mounting a 1st gen steering box to 2nd gen

[btimm86]

So i've been doing a lot of research for my SAS and i ran into some confusion when it came to mounting the 1st gen steering box. I read the a 'fish' type mount should be used. I saw stic-o's box actually started bending his frame because of the way he built his mount. Can anyone clear up how this should be done? I guess i dont really get why you cant plate all around that area of the frame, drill some holes, and bolt it on up there.

 

[IZwack]

You can definitely plate all around and that is probably the best way. But sometimes the frame isnt always flat, so you're forced to work around the bumps and dimples.

A good idea too would be to put your front cross member as close to the steering gearbox as possible -- that would help prevent twisting the chassis.

The fish plate is designed so that it puts most of the load on the middle of the chassis which is where the stress of the weight of the vehicle is "neutral" -- because the chassis is a beam and the top is in compression and the bottom is in tension (therefore the middle is neutral).

 

[btimm86]

ok thanks that cleared it up pretty well for me