yellowcorvettes.com new cluster and new location for steering column

[firstgear]

I read with a lot of interest the changes you made to your C1, one of the things that caught my attenetion the most was the effortrs you went through to hange the location of the steering column (hence wheel) by molding the new instrument cluster with the steering column coming up where the tachometer used to be.

Besides the new cluster housing, what changes were required of the steering column or any of the other components. I assume that you had to cut a new hole for the column as it didn't enter and exit through the firewall in the same place. I would like to understand all the changes if I was to go down this path...

I was very impressed with the things that you had done to make a new cluster, to the point that if I understand all the other things that you had to do, perhaps this might also make my list....getting more room behind that wheel is a primary objective I have.....in addition to new seats and a smaller wheel...moving the column up would also help out.

Does anyone that you know of sell clusters that are blank that need holes put in them that would allow this to be done or is the only way to fabricate one?

let me know, or if I missed the details in my reading on your site, tell me where it was and I will go back and read it again....

thanks for your help in advance, Herb

 

[IH2LOSE]

John McGraw can also give you information on this,It was his idea and i just copied it. I know of no one making a replacement cluster (for sure gaurenteed if I could have bought one I would have reguardless of the price) any ways by removing the tach bump out I was able to set the wheel that much further away from me.By droping the coulumn in the engine bay area it changes the angle and raise's the wheel up off my lap area. I would think inside of your excisting steering column there must be a way to cut the coulumn shell off and then cut the steel tube and then adapt to a I didit or flaming river column.with the universal joint adapters.

My car has a rack in it from a newer corvette because of the tube frame so no mater what I had to do a new steering column.

Good luck if you need more information email me and I get you my phone number

 

[firstgear]

I am wondering if it is possible to just move the wheel up (given that the cluster lets you do that, meaning new cluster with column hole location). Not having taken the car apart, is it possible to just pivot the column up from the engine bay causing it to come through the firewall slightly higher if I spiced in a universal joint. Assuming that the column is about 24 inches from the pivot point where it enters the car and the column is another 24 inches to the end, to get a 2" raise in the column requires a angle of about 2.4 degrees....makes me wonder if that is feasible, or as you suggest buy a column and use that with a rack and pinion....but I am trying to avoid taking that dollar plunge, so I wonder what can be done with the existing steering column and coming in at a slight angle to it.

Anyone got any ideas or know of anyone that has done something like that?

 

[IH2LOSE]

there is no way to raise it higher on the inside of the car because its up against the dash board steel,so the only choice is to lower the column where it goes into the engine bay,This for sure canot be done with an original steering column,

I dont know your abilities but for sure there is a lot of fabrication needed for this project,Had I not been buildining a custom car I would not of done all of this work on a stock car just to gain the room.

 

[firstgear]

there is no way to raise it higher on the inside of the car because its up against the dash board steel,so the only choice is to lower the column where it goes into the engine bay,This for sure canot be done with an original steering column,

I dont know your abilities but for sure there is a lot of fabrication needed for this project,Had I not been buildining a custom car I would not of done all of this work on a stock car just to gain the room.

sigh....nothing is ever easy.....and no, I have never done this kind of thing, but that doesn't mean I am not crazy to have tried it...and one of the companies that does a lot of work for my group is a big fabrication supplier (from the frames for the Cub Cadet equivalent of J-D Gator to really heavy stuff). I am trying to sort out my options...unfortunately, every where I turn on this I run into requirements of lots and lots of dollars. With my C5, I realized that once you said Corvette, that automatically the price jumps 30% on anything that you might want to do to the car...and I am finding that it continues with the C1 as well....just say corvette and get your 401k out.....