Gas Alley Street Rods Cowl Steering Conversion Kit - Side-Steering Made Simple

The next step is inserting the machined end into the extension tube. You'll want to pay attention to how you insert it as you'll want to make sure that the Pitman arm ends up hanging vertically when the extension shaft is bolted to the output shaft adapter, double check this before welding.

I started by doing the rosette welds first, then going back and filling the V where the machined end met the beveled end of the extension tube.

Once the welding was completed I carefully ground the welds smooth--taking my time so as not to damage the extension tube.

Before proceeding I took a few minutes to test fit the Pitman arm and then to prime and paint it and the shaft before reattaching it to the output shaft adapter.

While placing my order for the kit with Gas Alley I opted to go with the suggested (but still optional) support bearing. The added support it offers will help keep any torsional effects to the steering box mounting to a minimum.

Here you can see just how much I had to trim the extension tube in my particular case. At this point I was just happy I hadn't screwed anything up.

Here's an inside view of the nearly complete installation, I opted to fit the support bearing on the outside of the cowl to help seal the hole through which the extension shaft protrudes, giving it a bit more of a finished look.

Next, I attached the Pitman arm to the shaft using the Grade-8 bolt, flat, and lock washer supplied in the conversion kit. Gas Alley suggests the use of thread locking compound on the bolt threads as well as drilling its hex head for safety wire too. I will do both before the truck hits the road!

Finally I fashioned a drag link out of a section of 3/4-inch-od DOM tubing and a pair of rod ends (those with a sharp eye may notice I hadn't added the jamb nuts) to finish off the install. In a future story I'll get back to my hanging pedal assembly install and perhaps give you a peek at the shorty column and tube I've yet to fashion and install. Until then, if you think this cowl-steering conversion might be the way to go in your situation I strongly suggest hitting Gas Alley Street Rods' Website for more info.