The vital components: Limeworks...
The vital components: Limeworks basic steering column and a swap meet 'flake steering wheel, Borgeson's swivel floor mount, U-joint, vibration reducer, and DD shaft, and a GM factory drop for a 1-inch column from Flaming River.
Building hot rods or customs can be an exercise in packaging sometimes, getting everything to fit and work alongside other components. One of the areas where this is often tricky is the steering/exhaust/brake booster/pedals relationship, as two or more of them often seem to want to occupy the same physical space. While my Project '49 Chevy presented some steering-to-header challenges, I faced a different scenario with my '46 roadster pickup. I'd used the front clip from a Caprice with some swap meet headers designed (I think) for a Camaro. Coupled with the stock Caprice steering column, these presented no interference problems, as the column was up and away from the engine, which is mounted offset to the passenger side in the Caprice, and therefore in my truck.
I'd fabricated a mount under the dash for the stock GM column mount and fabricated an offset brake pedal, meaning the booster could be mounted to the left of the column on the firewall. But I'd never been happy with the GM column and its big ugly shroud at its upper end, which also housed the column shifter that wasn't required, plus the stock rag joint near the steering box was now operating at an angle and was already old and worn. All of which meant that when I decided to swap the GM column for a Limeworks stainless version, it had to mount in the stock GM location, clear the brake pedal and its mount, clear the booster, and exit the firewall through the oversize hole I'd cut for the GM column, as I'd painted the firewall and didn't want to take too many backward steps in the build. It also had to leave the steering wheel at a comfortable angle, as the Limeworks column isn't a tilt unit.
Some planning, along with some luck, meant I found a comfortable wheel position and the column cleared all the components, despite being very close to the booster and me having to enlarge the hole in the firewall slightly at its top edge. I also had to fabricate a couple of spacer plates to drop the column at the upper mount to get a column angle I was happy with. Flaming River make a nice aluminum column drop to mount a 1-inch column in the stock GM location, which proved ideal and saved a lot of fabrication time, while I used Borgeson's neat swivel floor mount at the firewall, though I had to fabricate a plate to cover the large hole I'd already cut, sandwiched between the swivel mount and the firewall. Ignoring the fact that I was fitting all this in a '46 Ford, the Flaming River top mount makes an easy job of swapping GM columns for aftermarket versions in stock vehicles.
As mentioned, part of the reason I wanted to change the steering components was to eliminate the GM rag joint on the end of the intermediary shaft near the steering box and replace it with a Borgeson vibration reducer, which is actually combined with a universal joint. I also sourced a Borgeson double-D shaft and U-joint to connect it to the splined Limeworks steering column, as recommended by Limeworks. With the exception of fabricating the firewall plate, the whole job was a bolt-in affair and I now have smooth steering and a much more comfortable driving position.
Here's the stock GM column...
Here's the stock GM column that I wanted to replace, with its redundant shifter arm. I'd also used the stock GM firewall bracket and rubber boot. With the retaining clip removed, the column and the sleeve surrounding it that operates the shifter arm could be slid out of the column body to enable both to be removed from the vehicle. This applies to stock applications, too.
With the GM column next to...
With the GM column next to the Limeworks column, you can see how much neater the Flaming River column drop is over the GM version. It also enables the new column to be bolted to the stock bracketry, or in my case bracketry fabricated to accept the stock mount!
With the column mounted, I...
With the column mounted, I fabricated a couple of aluminum spacers to fit between the drop and the mounting bracket to achieve a comfortable column angle. This could have been made from one piece of -inch aluminum or steel, but I had the -inch aluminum "in stock."
Once the column length had...
Once the column length had been established and the steering wheel was at a suitable distance from the dash and with enough clearance for the turn signal switch to operate, the Allen bolts and the set screw in the drop were tightened.
They both do the same job,...
They both do the same job, but there's no comparison between the stock GM firewall bracket and the Borgeson swivel mount when it comes to appearance. Plus, the Borgeson mount is adjustable for the new column angle, which is what I needed.
The hole in the firewall for...
The hole in the firewall for the GM bracket was way larger than the Borgeson mount, so I fabricated a plate from 1/8-inch steel to both cover the hole and mount the new swivel mount.
Here are the plate and new...
Here are the plate and new mount in place; the stepped corner was necessary to clear the end of a swage line on the firewall.
With the column secured, work...
With the column secured, work moved to the lower end of the steering system. The stock Caprice power steering box was retained, though without the intermediary shaft.
Here's what I was keen to...
Here's what I was keen to replace, the worn old rag joint at the end of the intermediary shaft, as well as the shaft itself and its plastic cover.
The Borgeson vibration reducer...
The Borgeson vibration reducer fits the splined shaft of the steering box, but the very end of the shaft (arrowed) had to be removed for it to fit correctly. I wrapped the splined section in an old rag before using a hacksaw to remove the offending section right at the step where the splines start.
The vibration reducer was...
The vibration reducer was slid onto the steering box shaft and the locking set screw tightened (secure it with the Allen wrench, then tighten it using the locking nut to ensure it never backs out). Use a good thread lock on all set screws too for peace of mind.
The DD shaft (so called because...
The DD shaft (so called because in cross section it resembles a pair of letter Ds back to back) fits the corresponding ends of the U-joint and vibration reducer.
Once the column length had...
Once the column length had been established and the steering wheel was at a suitable distance from the dash and with enough clearance for the turn signal switch to operate, the Allen bolts and the set screw in the drop were tightened.
Once the DD shaft's length...
Once the DD shaft's length was determined, it was clamped in a vise and cut with a 4-inch grinder. Yes, I know the grinder should have a guard in place, but I was wearing safety glasses! Make sure yours does and you do.
The U-joint has a pair of...
The U-joint has a pair of locking set screws on the shaft side. Note also the splined end of the steering column protruding slightly through the end of the U-joint. Always make sure you do this, though also ensure it clears the actual joint and allows it to move to its full travel, even if you're not using it at a great angle. Why? Because I know of one person who had the set screws come loose and the shaft drop out of the U-joint while driving!
You can see here the slight...
You can see here the slight angle that the vibration reducer will operate at. This was another reason for changing out the rag joint, as they're not designed to work at an angle, despite what I've seen on numerous modified cars.
Here's the completed installation....
Here's the completed installation. The column looks straight from above, but viewed from the side the two U-joints operate through slight angles. The stock GM column has a sliding section to absorb impact in the event of an accident, but a system such as mine using solid shafts should always have an angle built in to reduce the chances of the steering column being pushed into the driver's chest in a collision.