Steering: Bending the rod?

[Noxnabaker]

I've only got one problem with fitting the s.b. Mopar in my -55 sedan & it's the clearance between the starter & the steering-arm that goes down from the steering-gear, if I'm lucky I might be able to squeeze a stamp between...

So I've been complaining 'bout this to who ever has the bad luck of being near me ("-seems I gotta get a ugly little high-tec youpie-starter") & yesterday a guy said "heat up the arm, bend it & adjust the rods, I've done it!"

So I go over & take a look since the engine is out anyway...

& I see that it's a bit bended/angled to the passenger-side...
"Hmmm... whatta 'bout turning it? ...No, that would be to much angle the other way... it would touch the frame..." (did try to get it of but it preferred to stay put!)

So I tried the engine in place again but for some reason the gods are still against me on this!
So now I wonder if someone else have tried the heating-&-bending-way-of-solving-the-problem & got away with it working fine?

(It's gonna be a car for a lot of daily diving & far too some times, not for being on a show-stand or having the possibility to go in the garage between races.)

Nox.

[Jerry Forrester]

Are you centering the engine between frame rails. Studebaker offset their engines 1/2" to the passenger side.

[Noxnabaker]

That might be something!
I saw that the drive-shaft joint on the rear-axle is a bit to the passenger side, just as the Mopar I'm using...
Strange how much they have in common even when it's 34 years between the cars & not the same brands.
Thanx a lot!

[Jerry Forrester]

Yeah, Mopar copied Studes on a lot of stuff.

[Noxnabaker]

No, it wasn't enough...

The electric connections for the cables sticks out on the side & are in the way when the arm moves backwards.

So I think I might go to my favorite starter-&-alternator-guy & ask him if there's a housing (that he hopefully has laying unused) with the connections in some other position.

& there's one more thing that makes it tricky: I just sold my daily driver Dodge van but kept the engine & gearbox since it's the same as I'm using for this my future ride (even got a over-drive in that deal!) & the oil-pan is lower so I wanna try to put that one on & get the engine down more, but then I'm thinking... there's the fact that the engine ofcourse is wider upwards...

To be continued!

[Jerry Forrester]

Sounds like it's time for rack&pinion steering.

[Noxnabaker]

Strange... Today I was just looking at a friends Jaguar XJ that I'm helping him with swapping the engine... just a big hole... no engine in place... but there's a rack'n pinion steering... & it's the scrap/donor-car...

But then I sobered up & thought 'bout all other things needing done.
(Like connecting the new start-air compressor in the engine-room in my tug & move all the equipment from the old wheel-house up in the new & some aluminum-welding on the new wheel-house that I find REALLY super-heavy-difficult to do & so on & on & on...)

So I'll wait with the steering-rod problem while I renew the oil-seals & filter in the new gearbox with over-drive & figure out a good new bracket-balk for it when it goes in under the car.

...Or maby a smaller starter.