65 Steering - Dash to Driver's end of shaft measurement?

[kevinshi]

Howdy -

I am in need of the OE measurement from dash to driver's end of steering shaft for a 65 (I think all of them are the same though mine is a caliente convertible).

Any chance someone out there has theirs torn down and can send me the exact measurement? Unfortunately an approximate measure does me no good - I need a careful and precise measure from the bottom/back edge of the "u" form of the dash (where the outer column seats) to the end of the shaft facing the driver.

Wow for a.guy begging for help I sure am demanding. Ahem. Sorry.

I believe that measurement will be 10 1/4" but could be a bit less or even as much as 10 5/8".

(A home run would be a picture of the tape measure showing the resut - but I am already asking for too much here...)

Tons of thanks in advance!

[poboyjo65]

I have a pic I took some time ago from the end of the shaft down to the sector box. if you have your floor seal plate off or if you have the column tube off you could run your tape measure down thru the floor & get a reference on the box. dont know why you need this measurement but there is a slot on the column tube that the U shaped bracket that holds the tube to the dash has a peg that goes in that slot.

[kevinshi]

Well that is helpful (THANKS!!!) but I don't think I can fully solve my issue with only that info...

Actually there is an alternative question that would get me what I need:

Does anyone happen to know whether the the distance from dash to (drivers) end of shaft the same for the 1963 Falcon and the 1965 Comet?

The reason I am seeking this info is because I am in the midst of plagiarizing the clever work done by Matt Veasey on his 1963 Falcon to install Borgesson power steering while retaining the automatic column shiftier (described in a two part youtube series here here and here). (A key obvoius difference being that the neutral safety switch setup is totally for a 1965 than a 1963 - actually I think the job will be a bit easier on a 1965 because of that difference).

I *think* the measurements he came up with are the same as would be found on a 1965 OE. However because I long ago removed my original shaft and steering box I can't do the measurement myself to make sure.. and I am not confident that my current setup (that is not OE) is the same as OE.

(..and yes I will post a report when the work is complete ).

[poboyjo65]

Yes they are different. I made a left handed shifted column for a guy with a 63. it was different from dash to drivers ends & the overall length. (also the wiring channel was different) . I put the borgesen box on my 65 but I went with a rag joint since I had a 4sp. I have a stock box apart right now. but I get that you want a measurement to the dash but that could vary slightly from car to car.

What is your set up now?

[kevinshi]

Current setup is with a rag joint.

To be specific I have the Borgeson 800110 conversion box with Borgeson 052534 rag and a Borgeson 990040 shaft. I chose that setup (a few years ago) because I wanted to keep my original steering wheel. The compromise at the time was (a) I had to drop the column shift and install a floor shift and (b) I had to slightly change the relative location of the steering wheel as it relates to the driver - I think it got closer to the driver but I am not certain... hence my posting this thread.

I could just have my 3rd generation setup be the same as the above 2nd generation. However I figure if i am going to go to all this effort - including a pretty nasty hack to the steering shaft - I might as well cut the shaft and get back to exactly what the factory had done.

Do you really think this would have varied per car? I guess I could imagine there being a variance within perhaps an 1/8" tolerance - but no more than that, eh?

[poboyjo65]

Yea I'm just saying dashes could change slightly but 1/8'' would probably be the most, but that is about the gap between the collars & could be trouble if that gap gets closed up. I guess what I meant was not to trust other peoples measurements, do your own measuring.

3rd generation? 2nd gen? I'm not understanding that.I'm still trying to get a clear picture of what you are trying to do & why you are wanting to do it. you are wanting to get the wheel closer to the dash? but you also want to put the column shift back on? do you still have your old column tube with shifter tubes & lever? or did you cut it up for your present set up?

you know taking out the rag joint will add vibration to the wheel right?

[kevinshi]

Yep, I'm expecting wheel vibration - a compromise I am willing to live with.

2nd/3rd Generation - That's just my shorthand for the evolution of my car. Might have been clearer to say Version 1, Version 2 and Version 3 as follows:

1. Version 1: "Original" - As it came out of the factory. Mine had manual (not power) steering and column shift automatic.

• Version 2: "Add Power Steering (but lose column shift)" - I removed the original shaft and box then installed the Borgeson power box, rag and shaft. There were two consequences: (a) The new setup generated a different "length" of the steering system as a whole - the steering wheel ended up closer (I think) to the driver and (b) I had to forgo column shifting and install floor shift (yuck!).

• Version 3: "Hack column shifting back!" - I am now removing floor shift and going back to a column shift (yea!). As per the youtube videos referenced above this process involves removing the rag joint and replacing it with a custom coupler that will be welded to the end of the shaft. In addition I will remove a (mid-)section of the inner and outer tubes such that they will fit correctly over the modified shaft which will serve to correctly position the lower shift arm.

But now I am stuck without an answer to the following question: "What length should I make this newly modified shaft"?

You might reasonably be thinking "well just reinstall your original shaft and box and measure for yourself!" Well, ahem, I failed to retain those components after Version 2 was done. Augh!

As an aside (not relevant to the core question, but you might find interesting): I also failed to retain the inner tube... furthermore the outertube had to be cut during Version 2 such that it will not work for Version 3. Thus I have acquired an inner and outer tube online (the pair of which I will be modifying). For whatever reason I did retain the linkage. Sigh.

Make sense?

[poboyjo65]

So the guy in the video said he took out an inch from each tube & some from the end of the outer tube. I think I would figure out where I wanted to take the inch out , Mark & cut the tubes in two, & wait about taking out the inch like he did, it may be different for you. take off the rag joint,then mock up the upper tubes with your shaft ,,the underdash bracket holding it all on. make sure the steering wheel is where you want it. then you would measure between upper column tube & borg box to figure out how long the lower part of the outer tube needs to be.( the inner tube (shifter tube) will be shortened the exact same amount as the outer tube.) get the coupler he mentioned & put it on the borgeson box you can also measure or see if your old shaft is long enough with the coupler on the box.

[kevinshi]

Yea, my default plan is to just keep the measurement of Version 2. And that would be "fine" if that's what I have to do. However I would just prefer to have the measurement from Version 1 (e.g. I am modifying the shaft anyway so why not have it be as it came out of the factory?)