Fitting tall guys in Cab 11/12's

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Now the question of raising the steering wheel is interesting but from my rough measurements the most you would gain is one inch maybe 30mm at which point unsufficient clearance with the windsheild/windscreen would mean squeezing your knuckles.

This is another reason I'd prefer to lengthen the steering column rather than raise it, or perhaps a combination of both mods to achieve the ideal position. I see no great difficulty in lengthening the steering column, and 40mm would be sufficient to replicate Cab 13 dX (distance from clutch pedal to bottom of steering wheel) which is the critical dimension for tall drivers.

However there may be an easier solution we haven't considered - swing the steering column to the right. Cab 11/12 steering column runs parallel to the chassis rail (looking from directly above) whereas the Cab 13 steering column is skewed outwards. This provides more room for your left leg to escape from under the steering wheel when operating the clutch. A quick check on my own Cab 12 suggests moving the steering column bracket 20mm to the right would move the steering wheel far enough away from the handbrake lever to allow your left leg to pass between comfortably. Naturally this would encroach upon your right leg movement, however there's plenty of spare room between the steering wheel and the door.

It's worth noting too that the steering wheel on the Cab 12 is not in line with the seat - it's offset to the left by approx 50mm. In other words it's not centrally between your legs when you're driving. That means swinging the steering column to the right would centralize the steering wheel with the seat - as is the case on the Cab 13.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Tony Wheeler

However there may be an easier solution we haven't considered - swing the steering column to the right.

Gents, I trialled this mod today on my Cab 12 Ford, and although it's an improvement it's not enough to allow my left leg to escape out from under the steering wheel. Photos below are taken with both feet on the pedals and the steering column bracket moved 25mm to the right. That's about the limit for this mod because the steering wheel is starting to get too close to the door. As you can see my right leg can still fit between the steering wheel and the door when operating the brake, but my left leg is still trapped under the steering wheel by the handbrake when operating the clutch.

What this experiment proves is that I will never be able to extract my left leg out from under the steering wheel when operating the clutch, unless I'm prepared to modify the handbrake and probably the engine cover and dashboard as well. This is entirely pointless when the problem can be solved by simply increasing dX (the distance between the clutch pedal pad and the bottom of the steering wheel) so that my lower leg can fit comfortably between them when operating the clutch. The simplest way to increase dX is to lengthen the steering column, and you can see in pic 5 that it would not require much, perhaps 40mm at the most. Alternatively you could increase dX by setting the clutch pedal 40mm depressed, however you'd need to move the toeplate 40mm forward in order to maintain full pedal travel. This is quite feasible with a bit of sheetmetal work, but my own preference at this stage is to lengthen the steering column. In due course I shall trial this mod and report my findings here.

Cheers,
Tony

[Tony Wheeler]

Here's a pic of the wedge used under the front steering box mount on the Rover armoured car, to adjust for the changed angle of the steering column due to the lowered steering wheel. You'd need something like this under the rear steering box mount if you raised the steering wheel.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Guys,

interesting to see all these suggestions and options to fit the larger blokes in a cab 11/12. I guess with my C8 the problem might be even more difficult as I think the steering boxes has a fixed angle, so adjusting the support on the dash wouldn't work without also changing the angle of the steering box itself (?)

By the way.....what about a different steering wheel? Does anyone know of a steering wheel with a slightly smaller diameter and a design/look close to the original? Maybe even one with a different boss in the centre which already raises the steering wheel???? Wishfull thinking?

Alex

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

I just noticed that we have been talking about both FORD and CHEVY Pattern 11/12s interchangeably and though close they are not identical.

Alex raises an interesting idea in extending the steering tube 1 or 2 inches might be a solution. With the replacement steering boxes sold for the US trucks of this vintage that is what they tell you to do cut the shaft and remove the outer tube and weld the new box on to the old steering tube.

While I would not rush into cutting the shaft, I would really consider mocking it up by removing the steering wheel and moving it out 1 or 2 to see if that solves the knee clearance issue.

Another alternative, just went to see the orthopedic surgeon about my knees this morning and in the course of things they discovered that I was 2 1/2" shorter than I was 20 years ago. So maybe just wait until you shrink enough to fit. Naw that's a bad idea you would miss out on too much fun driving these things.

Cheers Phil

[Bob Carriere]

Should be a fairly easy process and can be tried out in gradual steps.

Outside tube can be cut and a overriding sleeve easy enough to make. similarly the inner shaft can be cut and sleeved.... a tight fit would allow to slide the try various lenghts before deciding if it is worth welding both components to a permanent setting.

How about totally modifying the tube/shaft with hot rod steering Ujoint that
would eliminate any needs for spacer/wedges...?

In my mind first prize goes to our friend in Texas who converted his F8 to a Ford C6 automatic transmission ......... he was determined to drive it.

For me diet and age shrinkage is within easy reach!!!!

Bob C

[Alex van de Wetering]

I was just browsing Clive's awesome factory photos CD once again and found this picture.....a Chev Cab12 with what seems to be an adjustable steering column with two wingnuts(?).....