How did you take care of this before you became professional

GPster · December 13, 2005, 09:33:09 AM

Back to the front of my truck project. A '53 chevy car is wider than a '51 chevy truck. To get the car steering column to fit in thein the bracket on the truck cab dash it took some angling of the steering box. I couldn't see it from the side but when I took the hood off the angle was obnoxious ( 5/16" in 6" creates quite an angle over the length of a steering column and it's even worse when you look at it next to a straight six valve cover that is parralell to the chassis centerline). So I went one step further and re-made the steering box mounts about 1" into the frame and came up with a look that was not so disgusting. Trying to match verticle angles and horizontal angles and weld vertically left me with some strange tollerances. I can take them up with washers between the frame and and the steering box mounting bosses but I am concerned that a washer might be tight on one edge and a little loose on the other and I'd rather not risk the chance of tigthening the bolts (now 7/16") and breaking a boss off the steering box. Would copper or aluminum washer crush when tightened to conform to this lack of engeering? Or maybe some type of epoxy put in-between the washers and the frame on assembley to harden and become the correction? I've thought about rubber or leather but I'd think it would compress and loose any structure support. I can re-new the strength to the frame but it's to the point that if I try to make this mount one-more-time my (and the frame's) disgust level will have been reached. GPster

phat46 · December 13, 2005, 03:47:03 PM

I know guys that might tack weld the washers together and grind them on the angle needed to make them square with the box. maybe tack them to the top of a bolt too, and hold the bolt in a vice to grind with an angle grinder....just thinking out loud here....

EMSjunkie · December 13, 2005, 04:46:47 PM

Quote from: "phat46"just thinking out loud here....

I was wondering what that noise was :?: :?:

Vance

GPster · December 13, 2005, 05:15:55 PM

I can only work on something for an hour before I get overcome and need to do something else. Yesterday I was into my third hourly spell when the latest problem reared its head. That was the first option to try and save yesterdays work so it wouldn't seem like a total waste. The frame originally has a "Y" shaped piece in it to keep the steering box mounting bolts from crushing the frame when they are tightened. It is rivited to the outside of the frame rail that I'm cutting on and any more changes will make it non-existant. One other option that I see (the longer I look at it) would be if I had that section of frame off another old Chevy ('49 - '54 ) I could use the outside of the rail with the top of the "top hat" brim and a piece of the top of the rail and leave the anti-crush piece rivetted to the rail and trim it from the back so the remade rail would be narrower. So, if anyone(WZ junk?) is sub-framing one of those cars and has that section laying around or knows where there's a junker it might keep me from glueing a bad idea on a bad idea. GPster

WZ JUNK · December 13, 2005, 05:48:41 PM

So, if anyone(WZ junk?) is sub-framing one of those cars and has that section laying around or knows where there's a junker it might keep me from glueing a bad idea on a bad idea. GPster[/quote]

Sorry Joe, I do not think there are any of those left behind the shop. I will try to look tomorrow. If I have one, you would be welcome to it.

sirstude · December 13, 2005, 06:16:45 PM

GPster,

How about drilling everything out and putting some crush sleeves in there. Make sure they are bolted tight to the steering box, and then when everything is square, tack them to the frame section. Then weld them up tight after you remove the box. That is pretty much what I did with the Olds, except I built a jig that mounted to the surfaces on the frame, and welded to the crossmember. The I cut away the front frame sections and built some different ones. Bolted drilled out tubing to the jig, and welded it all up. The steering box now bolts up fine and no misalignment.

Hope this makes sense.

Doug

GPster · December 13, 2005, 06:42:37 PM

Quote from: "sirstude"GPster,

How about drilling everything out and putting some crush sleeves in there. Make sure they are bolted tight to the steering box, and then when everything is square, tack them to the frame section. Then weld them up tight after you remove the box. That is pretty much what I did with the Olds, except I built a jig that mounted to the surfaces on the frame, and welded to the crossmember. The I cut away the front frame sections and built some different ones. Bolted drilled out tubing to the jig, and welded it all up. The steering box now bolts up fine and no misalignment.Hope this makes sense.Doug

I had thought this way but is in a bend of the frame and also a taper and a downward slope. Having a piece of another frame that duplicates all of this plus has the outward brim and the top radius bend. Keeping in mind my problems so far it seems easier. I really don't want to pull the engine to fix this and I have room to work from the outside because there are no fenders and no floor in the cab. I also think that that type of replacement piece might give me more luck welding it in. GPster

