point only the column remains so we'll cut the steering box off of the column, turn up a bottom bush and get it mounted in the car to see where the column to rack joiny bit and uj's will go.
only one pic again but here's the brackets and clamps all painted on their choke cable washing line we hung between the car and my bench vice.
neil.
the brackets were bolted in place today and we made the rack to centre link piece. this was bolted to the rack with 2 x 7/8" spacers and tacked to the centre link. then we removed the now one piece centre part to fully weld it and paint it before refitting. lastly for this part we added a flat bar to the crossmember to become the lock stops, the inner track rod ends butt against it on full lock before either wheel contacts either the chassis or the anti roll bar. last bit of this job is the column now.
neil.
Nice tidy job Neil.
Cheers Tim W
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thanks Tim, it's all going to be stripped down again once he has it back to be painted properly but at least it won't rust in the mean time.Originally Posted by v8pop
neil.
the column is now made, using the old steering box as a start. we cut through the outer close to the box, then the inner about 3" longer until we decide where the uj's need to go. next was a bush between the inner and outer, and we lucked out there. we checked the odds and ends of bushes and sleeves i'd accumulated over the years and one of the bushes is a snug fit over the inner. i also had the outer sleeve for said bush and it only fits tight over the outer, woohoo! so we measured from the column drop position to where the column goes through the floor and cut the outer column to length and tapped the sleeve halfway over it and welded it in place. the bush was then pressed into the sleeve and the inner column slid through from the top. there's no stop (was the box) preventing the inner sliding down, then the wheel boss interfering with the indicator mechanism so we made a sleeve to go under the boss and that fixed that. the owner was going to buy a new steering wheel and boss as you could see the indicator mech' guts so we had a look around and found a dished modern strut top 'cup/washer' that was a bit big and tall. we cut the middle out so it sat on the step at the edge of the boss and would then be clamped on by the wheel. next was to roll the edge to close the gap some more before a clean up with the flap wheel grinder and a coat of black paint. it's not perfect but your eye isn't drawn to the fact that there wasn't a shroud/cover fitted so good enough. oh and because you now can't get under that cover to put nuts on the wheel's bolts we tapped the boss' 3 holes a bigger size and bolted the wheel directly to it .
neil.
Last edited by mygasser; 27-05-23 at 05:24 PM.
the column joiny bit is now done and painted. i happened to have some bits of vauxhall column with 2 double d uj's which is what the rack uses so we bored a bit of round bar on the lathe to press them into and welded it solid (with the uj's in phase of course). then it was a simple job to turn a piece of spare double d shaft to press into the inner column tube and weld in place. that's painted along with the column outer once the weld was smoothed at the bottom end. it'll all get bolted in place and a floor plate will be made to hold/clamp the floor end of the column where it sits.
neil.
Last edited by mygasser; 29-05-23 at 05:45 PM.
Great stuff Neil.
I may live in East London, I may have a number plate that reads "Chopt",
but I do NOT use 6" wheel spacers!
thanks ian
well the steering is done and dusted. it has a superb steering lock, almost taxi/herald like. the column uj's are both a nice shallow angle which is also good. the floor plate is in 2 pieces that overlap and have a partial 'collar' each that will clamp to the column.
ashley's running the shell back to rob next weekend once the strut tops are done. nearly there.
neil.
Nice one Neil.
Cheers Tim W
Sent from my M2103K19G using NSRA mobile app
Lots of great work, soon you can put your feet up.
Gotta have fun in my old ageeven if I am a grumpy very Ol git.
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