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Worked on the rack this weekend, thanks 3 window and Gary (Ratical) for the advice.
In short was a bish to get the lower bolts out and new ones reinstalled.
This rack was in another 67, but for mine I've had to mill some off the Heim threads was bottoming out on the subframe. I also slotted the bracket. I probably have to take a little more off the heim but it was time for father's day dinner.
This pic it's loose the heim area still needs some attention tomorrow.
I’d back the heim out of that bracket as far as you can to reduce the angle of the center joint. You might need to cut the lower piece of steering shaft when you reduce the angle, but that’s not a big deal. (Sorry I didn’t answer earlier, but no, I didn’t use that bracket. Mine’s set up a tad different).
No worries, so you suggest I get as much angle out of it as I can? I could potentially move the heim but I might not have room behind the bracket for the lock nut.
I have tomorrow off so I'm going to get back at it around 11am so I'll check here first before I do more work on it. I have everything handtight at the moment.
One guy on FB is running no bracket and a 2 joint setup, mine is three. You think I should convert to 2 joint?
You don't like the angle of the heim or how close it is to the joint? When I started the heim was right up against the joint. The guy who ran the rack was using an ididit column and a BBC so maybe everything is just a litlte bit off.
I was thinking I'd continue installing it the way it wants me too, but if it's notchy or binding I can buy new steering shafts and play with the angles. Am I right to assume that the goal is the have the shafts at a 45 degree angle vs a 90 degree angle, do you know what I mean?
You don't like the angle of the heim or how close it is to the joint? When I started the heim was right up against the joint. The guy who ran the rack was using an ididit column and a BBC so maybe everything is just a litlte bit off.
I was thinking I'd continue installing it the way it wants me too, but if it's notchy or binding I can buy new steering shafts and play with the angles. Am I right to assume that the goal is the have the shafts at a 45 degree angle vs a 90 degree angle, do you know what I mean?
Turns out I have to work for 8-9am lol.
Try and keep the joints from being any tighter than about 30° if you can.
Originally Posted by Pro Stock John
Ah I get what you are saying now. Maybe I need to shorten one of the shafts to get it like your red line drawing.
You’d shorten the piece of shaft closest to the rack.
Originally Posted by Pro Stock John
Per the pic you sent me you are not even using a bracket.
No I’m not. I fabbed a different bracket that attaches to the subframe between the middle joint and joint on the rack.
I been talking to Dale his dad is Jeff Schwartz (pro touring place in Woodstock).
We were talking about maybe I just buy a long piece of DD steering shaft and maybe convert this over to that setup, and no bracket. I am gonna go out to the car in a little bit and see if that's possible. FB research says I don't need a bracket if I only use one section of steering shaft.
I been talking to Dale his dad is Jeff Schwartz (pro touring place in Woodstock).
We were talking about maybe I just buy a long piece of DD steering shaft and maybe convert this over to that setup, and no bracket. I am gonna go out to the car in a little bit and see if that's possible. FB research says I don't need a bracket if I only use one section of steering shaft.
I highly doubt you’ll make it with a single shaft. I want to say I remember trying it on mine and the angle of the joint on the rack was too tight. There’s nothing wrong with having 3 joints, it just takes a little finagling to get it all in harmony. At least it’s gonna be 95° today so that’ll be nice while you’re layin under the car.
Haha the heat is good for my diet. Plus my family likes it when I pass out under the car from heat stroke.
Gary aka @Ratical agrees with you, he did this rack in 2016, and he said he could not get one shaft to work.
So I'm not gonna bother with that approach. I'll start today by tightening the set screws and see how good/bad it is now with the bracket as is. If bad, I'll look at shortening one of the shafts, but I have to keep the heim near that shallow spot on subframe, otherwise I won't be able to keep the outer lock nut.
Haha the heat is good for my diet. Plus my family likes it when I pass out under the car from heat stroke.
Gary aka @Ratical agrees with you, he did this rack in 2016, and he said he could not get one shaft to work.
So I'm not gonna bother with that approach. I'll start today by tightening the set screws and see how good/bad it is now with the bracket as is. If bad, I'll look at shortening one of the shafts, but I have to keep the heim near that shallow spot on subframe, otherwise I won't be able to keep the outer lock nut.
Gotcha. Be sure the shaft isn’t protruding through the joint or it’ll hit the u-joint in the center of the joint and cause binding. The end of the shaft should be flush with the inside of the joint. Don’t let the shaft protrude past the red line in the pic.
John what size is your intercooler? Looks like it’s necked down on the inlet.
3.5 or 4 I don't remember, I can measure once I get this darn rack figured out. Which btw is in, made some changes, but I need to play with the middle joint angle it's a little notchy as of today.
Cool, I’ll make sure I get at least a 3.5 for mine. Probably just put new set up in my ‘66 Chevelle after I heal up from knee surgery. Going injected this time so will need an intercooler.
I remember my goal was to have it be the same diameter as the TB.
I'll be futzing with this steeering again this coming weekend have some parts on order. Moments like this when I wonder if I should have paid my buddy Eddie to do it lol. I'm kinda wasting 4 weeks on this.
I don't really have anything big on the car to do except nut and bolt it. I have some future plans that I can do over the winter.
I fugged around way too long on this rack conversion. So today buttoned up the rack swap, changed the oil, did a little adjusting of the toe it was way off.
Next stop an alignment. Thanks Jamie for the help on the rack stuff. It's a little notchy but I'll come back to it in the fall.
06-19-2022, 08:10 PM
