GR safe substitute for this steering product?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Jan. 25, 2010 11:55 a.m. patgizz Dork

http://www.wizardsteerclear.com/

that product is awesome, and i think i will need something like that for one of my trucks, putting an old cab on a newer chassis where the steering box location is about 8" farther outboard than the original.

is there a less spendy product that is equivalent or a safe reliable way to make one myself?

i'm seeing equal sized sprockets with a chain but i am not sure there would be any type of chain i trust with my life. or i'm seeing an odd number of equal sized gears salvaged from ??? and built into a gearbox with oil in it.
Jan. 25, 2010 12:09 p.m. Nashco SuperDork

Like you said, it seems like it's just a fancy set of gears and a gearbox. You can get some decent steering U-joints pretty cheap, if you have the option of going that route (no hard interferences like the Wizard thing would accomodate) it would obviously be a lot easier.

Bryce
Jan. 25, 2010 5:07 p.m. ignorant SuperDork

the FAQ page pretty much tells you how to build it.. http://www.wizardsteerclear.com/FAQ.html
Jan. 25, 2010 5:12 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

A pair of Neon timing gears mounted to flanged bearings and a timing belt at the right length... I can't see it going too bad.
Jan. 25, 2010 6:13 p.m. patgizz Dork

john,

you sparked something.

small block timing chain with a pair of crank gears instead of a crank and cam gear, with a tensioner off a timing chain system. i have a 4.6 to swipe tensioners off of and small chevy parts are cheap, plus i've got an extra crank gear around here.

the owner sent me an email and was cool in offering assistance if i want to build my own. i know my uncle plans to purchase one of wizard's pieces soon for a gasser project, i can't afford to spend $600 on a part for a truck i paid $300 for. otherwise i would have bought a $900 truck that wasnt a POS.
Jan. 25, 2010 6:41 p.m. John Brown SuperDork

Ideas are cheap, engineering is expensive.
Jan. 25, 2010 7:49 p.m. 2002maniac Reader

In reply to John Brown:

total steering failure is expensive
Jan. 25, 2010 7:53 p.m. aussiesmg SuperDork

You should see some of the old gear and link RHD conversion I saw back in the day, (shudders)
Jan. 25, 2010 7:56 p.m. Stuc HalfDork

2002maniac wrote:

In reply to John Brown:

total steering failure is expensive

and painful
Jan. 25, 2010 8:49 p.m. petegossett SuperDork

IIRC don't the circle track guys have some pretty affordable steering quickeners? I know you didn't want to change the ratio...but maybe run a pair of them to end up with the same ratio???
Jan. 25, 2010 9:00 p.m. patgizz Dork

the circle track steering quickeners are straight through.