Steering Column Question.....

[Antnicuk]

I am going to change my escort steering colum for a sierra one, just the top part to the first knuckle. A couple of reasons, firstly it will allow to me to fit the sierra controls i have, and with the mods needed to get around the turbo, a slightly longer column will help.

I seem to remember something about not using adjustable columns, and that i must use the non adjustable version. Is this correct?, if so, why cant the adjustable one be used?

[stylussprinter]

Sorry but I've no idea , it's too long ago that mine was built Try asking on the sylvachatlist . There are loads of sylva derived kit guys on there at various stages of SVA build

[Werner Van Loock]

I did fit a adjustable column, only difficulty i had was that the mounting part of the adjustable column is a bit bigger and requires to redrill/shave off a bit of the mounting brackets, but you will have to weld new ones on it anyway, so I see no problem there.

[Werner Van Loock]

Non adjustable (clickable images)



Adjustable (also clickable)



Hope it explains it a bit.

[Antnicuk]

thanks werner, very helpful, I think i will need to shorten the column so i may be better off with the non adjustable one. After the polava of trying to make 2 oil coolers, 1 rad and 1 intercooler, a new column should be a doddle.

[Antnicuk]

well famous last words, steing colum should be a doddle...........

I have the sierra column, stupid me, my existing column is round with a spline type fitting, the sierra one is triangle with a hexagone steering fitting! I dont have a coupling that is attaches it to the bottom section of the column, does that have a spline fitting at the bottom and a triangle at the top?,

also, what steering wheel will fit the top of the column?, i have only seen spline type fittings.

[Werner Van Loock]

Is the fitting on your bottom column section bolt on or welded on? If it's bolted, you can get a fitting with plines one side and triangle other side.
Otherwise get a fitting with triangle welded in place of the plined one.

So still a doddle

[Antnicuk]

i will have to have a look, the part you have bolted to your foot tunnel that looks like it has somekind of bush that allows the column to turn in, is it part of the sierra or is it home made?

[Werner Van Loock]

The bracket is homemade, but the bearing is a standard sierra part, but replicas are available and some use a rosejoint instead.

[Schrodinger]

How about using this
http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/steering-col ... -926-p.asp for the top half of the column and this
http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/splined-shaf ... -925-p.asp for the bottom and this
http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/steering-uni ... -924-p.asp to join them

Or use the top part with the bottom half of the escort column.

[Antnicuk]

thanks for that, i'm interested to know how the top part of the column is mounted to the car, i assume you have to make your own outer column.

[Schrodinger]

On my Tiger (the modified column came from them) the top was mounted on two verticle tabs similar to Werner's second picture this there was then a tube welded to the chassis which did the same jub as the bearing in Werner's third picture only it used the Sierra bush which has a triangular hole in it. The triangular clamp in the previous post then clamped to the bottom end of the main column and the shaft joined to the nuckle joint which then had a further shaft which had a Rod end part way down to fix it to the side of the car and then bolted finally to the rack.
Unfortunately I dont have any photos but I will see if I can get some from the Tiger site to make it easier to understand.

[Schrodinger]

Here are some pictures of the tiger effort

[Schrodinger]

And also fitted

[Antnicuk]

thanks for that, looks quite techincal, is it sva compliant out of interest?