Manifold clearance

[Joshua48ply]

I have a 48 p15. Installed a 350sb using butches cool stuff mounts. Even offset 1 inch I still can't clear manifolds. It hits the steering shift. I really don't want to swap for r&p because I just put new tie rods on it last year. Has anyone ever cut the steering shaft and installed u joints to give more clearance. Would these u joints be strong enough for the manual steering. BTW I have tried many manifolds including the ram horn and the closest I can get is a rear dump late 80s car to fit. 

[Dodgeb4ya]

Calling Mr. Adams!

[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       

[Joshua48ply]

I do have the offset mounts and installed the engine to the specs of butches cool stuff. They say to use the ram horn style but it hits. I really should have installed the manifolds and then welded up the mounts after checking clerence.  Ig I get time after work tomorrow I'm gonna go ahead and cut the shaft and see. Worse case I have to put a rack on it. After disc conversion frame mount booster and mc engine tranny rear end and driveshaft this ol girl is bleeding me dry ?

[DonaldSmith]

I did the column surgery and U-joints to put a Power steering gearbox in my 47DeSoto.  I fabricated a column support and bushing at the firewall, a spline on the shortened shaft, and a sleeve-and-brush arrangement for the wire from the horn ring.  My report should be somewhere in the resources.  But here's a photo.  

 

Once you get past the gearshift linkage, there's not much room to vee around a manifold to the steering box.  I used the Bergeson shafts and U-joints.  The maximum angle of the U-joints is 30 or 35 degrees, and there would have to be bushing to hold the shafts away from the manifold.    

 

 

 

[Joshua48ply]

Thanks Don pics do help the thought process. I'm up in the air right now

 What box did you use and how much trouble was It. I'm pretty descent at fab just never went this deep into steering.

[Sniper]

21 hours ago, DonaldSmith said:

My report should be somewhere in the resources.

 

https://p15-d24.com/topic/35544-power-steering-for-postwar-mopar/

[kencombs]

On 3/1/2022 at 7:37 PM, Joshua48ply said:

I have a 48 p15. Installed a 350sb using butches cool stuff mounts. Even offset 1 inch I still can't clear manifolds. It hits the steering shift. I really don't want to swap for r&p because I just put new tie rods on it last year. Has anyone ever cut the steering shaft and installed u joints to give more clearance. Would these u joints be strong enough for the manual steering. BTW I have tried many manifolds including the ram horn and the closest I can get is a rear dump late 80s car to fit. 

Have you considered modifying the manifold?   I have done that on a few occasions.  Most cast manifolds can be cut easily with a sawsall or cutoff wheel and welded with one of the nickle alloy electrodes.   I've even added steel extensions to move or extend the cut piece .

[Joshua48ply]

Sorry for the late reply but I got it. I grinded the manifold a bit and modified the steering shaft. Hope it holds 

[Joshua48ply]

[andyd]

How is the steering column shaft attached to that intermediate shaft, ie, the intermediate shaft looks like its a solid piece of bar, is it butt welded onto the original hollow steering shafts?.........andyd