09 Steering Column Shaft

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Tourabout
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09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by Tourabout » Sat Dec 03, 2022 12:26 pm

Can anyone tell me the total length of the 1909-10 steering shaft that the pitman arm mounts to?

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TRDxB2
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Re: 09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by TRDxB2 » Sat Dec 03, 2022 12:33 pm

Tourabout wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 12:26 pm
Can anyone tell me the total length of the 1909-10 steering shaft that the pitman arm mounts to?
https://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/29/24786.html
By royce , February 14, 2007
You can always go to the encyclopedia section of this web site and find this type of information.
STEERING COLUMN
1909-1910
3500 (T900). (Cars under 34,600, December 19, 1910) 50" long. Brass gear housing was a riveted assembly with the column fitting. Brass quadrant. Levers brass-plated with black hard-rubber knobs. The pitman arm was oval in cross-section, and shorter than the later types used with the two-piece spindles. (The first 2500 cars apparently used a shorter and straighter piman arm than that used on the post-2500 cars.)
1911
3500C (T5005). Now 56" long but similar to 1910.
3500B (T900B). For Town Cars, 51" length.
3500D (T979). For Torpedo Runabouts, 60" length.
1912-1914
3500C (T5005). 56" long, on all cars. A new design, the column was mounted 3/4" lower at the firewall than in 1911, requiring a new steering bracket and a change in the angle of the column mounting flange. Retained was the brass quadrant and riveted gear case. 1912 was the last year for the hard-rubber spark and throttle knobs. These were eliminated during 1912 and the ends of the brass-plated control rods were flattened for "handles." Around 1913 the lower mounting flange was changed from a forging to pressed metal.
1915
3500C (T5042). The 1914 column seems to have been used in very early production, with some overlap when both the old and new types appeared at the same time. The new gear case was now one-piece rather than riveted design. Quadrant was pressed steel, painted black, apparently introduced during 1914 production. The gear case was polished bronze, not plated. The cover was much flatter than previous cone-shaped type. Levers were steel with the flattened ends now smaller and somewhat round, and brass-plated (although some black-painted rods seem original).
Factory Blueprints indicate that the new one-piece gear case was approved on September 5, 1914. On September 18, 1914 the steering gear quadrant was redesigned. The new quadrant was made from cold-rolled steel and was to be brass plated. Early types of the steel quadrant were made with the serrated edge folded up, somewhat in the manner of the earlier design. September drawings show the later type (without the fold). There may have been two versions of the earlier design quadrant; one made of brass and the other of steel. Both are shown on the blueprint.
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viewtopic.php?t=13455
by DanTreace » Jun 07, 2020
1911
3500C (T5005). Now 56” long but similar to 1910.
3500B (T900B). For Town Cars, 51” length.
3500D (T979). For Torpedo Runabouts, 60” length.
1912-1914
3500C (T5005). 56” long, on all cars. A new design, the column was mounted 3/4” lower at the firewall than in 1911, requiring a new steering bracket and a change in the angle of the column mounting flange. Retained was the brass quadrant and riveted gear case. 1912 was the last year for the hard-rubber spark and throttle knobs. These were eliminated during 1912 and the ends of the brass-plated control rods were flattened for “handles.” Around 1913 the lower mounting flange was changed from a forging to pressed metal.
The past is a great place and I don't want to erase it or to regret it, but I don't want to be its prisoner either.
Mick Jagger

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Tourabout
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Re: 09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by Tourabout » Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:33 pm

Is this the overall length of the steering column?
Does this mean I could take a later steering shaft and shorten it 6 inches and it would be correct for a 1909-10 column?

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BRENT in 10-uh-C
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Re: 09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by BRENT in 10-uh-C » Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:36 pm

Tourabout wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:33 pm
Is this the overall length of the steering column?
Does this mean I could take a later steering shaft and shorten it 6 inches and it would be correct for a 1909-10 column?
Robbie, I'm not sure this is what you are asking but I asked a similar question awhile back to a couple of people as I wanted to cut down a 5:1 steering gear to use in the early gear case and was told the gears won't fit. I was told I would need to use a later case and camouflage the case to look like the earlier housing.

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Re: 09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by TRDxB2 » Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:02 pm

Tourabout wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:33 pm
Is this the overall length of the steering column?
Does this mean I could take a later steering shaft and shorten it 6 inches and it would be correct for a 1909-10 column?
This is the discussion about using a 5:1 steering shaft in a 4:1 case. https://mtfca.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=4747
It would help to understand what your objective is in shortening the shaft. Cutting one down means that it needs to be welded back together - properly.
The past is a great place and I don't want to erase it or to regret it, but I don't want to be its prisoner either.
Mick Jagger


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Re: 09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by speedytinc » Tue Dec 06, 2022 6:32 pm

BRENT in 10-uh-C wrote:
Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:36 pm
Tourabout wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:33 pm
Is this the overall length of the steering column?
Does this mean I could take a later steering shaft and shorten it 6 inches and it would be correct for a 1909-10 column?
Robbie, I'm not sure this is what you are asking but I asked a similar question awhile back to a couple of people as I wanted to cut down a 5:1 steering gear to use in the early gear case and was told the gears won't fit. I was told I would need to use a later case and camouflage the case to look like the earlier housing.
I have 5:1 gearing in an original 14 gear case. Fits & functions fine. Heed fords warning. The center shaft, 3 planetary gears & the long shaft must all be 5-1. Do not mix any 4-1 pieces. The 3 gear pins are all the short length due to no machined travel stop slot in the gear case.

If you were to shorten the shaft, I wouldnt do a cut & weld. Cut & re-machine the pit-man arm end taper, threads & key slot.

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Tourabout
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Re: 09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by Tourabout » Tue Dec 06, 2022 7:07 pm

BRENT in 10-uh-C wrote:
Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:36 pm
Tourabout wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 9:33 pm
Is this the overall length of the steering column?
Does this mean I could take a later steering shaft and shorten it 6 inches and it would be correct for a 1909-10 column?
Robbie, I'm not sure this is what you are asking but I asked a similar question awhile back to a couple of people as I wanted to cut down a 5:1 steering gear to use in the early gear case and was told the gears won't fit. I was told I would need to use a later case and camouflage the case to look like the earlier housing.
Brent,
I am looking Into changing over to a 5:1 ration in my 4:1 case. The biggest problem I am having is, my steering shaft has been misplaced and is not in my possession. Therefore, I don’t know the length. I thought maybe someone could tell me the length so I can come up with a 5:1 shaft and make it the correct length. I haven’t had anyone reply with a definite length and I don’t want to guess.

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TRDxB2
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Re: 09 Steering Column Shaft

Post by TRDxB2 » Tue Dec 06, 2022 11:54 pm

Suggestion
Buy a wood dowel (Lowe's) and use it to measure it with the steering column and steering bracket attached - from the inside of the case to the end o f the steering bracket and then add for the thickness of the head and stub end.
The dowel is long enough to even modify for the head thickness and mark with the pitman arm and nut on it. The dowel is 1/2" and the shaft is 3/4"
Here is another discussion of just adding a new shaft to existing 5:1
Attachments
dowel.png
bracket.png
bracket.png (255.51 KiB) Viewed 696 times
head.png
The past is a great place and I don't want to erase it or to regret it, but I don't want to be its prisoner either.
Mick Jagger

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