55.2-59 Steering Column Support Bracket?

[unclebrad]

My steering column was shortened a while back, and the guy that did the job welded a plate between it and the firewall for support, since the old steering box that provided support at the lower end was removed. His craftsmanship left much to be desired.

I recently needed to take the column out and removed that plate.

Now, I am putting the column back in and need support at the firewall. I do not want to use the plate that I took off. And the plate that is made to make a seal as the column passes through the firewall is not going to do the trick.)

Does anyone sell a bracket of some sort, to support the steering column at the firewall?

[leegreen]

some universal ones:

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/shop/...4-15-572-31182

https://www.jegs.com/p/JEGS/JEGS-Ste...16285/10002/-1

[unclebrad]

Thanks.

Speedway has this one that I think I am going to try.

[unclebrad]

Well, I ‘m still not liking the way this is going.

The column floor “seal” plate just seems like the wrong part.

It is for a 2” column and 1” shifter column. The column on my ’55 is 1-3/4” and the shifter column is 5/8” so there is a gap around both columns - the “seal” doesn’t seal at all.

Something else that is odd, is that the seal plate doesn’t really fit to the firewall. It looks like it was designed to conform to the bend in a firewall, but it doesn’t bend at the right place, leaving a space.

I can finagle things to get everything to seal, but I want this truck to be done right, and that would not be doing things right.

I can’t imagine that nobody has run into this before.

Any thoughts about what is going on?

This illustration isn't to scale but gives you the idea I think...

[leegreen]

I'd make a plate that fit into the floor recess, put two holes in it to match grommets with the right ID for the shafts. Use that to locate the column, seal it to the floor and then use a strong collar like you pictured above that clamps to the column and bolt it through the plate and floor.
I would not rely on the grommets to secure the bottom of the column in place for a setup with two universals.

A grommet like this may work with the plate you have

https://www.hardwarespecialty.com/Ca...ommets/1108750

Did not see one with 5/8 ID for 1" hole, you may need to drill the shifter hole to 1.25

[unclebrad]

Thanks. I will do pretty much exactly that if I can't find the right part.

[mr48chev]

Here's a 15 dollar knockoff of the ones some rod shops sell for about 60. The only gripe I saw in the reviews was that they don't have lineup pins for the two halves but that would be an easy fix https://www.temu.com/steering-column..._id=zknznw2y4l

[mr48chev]

Or for a few dollars more you can get the real deal Ididit unit https://www.summitracing.com/parts/i...xiEa2IH7uWpw20

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s..._R7lAWXvpPty1Y

That is some idea of what might work.

[Kevin_C]

its pricey but I went with the flaming river.

https://www.flamingriver.com/fr20101...el-floor-mount

[unclebrad]

My column has the 5/8" shifter rod riding on top of the column so I am going to get this plate with a pre-drilled 2" hole for the column itself, and then drill the smaller hole myself. (7/8"?)

That should save me a fair amount of time, over making it myself from scratch.

The hole is 2" and my column is 1-3/4" so I'll use a grommet to get a nice seal.

I ordered this grommet for the big hole - Got a couple extra just in case )

Should be able to find a 5/8" ID grommet at the local hardware store.

[dsraven]

if it were mine I would make a plate that covers the hole with a correct diameter hole drilled for the column tube and the shifter rod. leaving room for the grommet on the shifter rod if possible. tidy up the edges and contours so it looks as nice as you want it to and mount that on the floor with a gasket of some sort so that it is centered around the column etc. then I would take a short length of exhaust tubing that has an ID the same as the OD of the column tube. split that so that it can be placed around the column tube without removing anything and tack one half of it onto the floor plate on the uphill side of the column. then, for the other half, weld on a small tab onto the piece so that it has something flat to sit on the floor plate and has an L shape all the way around that piece, then drill a couple of holes in it for some fasteners to bolt it down onto the floor plate. once that is completed and bolted down tightly a correctly sized exhaust step band clamp can be used to clamp the column to the plate for a nice look or even a standard exhaust u style clamp could be used. on the engine side of things I would use a small bead of seam sealer around the edges and possibly a gator around the shifter rod. I would use some dry lube on the shifter rod so that it would slip easily on the gator or the grommet
but, thats a lot of work. maybe thats why my project is STILL not done. haha.

[dsraven]

if you find the distance between the column tube and the shifter rod is too small to have any steel left between them, on the floor plate, you could use a piece of soft rubber for a gasket between the floor plate and the floor, cut a hole for the column tube to fit through snuggly, then for the shifter rod make that hole a little snugger so that it will seal the rod but still allow the rod to turn and slide in/out. polish the rod in that area so that it will seal well and lube the area with some dry lube. I have used motorcycle chain wax occasionally for things like that. it goes on wet but dries in a short time. spray it on, work the mechanism to ensure the lube gets spread over the whole affected area, then walk away and let it dry. i suppose bicycle chain wax would also work and comes in a squeeze bottle rather than a spray can.

[unclebrad]

I like the chain wax idea. I do have some silicone lube here though, so probably will end up using that.

As you can see in the pic, my column is already painted, so no welding for me now.

I have spent way too much time on this tiny little detail, which is why I broke down and ordered the floor seal and mounting bracket, which I had planned to make up from bits and pieces laying around.

There is a trade-off though. I am wanting to knock this out now, but have to wait for everything to get here.

As they say in "The Mandalorian", "This is the Way".

[dsraven]

Silicone spray works but I find it is short term and usually needs another application after a short time. And on and on.