So the next couple posts I want to talk about "controls" and that would be what is needed doing a CV frame swap as far as steering, brakes, throttle, shifter, basically the user controls that we use to drive.....I'm going to start with steering and have a small rant about steering wheels.
After we came to the realization that our slick wasn't going to be restored and chose a direction to take the truck / build we decided on just doing the CV frame swap, of course there so many aspects to doing this and different paths a person can take to achieve the end goal of a drive-able vehicle that is safe and dependable, some folks opt to remove the entire slick firewall / dash and replace it with the CV firewall, dash, steering, basically in some ways the easiest way to go but in others it winds-up looking cobbled together in my opinion.
Others do a hybrid of mix and match using the slicks dash and components from the CV like steering and instrument cluster while utilizing some of the slicks switches......still others want to keep as much of the slicks originality as possible and reuse as much as possible to maintain that original look. The later choice is where we fell, since our body was in such bad shape we wanted to try to keep what we could, this isn't the quickest or easiest path but it was the path we chose.
We wanted to try to keep the interior kinda' stock, I knew I'd have to replace the steering column, thought maybe I could reuse the original steering wheel (naw wrong spline) since the original '62 column was a integral part of the steering box that wasn't a option, so yeah I was going to need a column, thought about a column out of a newer Ford truck but sourcing the right one that was the proper length and had "tilt" (my wife is 4' 11") proved to consume way more time than I was willing to spend.
So aftermarket column it is! I knew I needed a a 28" column from watching videos on youtube, I wanted a black column which turns out to be a special order item most places which I found really weird, I would think black would be the "base" or cheapest column but I guess everyone wants chrome or brushed aluminum so it was a extra $30 bucks and a special order from Summit, weeks go by and no shipping, the shipping date keeps getting pushed back further and further, so after 6 weeks I cancel the order (I'm getting close to needing it at this point) and bite the bullet buying a in-stock brushed aluminum column ( I can always paint it I thought) that is cheaper.
The column comes in and looks like crap, yeah its brushed aluminum with a honking chrome steering wheel adapter on it (a $60 dollar value) that uses 9 bolt holes to mount the steering wheel. which brings me to my rant!
When in the hell did they decide to move away from the old standard 3 bolt mount that people like Grant has made for 100 years, I thought I'd just put the 9 hole adapter that came with the column (a $60 dollar value) on the shelf for maybe future use and ordered a Grant 3 hole adapter and a cool looking 3 hole steering wheel, I figured life was good, Wrong! after installing the Grant adapter which didn't come with a horn button? what the hell? today horn buttons are a separate purchase and cost anywhere from $10 to $40 bucks....really? Then after it was all installed in the normal non-tilt position everything was fine but in the tilt-up mode the fancy billet aluminum shifter handle hits the steering wheel and won't come out of park.
Here's a few pics while I compose the rest of my thoughts...lol
So at this point I'm not happy at all, not sure if it's my fault for not measuring everything and considering just how much "dish" was needed in every tilt position but I'll take the blame and the couple hundred dollar hit for parts I'm not going to use....again the easiest way out of this is to just use the honkin' chrome 9 hole adapter (a $60 dollar value) because it's 3.5" tall so moves the steering wheel a couple inches away from the shifter in full tilt-up position. If I buy the right steering wheel (proper dish) then my problem is solved right? nope take a look around the ol' inter-webs for 9 hole steering wheels, they seem to be the newest thing because not that many are made, choices are limited, they are pricey, as it turns out they also make 5 hole adapters (a $60 dollar value) that has many more choices in wheels, but again none of these come with a horn button.
So I decided on a cool looking steering wheel that again is billet aluminum with a plastic grip ($135) and of course a aluminum horn button ($35) and now I can tilt n' turn to all my pleasure I just didn't even come close to the look I was trying to achieve, after spending almost $625 to get a working column and steering wheel with that horn button I was ready to move on to something less challenging like wiring...lol
And here's the column installed.
I also used a "Flaming River" aluminum 0 drop mount at the bottom of the dash, I haven't cut into the dash at all but may have to after I get a seat, the angle of the column at the firewall is high enough that I can raise the column into the dash if I have to at least a 1" or 2 if it's needed, I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, at the firewall I used the CV mount from the CV firewall, used it as a pattern then cut the firewall with a plasma cutter, then welded the mount to the slicks firewall, this is the same method I will use for most of the other holes I'll have to cut in the firewall for the controls.
Edit: So I got so worked up again I forgot about the most important end of the steering column and that is the connection to the steering box....lol
So on that end since almost every aftermarket column I found is based on a '69 up GM vehicle so yeah the steering wheel spline and the double D shaft that exits the column are all GM, I actually found a easy way to adapt this to the CV steering shaft coming from the steering box (mine is a non-rack & pinion), I had a steering shaft laying around the shop from a earlier S-10 project it was complete from rag joint to steering u-joint, the u-joint on the end had splines on the inside and was swaged to the shaft, a little work with a die grinder to remove the extra material that was swaged to keep the joint in place and it slipped right off the shaft.
The CV shaft which was telescopic (slides in and out) has a modified + or cross for its basic connections at the column but was more of a hex or square where the shaft connected with what is called a intermediate shaft. it was easy enough to take that square and make it round with a grinder, slowly bringing it down to the proper size for the s-10 u-joint to be driven on to it, it even had a collar that made the depth easy not to go to far, it was then welded solid to the CV shaft, it slid onto the double D portion of the column shaft, I just had to make a groove for the bolt in the u-joint to clear the shaft and lock it in place.....again a little work with a die grinder and we had working steering.
Next time I'll cover the rest of the controls...
Jon