Sean
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| posted on 12/4/05 at 04:27 PM |
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How many steering links!
My kit is fitted with a Rover V8 which necessitates the steering column going through a number of unions to change direction in order to miss the
exhaust manilfolds. However this still means that the column at the wheel end is slightly of true and therefore the wheel is at a slight angle also.
The driving is ok, but it feels a little odd. A bit like the offset in old mini pedals. To get this straight I think I will need to start with it in
line at the drivers end. What I was wondering is whether there is a recommended way of changing the columns direction, and will this also have an
effect of the steering feel. Thanks
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Peteff
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| posted on 12/4/05 at 06:27 PM |
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Have a word with Liam.
I think he is using multiple u.j.'s for the same reason.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Sean
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| posted on 13/4/05 at 04:25 PM |
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Thanks, but which one, there are two on the members list?
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Liam
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| posted on 13/4/05 at 05:43 PM |
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Hello...
That'll be me. I have 4 ujs in my column due to the need to clear a wide engine and front differential. The two front joints that have a
fairly large angle on them are phased to cancel out each others non-uniform velocity. So steering is nice and smooth. Unless they are porked, ujs
have virtually no play in them at all - so 4 ujs is no worse than 2 and doesn't give you sloppy steering. It actually works fine which
I'm quite relieved about!
My wheel is pretty much central to the drivers seating area. It is slightly more vertical than most make theirs, and has a bit of left to right tilt
because the far end of the column had to move outwards slightly to clear the engine. But once you've sat in it and held the wheel a few times
it feels perfectly normal - you just get used to however your wheel feels. Production cars I've been in have wheels and pedals offset miles
from the seating position and you probably never realise unless you change cars a lot.
Hope that helps
liam
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Liam
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| posted on 13/4/05 at 05:44 PM |
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Oh, and some photos here:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=22720
And in my archive.
Liam
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Sean
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| posted on 14/4/05 at 06:48 PM |
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Thanks for the pics. Very helpful. I shall study them more carefully over the weekend and then bug you with any questions if that's ok?
btw very nice car.
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Sean
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| posted on 15/4/05 at 06:38 PM |
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I am probably being a bit thick here, but do yuo have to have multiples of two for uj's to appose each other properly and maintain a smooth
feel. Also, am I right in thinking there are the 4 uj and the set of bushed brackets that the column goes through. It all looks very good indeed. What
are the components sourced from, or have you fabricated your own to achieve the desired length?
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Liam
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| posted on 17/4/05 at 04:39 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Sean do yuo have to have multiples of two for uj's to appose each other properly and maintain a smooth
feel.
Well not reeeeeally. Ujs that hardly have any angle on them wont give you a problem i wouldn't have thought. Only my two joints with large
angles (the front two) have been phased. Technically I think you could work out a phasing for an odd number of ujs each with significant angles on
them anyway.
Basically i think you'll be fine if you only need three.
I've sourced some MK4/5/6 escort columns if I remember. These come with nice ujs with 22mm tube either side, which matched my sierra 4x4
coupling. It was then a matter of cutting and sleeving to get the right length, and i had the sleeves professionally welded.
With your average two uj column you only need the usual rack and column mounts. With 3 ujs you need an extra support in there and with four, two
extra supports. I made nylon pillow blocks to support the middle two ujs. 22mm spherical bearings are hard to come by and expensive, and these
pillow blocks have the advantage of comming apart to allow me to take the column out. Spherical bearings would have had to be inserted on the column
before welding and not be removable (unless I used loads of clampable column joints instead of welding).
Hope that helps
Liam
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Liam
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| posted on 17/4/05 at 04:59 PM |
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The photos in my archive show the column quite well...
The black painted front part with the front two ujs is basically a whole MK4/5/6 escort column with the steering wheel end chopped off and the spline
chopped off and replaced with a MK2 escort fitting to fit my rack (i can provide details of this if relevant - but you might just want to use the
whole MK2 front uj. I didn't have one - just a donut thing with nothing to go in the other end).
The unpainted part is just one uj and some shaft from another escort column (again MK4/5/6 - these are all similar but slighly different and I cant
remeber which was which - shouldnt matter). You can see the 22mm id sleeves on this section (before they were fully welded).
The last uj is the sierra 4x4 item that clamps onto the triangular shaft. Unlike 2WD versions, this has a rubber coupling that presumably reduces
vibration/kicks arrising from the fact your steering wheels are also driven.
You can also clearly see the nylon pillow blocks.
Liam
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Sean
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| posted on 18/4/05 at 04:52 PM |
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Thanks for all the info. My rack is actually off a triumph and so I am not sure what else has been used. At the moment the car is at the painters, but
when it is back I shall give it all a proper look and see what is what.
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