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IDIDIT Shorty Column

4K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Irelands child 
#1 ·
Anyone install a IDIDIT Shorty column in their car.
Any hints?
Pictures of the installation would be great.
 
#3 ·
It's going in a 31 Model A A400. I've seen diagrams where the DD steering shaft exits the firewall high and where it exits the firewall low. Looking for a pic or two of how people have installed them.

A standard steering column would exit low, but I thought part of the advantage of the shorty was to exit high so there was no interference inside.


Thanks,

Scott
 
#4 ·
Hi Scott.

The only Shorty column install pictures I have are of a '32 Ford where we used a steering shaft offset gearbox in conjunction with a shorty column to get around an old 354 Chrysler hemi.







As you can see by the pictures, the column is hanging, using standard column drop brackets, from a rigid backbone made from 1/4" x 4" flat stock. I used some extra pieces of double-D shaft to help stiffen the plate where the drops attach, and there is also a DD spine that is welded lengthwise to the top of the plate to stiffen it up even more.

The firewall end of the plate is supported by a bracket made of the same material that is bolted on through the firewall and the top of the offset gearbox.

There is a triangulated bracket on the dashboard end of the column backbone. Unfortunately, there was no way to snap a photo of the dash-end bracket. The key thing is the whole setup needs to be very very rigid. There's too much at stake to cut any corners here.

Hope this helps....:thumbup:
 
#6 ·
Joe is right what ever you do don't cut corners. You can put the column any where as long as you can clear everything inside and out. But you must have something solid to secure it well. I always sit in the car and see where it fits me best, but also taking into account someone else driving it. I also try to make it a straight shot to the box or rack, using as few joints as possible. There are times when that it is not possible, and you have to use more joints, if so you will have to use supports again you have to make it solid so it won't wobble.

Bob
 
#7 · (Edited)
You might not need a gearbox. This just happened to be the only pictures I had of the sort of bracketry needed to hang a shorty column.

Here is a picture of the steering shaft under the dash of my daily driver, a '13 Ford Escape. I have seen several Ididit shorty column installs in old cars with 2 or 3 piece steering shafts that end up solving a multitude of issues. But, like Bob said, keep it as simple as possible.



:thumbup:
 
#9 ·
This is a 32" IDIDIT in a '31 Ford with the SB Ford engine set back a bunch more then usual. Not a problem installing. Three u-joints along with a single intermediate bearing. The closest it comes to anything is the LHS frame engine mount and that's about a half inch.



I just swapped over to Borgeson's SS shafts for appearance sake while the engine was out for some work:



With the painted shafting in place - the car is now in its 4 year of driving:




..... and inside:



The dangly stuff has been 'fixed'

Dave W
 
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