so ...2 hours and the video is not even 1/2 uploaded! So some pics instead for now ....
Really getting close to calling her done .... Or is that just wishful thinking?
Aside from the sloppy u-joint, (i've got about 3 inches of steering wheel freeplay--blech,) the steering needs a support just ahead of the joint, seems to flex a lot there. I'm thinking of hanging a tube with a pair of 5/8-id wheel bearings for it and also tacking a bearing where the steering shaft passes through the support plate by the steering wheel. (tricky i know, i may pull both seals prior to the weld and use rtv to seal it on the plate side and repack it and put the original seal on the backside.)
First test of the setup the other day bent the shock mounting plate down into the arms. I'd intended to put a brace under it between the arms and forgot about it. So last night was mostly about doing that (1-inch thin wall box tubing) and finding a way to support the other end of it. It doesn't look like much support, but that little extension held up to some pretty brutal treatment today. the gussets for the end of the shaft i pretty much just slapped in there and had at it with the mig really quickly. I moved it all forward another 2 inches or so because the gas pedal got trapped under the steering rod a couple times in hard turns --- WHEE!!!!! omg, you got scag orange in my yerf! I'm also back to using the original steering shaft mounting hole on the pitman, cut off my extension--yay it shed a quarter pound! steering effort is pretty easy now and the ackerman is at an acceptable level.