Install steering column in model A Ford hotrod

brianangus · February 05, 2005, 02:41:32 PM

For anyone installing a column into a model A Ford, this is how I went about it. The original cowl mounted gas tank has been removed, and I am using the upper dash rail as supplied by Henry Ford, and a Brookville roadster 1932 style dash (which is a bolt in using original model A nut-certs that are in the original body). The dash and upper dash rail are removed, and a structural support of 1" square tubing x 1/8" wall thickness is made up to span between the door jambs. When installed as I have shown it, it clears the inside of the dash by about 1". The offset in the center of the bar was made to run behind the instruments, as there is not enough room between the underside of the Billet Specialties gauge cluster and the lower lip on the Brookville dash to offset the jog downwards into that area. (note that if you are running individual gauges that are not mounted in a cluster, you might have enough room to do that.) The 2 square tubes that run in towards the firewall have 3/8" nuts welded into the ends of them, and each has a bolt thru the firewall into the nut for added support. The column drop is bolted to a 1" x 3/8" flat bar x 6" long that is welded to the 1" square tube. Down at the floor I cut a hole, then welded in a 3" length of exhaust tubing that has an inside diameter slightly larger than the 2" Ididit column.---Note that I used a 36" long peice of exhaust tubing as a dummy column to set all of these angles properly, when tack-welding things together---I didn't want to get weld spatter on the new column). I bought the longest column that Ididit offered, 32", and I am glad that I did, because only about 3" of it extends thru the floor. I have not welded the collar at the floor completely yet, as my steering wheel has not arrived yet, and although the column drop will adjust to any angle, the welded collar won't. If I have to monkey with the column drop, I can always add a spacer at the top of it, to drop the column a bit, but once that floor collar is welded solid, there will be no more angular adjustability. When the dash is bolted into place, there is about 1/8" clearance between the flange on the bottom of the dash (which extends towards the firewall 1") and the face of the column drop. The drop that I used is a 3", as I have a tilt column that will be tilted down while driving and up to let my fat old body in and out. I think if you were running a non-tilt column, then you would want a 4" column drop.

brianangus · February 05, 2005, 02:47:57 PM

Sorry guys---I can't figure out how to add pictures on this forum.

Nick32Vic · February 05, 2005, 05:28:28 PM

Hey, i didnt know you were on here too. Here, ill post the pic i got from street rodding.com i assume this is the one you want to post. I didnt get a chance to read the whole think but thats sort of how we put the column in mine with the square tubing and stuff.

Nick

Nick32Vic · February 05, 2005, 05:30:04 PM

Heres mine

brianangus · February 05, 2005, 06:45:04 PM

Thanks for posting my picture. Are you sure that your dash is going to cover that straight tube that you welded in? I think that if you are running a stock dash the tube will hang below it at both ends.

paul2748 · February 05, 2005, 08:48:22 PM

In my son's Model A witha 32 type dash, I took a piece of angle and shaped it to the curvature of the bottom of the dash. I tied it into the jambs. For extra support, I also tied it into the firewall. The only problem with this is that the column support must fit the curvature of the dash, which was no big deal since I made my own.

Nick32Vic · February 05, 2005, 10:59:01 PM

Quote from: "brianangus"Thanks for posting my picture. Are you sure that your dash is going to cover that straight tube that you welded in? I think that if you are running a stock dash the tube will hang below it at both ends.

I have a 55 Chevy dash so its alot bigger than a 32 dash. Your stuff you made looks good by the way.

Nick

40 · February 06, 2005, 12:55:09 AM

Nick...You've got that dash looking pretty good!

C9 · February 07, 2005, 07:45:14 AM

Quote from: "brianangus"Thanks for posting my picture. Are you sure that your dash is going to cover that straight tube that you welded in? I think that if you are running a stock dash the tube will hang below it at both ends.

Fwiw, the dash cross-bar in my 32 hangs down a bit at the ends and is visible.
Once it was powdered black it pretty much disappeared out of sight.

I expect the same will happen with the straight cross-bar in my 31 project.

Helping to disguise the cross-bar will be an open glove box on the right and an instrument panel on the left.

Nick32Vic · February 08, 2005, 07:59:14 PM

Quote from: "40"Nick...You've got that dash looking pretty good!

Thanks Daryle!

Nick

kb426 · February 09, 2005, 12:50:20 PM

Nick, that's an interesting dash. Did you make a glass plug from a stocker and then cut into and shorten it?

Nick32Vic · February 09, 2005, 02:51:01 PM

Quote from: "kb426"Nick, that's an interesting dash. Did you make a glass plug from a stocker and then cut into and shorten it?

Nope, I bought it off of some Tri-5 Chevy guy. He had an old cowl sittin in his shed so we cut the dash off of it and then cut the dash alot to get it to fit. i think we took like 16 inches out of the middle. We are gonna redo the corners just a little bit. They dont look right to me.

I feel kind of bad, i didnt mean to steal the post from you brianangus! :oops:

Nick