I have enjoyed looking at some of the other old Studebaker photos posted here. I found this one I had stashed away. I think it was taken at the Proving Ground but not really sure what the driver is doing with two steering wheels.
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When engineers wore neckties. He was roughing it with his suit jacket off and sleeves rolled up.
I remember the days when I was required to wear a conservative business suit. A sport jacket was not allowed. I remember wearing dark Hush Puppy shoes one Summer day. My manager got on me about not having polished shoes.Gary L.
Wappinger, NY
SDC member since 1968
Studebaker enthusiast much longer
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Holy huge transducers!
Yes, looks to be a torque/force gauge setup. Direct acting too. Looks like pistons are clamped onto the car's normal wheel spokes and tubes leading up to the gauge. As the upper wheel turns, the torque applied compresses whatever fluid is in those pistons trying to turn the lower wheel and the resultant pressure indicated on the gauge. Wonder if they had the guage dial marked out in torque units or it was simply pressure and the engineer had to calculate the torque from the pressure, piston dimensions, and the lever arm distance on the lower wheel spokes? Time to whip out that slide rule....
Nowadays, they would use something like this:
RAETECH Motorsports' Steering Torque Load Cell provides a quick and simple solution to a historically difficult task, measuring steering wheel effort.
All electronic and probably wired into their data acquistion system.
Jeff in ND
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Take a look in the Dec. 2012 issue of "CAR AND DRIVER", there is an article about the difference in feel between hydraulic and electronic power steeering. There is a pic of a test BMW and the set-up doesn't look a whole lot different today than then.
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Frank is on to something. I don't think it's a Model T wheel, but probably is from a '20s auto, possibly a Studebaker. What the engineer is doing is over my head.
Rog'59 Lark VI Regal Hardtop
Smithtown,NY
Recording Secretary, Long Island Studebaker Club
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It looks to me like a device to measure the strength or force required to turn the wheel (the old "armstrong" powered steering) and steer the car. The wires were going to the late 40's version of the laptop of macbook??? (that "data acquisition machine" is probably taking up 3 floors of 4 story building!)sigpic[SIGPIC]
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