andyd

I've a 318 poly in my 40 Dodge with a rack & pinion, installed in 1973........I've also installed a couple of other V8's & steering boxes over the years in various mopars.........first thing is have you checked around as there are quite a few different exhaust manifold shapes & designs used on SBC engines over the years, however if the engine only needs to be offset 1" then depending on other clearances that still would be acceptable from an engineering standpoint although I understand your reluctance to accept that 1"...........as for cutting the steering shaft I've also done that years ago on a few cars.......the internal steering shaft is a hollow tube to allow the horn wire to escape, as for using uni joints so long as the ones you use are designed for steering use like Flaming River, Borgesson or Ididit or similar then they will be fine, the trick is deciding how to attach them to the cut column.........again that is a personal preference and thinking about this I would expect that you will need at least 2 if not 3 uni joints to get around the manifolds and therefore a center bearing to stop the shaft "flopping"..........what I did in my car is probably not real relevant as I mounted the Poly quite low and ended up using an Oz Austin 1800 rack & Pinion that I narrowed 9" & my car is RHD but thats technically not an issue............I've attached a couple of pics.........I'd get hold of a uni joint catalog before cutting anything as generally I'd think it would be better to identify uni joints that will work then cut the shaft to suit rather than cut & find that nothing will work..........lol.........anyway trust this gives you some food for thought...........any questions ...........ask away........Andy Douglas

Marc........do you still have the old worn brake shoes?.......do they allow the drums to fit on?.............are the actual old/original shoes the same size as the "new" ones that don't fit except that they don't have a new thick brake lining?.......then it must be the new brake lining thats the problem...........from here in Oz it still sounds like the linings are TOO THICK..........andyd

I still think the linings are too thick...........andyd

New Yorker...ring me........Sunny(?) South Grafton, NSW........02 6642 5963......anytime.......Andy Douglas

1946Newyorker.....where in Oz are you......I'm in Australia, South Grafton NSW.....I had a 1948 Chrysler Windsor 45 yrs ago & have had my 1940 Dodge since 1971..........I have played with these Oz steering boxes a couple of times, depending on how much you want to modify or change the HK-HG Holden steering box maybe a good alternative..........best thing is to give me a call........anytime.......02 6642 5963......Andy Douglas

Marc........the brakes shoes lining is TOO THICK....all the specs I have seen says that they should be 3/16th NOT 1/4........as you have said these shoes were sitting on the shelf and have not been on the car........I assume you have compared these shoes to the ones that were on the car?.........they are the same size, ie, diameter/curvature?.........so the only answer is that there is TOO MUCH lining..........contact a brake specialist or a place like Kanter, Bernbaums etc & ask them if they were to reline your old brake shoes what thickness of lining would they attach?.........to your old brake shoes that do fit...........to me sanding with some sandpaper, bench grinder or whatever is just asking for trouble unless each shoe is set in a fixture that can accurately measure how much lining is removed........OH......and what are these linings made of?.........I hope they are not asbestos..........great stuff until you turn it into a fine dust.....like sanding...........my Oz 2 cents worth.....andyd

Have you checked the headlight switch as far as power in and out thru the connections on the switch?...........also does the power for the radio come from the headlight switch?.......my Oz 1940 Dodge is Plymouth based and I would think its headlight switch is the same as yours so I'd be checking the switch....they can be disassembled if you are careful and check the contacts inside..............andyd

That looks to be a similar setup to that used here in Oz up to at least 1941, my 1940 Dodge uses the same type of lock......what I did was get another spare handle and insert it from the inside thru both square holes which is easier done from the inside and just have this inside handles shaft holding the holes square to each other ..........this "lines up" the two holes and then ever so gently insert the new handle from the outside gently pushing the inside shaft out and letting the new handle shaft take its place......at least thats what I did or vaguely remember what I did the last time I played door handles............andyd

Thats an amazing bike..........interesting tho' as mention is made of increasing the carburation yet the bike as pictured only has what appears to be a stock single barrel carby and stock exhaust manifold...........just did a search & it appears that the single carby & exhaust setup was as per a stock Plymouth...........either way its a neat piece of vintage speed equipment.........andyd