Here's the array of parts...
Here's the array of parts from Flaming River - namely a steering rack, the company's Nostalgia Column, double-D shaft, floor mount and cover, two stainless steel U-joints, aluminum turn signal and hazard stalks, stainless steel support bearing and vibration resistor. Not shown are the tie rod ends that were supplied with the rack.
Our project '49 Chevy saw the Chassis Engineering front suspension installed in our October issue, but we had no means to steer the car which made it kinda difficult to move around, especially as it doesn't live at our Tech Center between installation stories. However, a couple of calls to Flaming River and we had everything we needed from the steering rack up to the steering wheel, though we sourced the latter from Lecarra, opting for their Mk40 wheel in plain black, with a plain black horn button. While a V8 logo button is available, we were conscious of putting what is essentially a reduced diameter '40 Ford wheel in a Chevy and wanted to stay away from the V8 logo. Apart from the fact the Mk40 is a cool-looking wheel, we want the '49 to retain an early custom look inside and out (but not under!) once completed, and didn't want a half-wrapped wheel or anything too modern-looking. The Mk40 fits the bill perfectly.
Why a couple of calls to Flaming River? Because we mistakenly ordered a steering rack with a long input shaft, which is what you can see in the picture at the lower right, but once this was bolted in place, it was obvious the lower U-joint would not clear the crossmember, so we had to admit our mistake (that took some doing!) and go back to Flaming River for a rack with a short input shaft (part number FR1502-5) before we could continue. The rest of the install was smooth sailing, helped by sourcing all the components from a single manufacturer. Lecarra even supplied a Flaming River-specific adapter to bolt the steering wheel to the Flaming River Nostalgia column.
We bolted an old cylinder head to our dummy block and installed the driver side header, which is one of a pair of center-dump Sanderson headers, as it'd be easy to install the steering shafts without this in place, only to find the headers wouldn't fit later. Good thing we did too, as there was little room for error in routing the shafts. Chassis Engineering advised us at the start that the steering would need three U-joints and a support bearing, which was very useful advice, making the whole process rather painless!
An added bonus with using...
An added bonus with using the Nostalgia column was that its diameter is 1 3/4-inches, identical to the original Chevy column, meaning the stock column drop could be used. Unfortunately we seem to have mislaid the lower section of this and had to whip up this temporary clamp until it resurfaces.
With the column mounted so...
With the column mounted so that the steering wheel will be in the same location as the stocker was, the lower end protruded through the original hole in the firewall like so. The pivoting ball part of the floor mount was installed over the column using a coin to spread the hole apart enough to slide over the column. This helped determine where the floor mount would be located on the firewall.
The floor mount bracket was...
The floor mount bracket was positioned in place and the hole locations were marked prior to drilling.
Once the holes were drilled...
Once the holes were drilled the mount was bolted in place securing the column.
Here's the floor mount from...
Here's the floor mount from inside the car. Note that it covers the original hole completely, just leaving a bolt hole to plug. Some may prefer to have this smooth part of the mount on the outside of the firewall for appearance, but this is a custom and we don't intend to open the hood at shows.
Next we bolted the Flaming...
Next we bolted the Flaming River rack in place, using the hardware supplied, and we could turn our attention to connecting this to the lower end of the steering column.
The vibration resistor was...
The vibration resistor was slid onto the steering column splines and the set screws were tightened. Using one of these, which contains a thermoplastic rubber bushing, in the steering system absorbs vibration transmitted from the road surface before it reaches the steering wheel. They are available in Double-D or 3/4-36 spline configurations.
A suitable length of double-D...
A suitable length of double-D shaft was cut longer than needed to extend down from the vibration resistor past the Sanderson header, where the second U-joint will be located.
As this system uses three...
As this system uses three U-joints (the vibration resistor is a U-joint too) it needs a support bearing on the shaft. We fabricated this sturdy bracket to mount the bearing, welding the nut to the backside of the bracket. The bearing bracket will be welded to the chassis as shown, one of the few welding jobs involved throughout the project, not including the C-notched rear chassis. It was tacked in place for now. We know welding the nut to the bracket means the shaft has to come out to make adjustments, but it also means the bearing cannot work itself loose down the road, and we should only have to adjust it once.
We then had to determine where...
We then had to determine where the third U-joint needed to be located. We attached a U-joint and double-D shaft to the steering rack input shaft, and a double-D shaft to the vibration resistor on the column and ran it through the support bearing. Where they intersect is where the third U-joint needed to be located.
The upper shaft was cut and...
The upper shaft was cut and the U-joint installed. With the U-joint in place it's easy to see where the lower shaft has to be cut to fully extend into the U-joint. If they're too short, you run the risk of them falling out should the set screws work loose. It may sound like common sense but we know someone this happened to out on the road and the resultant lack of steering is not something he ever wishes to replicate.
A chopsaw makes light work...
A chopsaw makes light work of trimming the shafts to length, though a hacksaw or 4-inch grinder will work too.
With both shafts cut to length...
With both shafts cut to length and all three U-joints in place, here's a look at the lower end, at the steering rack. We recommend using a good thread lock on the set screws to prevent them working loose.
Our initial placement of the...
Our initial placement of the support bearing bracket was ideal, so small gussets were made before the bracket was welded in place.
You can see here just how...
You can see here just how close the support bearing is to the header. If we'd attempted this job without that header in place, it's a cert that they'd never fit.
With the column hooked to...
With the column hooked to the rack, we could move back inside the car. Before the steering wheel could be fitted, the turn signal stalk and hazard warning button were installed.
Lecarra supplied one of their...
Lecarra supplied one of their Mk40 steering wheels. We opted for the painted black finish, but they are available unpainted too. A matching black Flaming River-specific Mk40 adaptor was needed for our application, though others, including those with a keyway, are also available. We completed the package with a plain black horn button. The adaptor was attached to the wheel with six supplied Allen-headed bolts.
The wheel was then dropped...
The wheel was then dropped onto the splined shaft and the retaining nut tightened. We then had to undo three of the adaptor bolts to fit the horn assembly. Now if only we'd read instructions huh?
Here's the finished install...
Here's the finished install inside the car. That wheel looks a long way from the dash, but it's located exactly where the stocker was and is in a comfortable position. The reduced diameter means we don't have to look around our hands or through the wheel to drive now either!