4.09.21 ONE STEP FORWARD...

 

TWO STEPS BACK.

Raising my steering box has been an odyssey to say the least. But moving it forward hs also created challenges. 

For instance, the customer steering box mount I fabricated and so careful painted in chassis black to match the frame. No sooner than we mocked it up to check for final fit than I realized the radiator cross-support is perfectly in the way of one stinking bolt hole. 

So out came the drills, the Dremel, the grinder, the gloves, the drop light, files, and a dozen other tools by the time I removed about 1/2 an inch of material. About three hours later, I've got the radiator support properly clearanced, and the frame is now scratched in numerous places. 

So then it was back to re-prepping the frame with rust encapsulator and a fresh coat of chassis black. 

In all, it took the better half of the day to remove half an inch of difficult-to-reach radiator support. 

To catch you up on Ratiki's status, yesterday my buddy Ronnie and I installed the steering column and mocked up the steering box steering-box mount I fabricated. We got the E-brake plumbed into the interior, too. Then we mocked up the steering box. 

That's when we realized I had to take two steps back and clearance the radiator support for the sake of one pesky steering-box bolt. 

Nevertheless, I've got a fresh coat of chassis black drying on the inner frame, and the fabricated steering box plate is ready to go in now.

I'll be replacing all the bolts with grade-8 hardware and should have the box in for good this week. 

I also unbundled the wiring harness and organized it a little better, wrapping it in bubble wrap to protect it, and the firewall from scratches. 

The next step is to mock up the steering arm to see whether the upper control arm will need to be clearanced, too. I'm hoping not, but the way my luck is running lately...