Steering Column Mounting

[Doug Dastardly]

I need to mount my steering column soon in my new build and would like advice on the use of spacers to raise it for extra kneeroom to the steering wheel.

I know its a personal thing as we all have different leg lengths etc but any advice would be welcome.

How big should any spacers be and do I fit them to the upper or lower mount? Bear in mind that the column has to fit through the hole in the contoured dash.

I'm 6'5" but with long legs and have got sport turbo seats. The standard car was neat but drivable, but i might as well improve on it when I can. I'm also planning to change the column for a slightly longer one with removable wheel after IVA.

Would also be interested to know if anyone has moved it TOO high and how far was that?

Thanks for any help offered.

Doug

[carpetstu]

I would have thought spacing the steering wheel would cause more problems not help? If you are tall and have long legs, do you not have long arms too?

Spacing the wheel will bring the wheel closer thus making your arms bend more.

Surely the only way to help with leg room is to move the seat back or lower it?

This theory btw is from a short A*** with a big head  

[phil h]

you said it

[carpetstu]

you said it

Oi you don't start otherwise we will go for the full name reveal !    

[Doug Dastardly]

I would have thought spacing the steering wheel would cause more problems not help? If you are tall and have long legs, do you not have long arms too?

Spacing the wheel will bring the wheel closer thus making your arms bend more.

Surely the only way to help with leg room is to move the seat back or lower it?

This theory btw is from a short A*** with a big head  

I seem to have very long slender legs which would be great if I was a bird.......  

My arms just seem to be normal so that when I get a seat set for my legs I'm often left stretching for the steering wheel.

My driving position will be with the seat fully rearwards and the bottom of the wheel does not clear my knees by much so I hoped I could lift it slightly. I'll probably go for a smaller wheel and maybe even a D shaped one after IVA.

I'm hoping to keep the seat on runners just so it's not a one person car, but if needs must, I'll bolt it to the floor. I'll just have to see how I get on with it once on the road.

My only driving experience is a 1/2 hour test drive and sitting in the factory showroom car (which is how I learnt that sport turbo seats give more room)

Doug

[cleowuss]

There should be an aluminium spacer block supplied with the kit and fits between the column  front chassis mount and the column. Its a length of 25mmX20mm ali bar with two holes drilled through it.

As you can see it kicks the front of the column down, lifting the wheel up.

Do you have a lowered floor?

hope this helps

Richard

[Doug Dastardly]

There should be an aluminium spacer block supplied with the kit and fits between the column  front chassis mount and the column. Its a length of 25mmX20mm ali bar with two holes drilled through it.

As you can see it kicks the front of the column down, lifting the wheel up.

Do you have a lowered floor?

hope this helps

Richard

I've got a similar plate but I presume that it is for the 'standard' set up and I was wondering if I could improve it by adding extra?

I do have the lowered floor. I test drove a car over 10 years ago and gave up on the idea of westy ownership because I was looking through the top trim on the windscreen and just generally felt too big for the car. It was fine for a while but I thought that long term it would annoy me. Went back this summer to see if the lowered floor helped...............    

[cleowuss]

You could try adding more spacers but I think it will make fitting the dash harder plus the hole in the front bulkhead will need lowering.

Another option would be to fit a D shaped wheel post IVA.

But its all part of the fun building a westy

Richard

[Rob Navin]

We did this on one of the sprint cars I built.

I got the driver to sit in and hold the wheel where it was bolted in.  I then unbolted it and moved it so it was central to the driver and the pedals as it was not.  I would advise any one putting a new dash in to try this, just the centralising of the wheel makes a massive difference to the feel of the drive.

Also packed it out until the driver was fully comfortable making a big difference.   I just used an ali spacer and longer bolts for the job.

Obviously this meant a new dash to be made as you move the point it comes through the dash.

If you have not put it through the IVA you may be as well doing it after that.

[Doug Dastardly]

Thanks so far.

If I increase the lower mount spacer and leave the top as standard it shouldn't alter where it passes through the dash too much, although it would be a slightly different angle? Pointing further upwards?

Am I correct?

Doug

[cleowuss]

I think it will move it up a few mm may make the column tight in the dash hole but that could be remedied with a dremel and abit of retriming the dash.

Richard

[carpetstu]

That bottle looks weird. It appears to be either a minuture or the chassis of a Westfield for a giant  

[Cleggy the Spyder Man]

I have done most of the above suggestions

my experiance is:

dont try to space up the column too much or you will have problems with viewing the dials (assuming you look at them through the steering wheel) - I had three 10mm spacers made up and ended up using two I think - obviousely you have to hack around your dash for the new position -

I also had a quick release boss fitted so whilst the QR slug was being welded on to the column (service offered by Westfield) the column ended up being 30mm or so longer (they can make it as long or as short as you like within reason)  - this makes a very worthwhile difference to kneeroom - I have very long arms and have not found the closer position to be a problem

I also binned the 310mm standard westfield steering wheel in favour of a 245mm wheel by racetech (to be honest it is a bit too small - I would probably change to a 265 if I did it again)

Doing some of those or all of those things should make a good difference - failing that you have the option of fitting the lowered floor (which I have in mine and is great) or changing seats to fibreglass type which allows you to sit closer to the floor and further back in the car or as someone says above chuck the seat runners

enjoy

edit to add - if it was me I would get the column lenghtened and fit a smaller wheel first - if you are new building this is best done after your IVA

and another edit - the best thing you can do is either buy proper driving/racing  footwear or trainers with a very low heel and profile - I am a size 12 and It really is not safe to drive with my office shoes on so always keep some low profile trainers in the car

[Doug Dastardly]

Thanks everyone, great advice especially from Cleggy.

WF are sending me a couple of different sized spacers to put onto the bottom mount of the top column, so I'll play about with that a bit.

I don't think I'll overdo it, and I'll go for lenghthening the column post-IVA and get a smaller wheel like Cleggy.

   

Doug