GPster · December 18, 2005, 08:37:23 PM

This is the latest. I had bolted the steering box in with long bolts to give me the correct positionof the bolt holes in relaton to the contours of the outside of the frame. I transfered that bolt pattern to a piece of plate and slid it on to the exposed ends of the bolts so that I could scribe theculvature of the frame rail on it and cut the plate to a managable size that would slide into the frame rail. I then removed the steering box and noted the crush thickness I would from the one mount that was correct. I then cut three pieces of tube to act as crush sleeves and to space the new plate parralell to the inside frame rail. Then I cut out the old crush sleeve and the assorted botched up tries on the frame, tack welded the new crush sleeves to the back side of the plate, slide the new plate into the frame and bolted it all and the steering box together. Looks wonderful it will be straight with the frame and everything is close enought together to be welded. Pieces to add fill to and get the frame boxed back up wil be easy to cut and the hole thing will look like I knew what I was doing. Sat down in the cab to relish in my work and the steering column is in to far by 1/4". I could remove the plate and make longer crush sleeves but then the ends of the new plate would have to be trimed and the weld line across top of the frame rail would be too far apart to weld and a spacer would be needed and the top of the frame would show how little I knew about what I was trying to do. So tomorrow I'll use my hole saws and make 3 dandy 1/4" round spacers, When I make sure that's it's right (again) I'll tack weld the plate in place and remove the steering box make my filler plates and finish weld it all together. Now I've got to rest my fingers (2) and get ready for CHAT. GPster

GPster · December 19, 2005, 11:46:46 AM

I slept on it (not literarily) and I think I'll fix it right. 1/4" washers are not going to add any support to this structure and one double weld accross the top will be easier to make then several ill fitting verticle welds. Being the crush stiffener tube are only tacked in place I'll make new ones and get everything to fit together correctly. If I don't have anymore unforscene surprises I'll be able to put the battery mount back on and start it up again for some relaxing noise. GPster

enjenjo · December 19, 2005, 12:01:46 PM

Joe, your rejects pile will never get as big as mine. The peace of mind from doing it right will be worth it.

GPster · January 02, 2006, 09:46:07 PM

Well to elevate my mood even furter I had it running again tonight. The steering box is in it's new place with the frame painted under it. The steering column is square to the firewall and fits in the right place on the dash. Looks so good if it didn't have the recess for the hood in the top of the cowl, I run with-out the hood. Looks like I knew what I was doing. GPster

Crosley.In.AZ · January 02, 2006, 10:41:21 PM

Quote from: "GPster"Well to elevate my mood even furter I had it running again tonight. The steering box is in it's new place with the frame painted under it. The steering column is square to the firewall and fits in the right place on the dash. Looks so good if it didn't have the recess for the hood in the top of the cowl, I run with-out the hood. Looks like I knew what I was doing. GPster

Kool....... now carry on .

rooster · January 02, 2006, 10:45:58 PM

Quote from: "GPster"I slept on it (not literarily) and I think I'll fix it right. 1/4" washers are not going to add any support to this structure and one double weld accross the top will be easier to make then several ill fitting verticle welds. Being the crush stiffener tube are only tacked in place I'll make new ones and get everything to fit together correctly. If I don't have anymore unforscene surprises I'll be able to put the battery mount back on and start it up again for some relaxing noise. GPster

Way to go Joe. Did you ever get the oil filter canister you were looking for? We looked but no luck here. Show us a picture.

Roadstar · January 03, 2006, 07:37:21 AM

I'm impressed Joe. Lots of guys would have settled for some 1/4 inch spacers and called it a day.

Your patients and determination will pay off every time you drive that truck down the street.

Glad to see you are making progress.

GPster · January 03, 2006, 09:12:11 AM

Quote from: "rooster"Did you ever get the oil filter canister you were looking for?

While lurking ("Lurch"ing?) on another site I found out that in the early years of the 235s with full pressure oiling that filter was an option and not all of them had one. My mind was kind of diverted by the steering column part of the project so I left the ATF filter idea lay dormant. Now that the oil cooler is up front and plumbed, I've got a clear plastic fuel line filter that I'm going to put in the line to check the direction of the flow and how much junk is actually in the system. It won't be anything but an indicator that I'll use while the truck is still in the garage with the rear end up on jack stands because temperature and pressure of the ATF is probably out of the realm of a gasline filter's capability. After it tells me what I want to know about flow and sediment it may just be replaced with a metal cased gas filter for a while. Pulling the hood off the truck to put the ATF cooler and lines up front is what started this last diversion. I'll try some more to find out how bad it is before I spend too much time making it better. GPster