11 replies to this topic

[rcbamm]

Another one of my many mods I want to accomplish in my Clubman, one of them is to put tilt steering in it. Before I got my Clubman all tore down, when I drove it I had to have original seat as far forward as it could go and the steering wheel was still a lil ways away from me (I'm a small dude) I could reach it fine but would be much more comfortable with it lower. My Dad was painting a hot rod in the shop that had a smaller cockpit then in my CE. The owner of the hot rod had a billet tilt steering colum put in and I had a chance to experience it myself, it would be a PERFECT setup for a min but it's a wee bit expensive and it might not be the right length. What was nice about it was that the pivit point was about 5 inches away from the wheel. check it out here http://www.jegs.com/.../25120/10002/-1

I was wonder how many people have actually put a tilt steering colum in their mini and maybe post some pics.

I was just gonna go to the junkyard and look in every car until I found the right tilt colum. I know there has to be one out there like the one in the link above.


Here is a pic of my Clubman seat, lol it's pretty close isn't it?

Attached Files

•  DSC04827.JPG   1.79MB   26 downloads

Edited by rcbamm, 27 August 2008 - 05:49 PM.

[THE ANORAK]

just get a steering lowering bracket, only cost a few quid. mini spares will have them

[Ethel]

I've got a column off a Rover SD1 in my plaggy car. Anorak's solution would be much easier as you'd need a universal joint and that would necessitate more support brackets for the column.

[rcbamm]

Yeah, my cousin has a lowering bracket in his mitsubishi MightyMax pickup and I wanted to put something like that in my Clubby at first. I was planning on doing that untill I took off the bracket that holds my column in place and wanted to see if it would go any lower and it didn't. The column doesn't have u-joint so I would have to fabricate one on for the lowering bracket so the whole column would be able to lower itself. Plus, it I did it this way the column would be closer to my knees and would probably hit them. With the column like the one in the link I posted above, the pivit point is higher then the mounting bracket and then you wouldn't need a U-joint because the column wouldn't move, just the top part by the steering wheel would.

Here is a perfect picture showing the movement.

Attached Files

•  column_tilt_paint.jpg   8.63K   5 downloads

Edited by rcbamm, 27 August 2008 - 07:34 PM.

[Rhyd]

I took off the bracket that holds my column in place and wanted to see if it would go any lower and it didn't.

You need to slacken off the U bolts that hold the steering rack in place or the column won't move.

[Ethel]

You need to slacken the U bolts around the steering rack so it rotates and allows the column to drop. The only limiting factor is the hole in the body the input shaft off the rack pokes through. The standard column will drop as far as you could possibly want.

[Ethel]

You need to slacken the U bolts around the steering rack so it rotates and allows the column to drop. The only limiting factor is the hole in the body the input shaft off the rack pokes through. The standard column will drop as far as you could possibly want.

My kitcar is designed to use a standard Mini column, there'd be no problem with catching knees, it's because the shaft would run between the pedals and stop me left foot braking that I stuck with the SD1 column. I doubt you'd want to drop the column in a proper Mini as far unless you took the front seats out and sat on the floor to drive.

[rcbamm]

If you use a lowering bracket to lower the column, you would probably want to sit in the floor. as for the pivit point being right behind the steering wheel and above the column bracket where it bolts to the car, it would only make the wheel more vertical instead of the kinda horizontal level it's at. It would be closer to your thighs but it would make it more comfortable to drive (for a smaller person) because the steering wheel won't be soo far reaching.

Edited by rcbamm, 27 August 2008 - 09:20 PM.

[Ethel]

I understand what you're saying. Unfortunately, once you've accommodated the switch gear and steering lock the closest you can make the column hinge would be at least a foot from the wheel. The Mini's steering rack is also lower than on many other cars, the main reason why the steering wheel is at the angle it is.

[rcbamm]

I understand what you're saying. Unfortunately, once you've accommodated the switch gear and steering lock the closest you can make the column hinge would be at least a foot from the wheel. The Mini's steering rack is also lower than on many other cars, the main reason why the steering wheel is at the angle it is.

Right, but I plan on using a whole different steering column and fabricating it to fit and selling the original column to buy more parts to fabricate lol.

[Ethel]

Seems like you're intent with having a go, try not to do something you can't reverse if it doesn't work out. I'm not sure how much help we can give as most of us are on the opposite side of the Atlantic and will see very different cars in our scrapyards.

You'll have to find something that fits the splines on the rack's input shaft or chop up your existing column for the connection.

[mentalminis]

sorry to hijack

but i have been thinking of changing the steering column in mine also, to bring it more in line with a more modern feel, i was thinking of the austin metro steering rack, i don't know where the idea came from or even if it's possible, it's just something i have kind of got niggling in the back of my head.

is it a useful idea or can i get rid of the niggling now and move on?