Hammertime

I considered titling this post "The steering column with universal appeal" but it seemed like maybe I'd pushed the envelope too far in the land of puns. Who's to say? I think its hilarious. Of course I also intended to go off on a tangent about how Mustang II is a rare example of a sequel being better than the original (steering wise anyway). None of this today. Just a simple description of our back room enineering here at Babe's auto. Our column of choice is a 1971 chevy truck piece with a big ol wheel perfect for a car lacking power steering. It also holds a warm place in the hearts of the old man and myself after many, many miles gripping one. The challenging part of this endeavor was connecting the Chevy bits to the Ford bits, but once again much like the driveshaft, I built a shaft to connect them. The top half being straight outta our donor pick-up and the critical bit that connects the truck's double D shaft (he he) to the 26 spline manual Mustang II rack being a beautiful stainless u-joint from flaming river. The truck's shaft incorperates a slip joint that not only adds a degree of safety in collapsability but also allows the shaft to be installed in the vehicle. And here enters the hammer to the equation, to gently persuade the shaft to extend into the u-joint and subsequently be locked down with set screws. Precision fit achieved. If you peruse the gallery you'll see the custom steering column drop bracket used to attach it t the dash. Fabulous prizes for anyone to guess what engine donated it.

Electrics to come

Chris