Would castle nuts and lock wire look out of place here? It is extra work, and no one will notice.
But...
Update by Tim Suddard to the
Elva Mk VI project car
Dec 10, 2024
|
Elva,
Restoration,
Elva Mk VI,
Borgeson
Photography by Tim Suddard
Nothing about our Elva sport racer’s original steering column seemed sound. The car came to us sporting a thin-wall steel tube topped with a round pad drilled with three holes for the steering wheel. This column was supported by a pathetic rubber bushing that was also worn out.
We went searching for something a bit safer.
More often than not, we turn to Borgeson for steering parts. While this company specializes in steering components and power steering conversions for American cars of the ’60s, its catalog contains a myriad of columns, bearings, joints and other goodies to help with almost any project.
We chose a telescopic, collapsible steering column featuring the same ¾-inch diameter as our original piece. It telescopes in length from 24 to 27.75 inches and retails for about $87. It looks sound and secure.
We would then need a coupler to attach this column to the rack and, again, Borgeson to the rescue. The company offers a steering universal joint that would mount our new steering column to our steering rack’s 36-spline shaft. This piece retails for about $88.
The next thing we would need is the support bearing up near the steering wheel. Borgeson had a very rugged–perhaps more rugged than we really needed–steering shaft support with the necessary flat bottom. It came threaded with two 5/16-inch mounting holes. Price? At the time we placed our order, $45.22.
We designed and built a simple, strong L-shaped bracket to mount this support. Once everything was bolted in place, we had a modern solution that still looked period-correct.
A car in this period wouldn’t have come with a quick-release steering wheel, but both for safety and for ease of getting in and out of the car, one is a must today.
Jegs had a very innocuous little weld-on push-button, quick-release hub for a mere $23. Summit Racing has similar hubs as well.
In an upcoming update, we’ll machine a mount to attach our steering wheel to this quick-release hub.
Would castle nuts and lock wire look out of place here? It is extra work, and no one will notice.
But...
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