Steering Then And Now - Tech

Early on the preferred steering box for this steering style was the Franklin steering box from Series 9 ('16-21) and Series 10 ('22-24) Franklin automobiles. The Chrisman Brother's famous number 25 dragster, one of the first purpose-built drag cars, utilized a Franklin steering box in a through-the-cowl steering setup, as did many early Midget, Sprint, and Indy cars. As the Franklin unit became scarcer, the Ross center steering unit, found in a variety of forklift trucks, became the steering box of choice. The '48-52 Crosleys also utilized a Ross steering box, but it was not as beefy as the forklift models. Eventually various manufacturers, like Jones, Halibrand, Norden, Schroeder, and others reacted to the racers needs and began manufacturing through-the-cowl, or center steering-style steering boxes specifically for oval track racing applications.

The popular Vega steering box, and the even better aftermarket Vega-styled steering boxes, offered by the aftermarket steering gear manufacturers, when reversed and with extension shafts can be utilized for through-the-cowl steering, as can the reversed Corvair box. The process to reverse a Vega box is the same as the Corvair box.

Borgeson can provide a reversed '55-57 Chevrolet steering box that is suitable for through-the-cowl steering. The steering box comes with a short splined input shaft, not the entire column as found on the original Tri-Five steering box. The design of the original Tri-Five steering box offers a longer sector shaft (cross shaft), making it more adaptable to through-the-cowl steering. This is not a Borgeson catalog item, but they will modify one for you if you give them a call.

A recent trend in through-the-cowl steering is the Mopar steering box. Reversing is not required and the aluminum-cased version looks good as is, or looks especially good when polished. Pretty much any steering box from Plymouth/Dodge manufactured from the mid-'60s to '79 will work. Like the Vega, Corvair, and others, the Mopar box will require modifications to extend the sector shaft through the cowl. A steel version of the Mopar box is available from Flaming River and Speedway Motors, while Borgeson offers a remanufactured, OEM, aluminum Mopar box.

In order to determine if your steering box is set up correctly for through-the-cowl steering, set the Pitman arm at 6 o'clock and turn the input shaft clockwise, the output shaft end must turn counterclockwise.

Seeing the popularity of the Schroeder box in street rods, Schroeder Racing Products has developed an integral reducer to change the 8:1 steering assembly to a very manageable 16:1. The unit replaces the existing column shaft and mounts directly to the main housing. The reducer houses an internal gear set that doubles the existing gear ratio. Sort of like an overdrive for your steering box. The unit can be ordered as part of a complete steering box assembly or as a separate part to update existing or swap meet found Schroeder Sprint/Midget four-bolt housings.

The original Schroeder steering box had an integral 9-inch-long steering shaft, suitable for race car applications, but not always adaptable to street rods. Column lengths longer than 9 inches are now possible with a new splined coupling. The shaft can also be easily adapted to an enclosed column, if you prefer that look.

The Schroeder box also can be ordered with various column shaft lengths, sector shaft lengths from 8-15 inches, an extended end for additional chassis clearance, gearbox mounted above or below the sector shaft, and mounting configurations to fit your needs. This eliminates extension shafts, welded adapters, and pinned couplers.

Obviously there were, and there are other steering boxes, including rack-and-pinion styles, that have been, and are adaptable to street rods, but this about covers the most popular forms of street rod steering. There are a number of how-to books, past articles in SR, and websites that can supply an abundance of information on selecting, mounting, and modifying various steering systems to work in your street rod.

Keep in mind that the integrity of any steering system is important to both you and your passengers, as well as those sharing the highways with you. Use Grade 8 fasteners. If you must weld, use the proper materials and welding techniques. If you are not a certified welder, look one up.

Push/pull drag link, cross steer, rack-and-pinion and through-the-cowl steering, when designed correctly and installed properly, will all allow you to turn your wheels and get your street rod headed in the right direction. The look you desire will more than likely dictate your steering choice. And let's face it, it is all about "the look."