by Randy Irwin 1955-1957 TURNING RADIUS & ARM CLEARANCE Photo 1: The outer Randy Irwin - Technical Writer tie rod end Randy has been involved in the Chevy attaches to the parts business for over 25 years. He is a wiz- steering arm ard at creating, making and modifying custom (knuckle), which parts for Chevys. is in turn bolted to the spindle with At Eckler’s Classic Chevy, we get several calls a week on the tech line two mounting from customers who have a with a greater than normal steering bolts. When the radius. An increased steering or turning radius means the car does not steering is turn as sharply and can make it difficult to maneuver in tight spots like turned, the tie rod parking lots or drive-thrus. This increased radius can be caused by several end pulls (or pushes) the steering arm and turns the spindle. The different things. One of the common reasons is that wider than stock front steering arm has a stop forged into it that will make contact with are being used. This will increase the track width and in turn the stop on the lower control arm when the steering is turned all increase the steering radius slightly. Another cause is that front disc brakes the way to the left or right. When front brackets are have been installed on stock spindles. This will also increase the front installed on stock spindles, the steering arms are moved inward track width and increase the steering radius slightly. These two changes 3/8" per side per the thickness of the disc brake caliper brackets. together only increase the steering radius slightly and is something that When installing some brands dropped spindles, the steering arms has to be put up with on a modified car. Another issue may be the position are also moved inward a certain amount per the configuration of of the disc brake calipers. Some disc brake kits position the caliper in a the spindles. By moving the steering arms inward, the toe-in will way that when the steering is turned all the way left or right, the caliper need to be reset. The toe-in is adjusted by turning the adjustment itself will actually come into contact with the upper or lower control arm. In sleeve that connects inner and outer tie rod ends. addition to increasing the steering radius, this caliper interference can also be dangerous because when the caliper strikes the control arm it floats outward on it’s mounting pins creating a temporary loss of brakes. All of Classic Chevy’s disc brake kits have specially designed caliper brackets to prevent this interference. By far the biggest culprit causing an increased steering radius on a modified car is that the outer steering arms (knuckles) have been spaced inward due to the installation of disc brake brackets or dropped spindles. This causes the tab stop on the steering arm to strike the tab stop on the lower control arm much sooner than on a stock vehicle. This can be fixed with just a little modification of the stop that is on the steering arm. Tools Needed: Time Frame: Pliers 2 Hours 5/8” Wrench Or Socket Tie Rod Splitter Hand Held Grinder Photo 2: When the steering arms are moved inward, the steering stops on the steering arms will make contact with the stops on the lower control arms and reduce the ability to turn as sharply, thereby increasing the steering radius of the car. Here we have disconnected the outer tie rod end from the steering arm and turned the steering box all the way to the left. You can see the

24 CHEVY CLASSICS steering arm is short of connecting to the tie rod end by about 5/8". This little bit of limitation of the steering arm added over four feet to the steering radius of this car! 55–57 CHEVY POWER STEERING BOX Put the worries of a leaky 605 behind you!

» Direct Bolt-In Application » Genuine Delphi 600 Gear » 14:1 Ratio » Made in the USA » 3 Year Warranty on Boxes and Accessories » O-Ring Hose Fittings Photo 3: The stop on the stock steering arm is 3/4" deep and 1" » 8DD input shaft wide. To return the radius to nearly stock, grind a small amount of material off the steering arm stop allowing the spindle to rotate further. This can be done without removing the steering 91 Technology Park Drive 860-482-8283 Torrington, CT 06790 www.borgeson.com arm from the spindle.

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Made in America Photo 4: With the outer tie rod end disconnected from the steering arm and the steering box turned all the way to the left, • No modifications required. use a hand grinder and grind about an 1/8" from the steering • GM-style switches and motors. stop on the steering arm on the driver’s side. Next, turn the • Vent window delete option available. • Easy step-by-step instructions. spindle all the way to the left to see if the tie rod end will now • Lifetime Warrantee. reach and connect to the steering arm. If not, grind a bit more off the stop on the steering arm until the tie rod end will reach Specialty Power Windows and connect to the steering arm. Repeat this process on the Guaranteed For Life passenger side and you will now be back to the stock steering Call today for free catalog: 800-634-9801 radius. Good Luck! www.SpecialtyPowerWindows.com

25 AUGUST 2008