The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Shortening the steering column?

***EDITED 3/16***

After taking off the fall and most of the winter I'm finally back to work on my 51' 1/2 ton!

I have been trying to figure out how to create some clearance between my belly and the steering wheel and came up with the following options:

1.New column and steering box. I could even keep the original column and just cut it and use a borgensen joint to connect it to a new box. The box would have to be manual since there isn't anywhere to mount a p/s pump on my 261 now that I've got a/c. Problem is, I don't know of any boxes that could mount in the original location and I don't want to cut the fenders to use a saginaw box. Does anyone know if a reveresed corvair box would work?

2.Get rid of the springs in the back of the seat and use a piece of plywood instead.

3.Cut a couple of inches out of the original column, tig or mig weld it back together, sleeve it and then take an equal amount out of the column housing aka Mast Jacket.

4.Southbeach diet and don't drive til I'm back down to my fighting weight.

I'm leaning towards option 3: cutting, welding and sleeving the original column 'cause it'll keep the original look and feel and I won't have to mess with the original seat.

Any suggestions or tips?

Seems like #3 would be about the easiest.
However, if you wanted to upgrade to a power steering box, kits are sold to adapt a '69 to '87
or so 2wd power box to your truck. If you went that route you could adapt your original column to the new box and would have to cut it anyway, so you could shorten it as well and keep the stock column.

Or.....maybe this could be incentive to increase your belly to steering wheel clearance without shortening the column!

yes, I would definitely go with #4 - not only much cheaper, considering the savings at the grocer, but healthier to boot

Bill

What did I miss....I don't see #4! Is this 'north of the 49th' humor.

Stuart

Naw man, even a Cave Man can get it! :rolleyes:

#4, which everyone north of the 40th is workin on this time of year

Bill

Sorry, missed it completely. Guess I was out with my friends from Geico in search of fire!


Stuart

Well if number 4 is called for, I won't argue against it. But don't ask me to live that approach!

I'm still thinking on number 3. Instead of cutting and welding the actual steering column can you simply cut a couple inches off the steering wheel end, and modify the end to take the wheel?

I don't know if its possible, and don't have one far enough apart to check that option, but I'd sure want to look into it before cutting and welding the column.

I think the spline arrangement on the steering wheel end of the shaft would take a very special operation to replicate.

Sectioning the shaft and housing should be easy and safe if prepared properly and done by a skilled welder..especially if the shaft could be sleeved too.

Stuart

I have the same problem with my 72.The easiest fix is a good weight loss diet.

Well, I'm going with #2 (sorta). Here was my problem - the original seat put me too close to the steering wheel, and the foot pedals. SO, I pulled the seat out and did the following:

1. Compressed each coil in the back of the seat about 2-3", then tied it down with wire (sounds like a lot of work, but it only took an hour or so) The seat still "gives" a little.

2. Took a 1 1/2" section out of the seat riser (the metal frame attached to the floor) and a similar amount out of the rear seat mount tower.

3. Cut the "hooks" on the top of the seat back off so that the back rests against the back of the cab (I put some weatherstripping on the seat frame to keep it from rattling)

Now, I sit farther back, lower in the cab, and can stretch my lets out and it doesn't feel like my head is right next to the roof of the cab. The seat is much more comfortable, and the best thing is, it looks stock.

I've seen too many accidents on the racetrack with cut/welded steering shafts to ever try that, plus the bushings in the mast jacket won't let a sleeved shaft pass through them unless the sleeve is turned down to original diameter. The steering shaft is hollow in most cases to let the horn wire pass through it, so you're dealing with a limited thickness of metal to begin with. How about adapting a tilt wheel assembly and a more modern steering gear, with a flex joint below the column?
Jerry

Personally, I am doing some pushaways.

That may be, but my little brother has set up a light weight machine shop at home and I'm amazed at some of the things he now does. Having a mill, lathe and other toys creates more options than I imagined, and some of those options might be far safer than a welded steering column.

Just my two cents...

i just slide the seat all the way back, and suck it in a little - what about changing the steering wheel, a car wheel? aren't they a little smaller anyway?, or one of the nice looking wood-grain wheels, lmc carries them.

Advance Design steering shafts are solid steel, not hollow...about 3/4" or 13/16" dia. The horn wire is run inside the mast jacket. Sectioning/shortening steering shafts is pretty common place in the street rod world, and as Stuart stated, easy and safe if prepared properly and done by a skilled welder. Borgeson Universal Joint Co. sells weld on couplers/adapters for smooth shafts. They can also be pinned.
#4 still may be the most rewarding...

I think its going to be much easier to modify the seat. Somewhere on here is a mod to flip the back hooks around so the seat back reclines a bit. I bet that will give you more space than changing the steering column.

i'm runnin a75 chevy van column in my 49,i to suffer from the dickey do diease.i shipprd my column to missouri and had it shortened also had the guy go through the electrics to make sure everything was up to par.he took 3" out of the coloumn and two out of the shaft it was a perfect fit .charged $100.00 plus $20.00 shipping well worth it in my book......dave

I'm not sure any solution of the 3 will work for long. It is only a matter of time (as we grow) that another cutting and shortning or seat removal etc. will be needed.
My advice (no charge and well worth the price)is try number 4. That way you will feel much better, we will have you here on the bolt longer, and your gas milage will improve.

I had this problem on my '51 1/2...(I've since lost weight!)...two solutions I used...
1) Moved the whole steering column & box forward on the frame about 2" (didn't hurt the steering geometry)
2) Bought a nice 15" aftermarket wheel from LeCarre.