Swapping to collapsible steering column?

K

Ktmp

New member
Although my A coupe will never be a daily driver, I do have to travel on some fairly traffic heavy roads to leave my home. I'm about to add lap belts and I'm curious of anyone had converted to an aftermarket collapsible steering column such as manufactured by ididit?
 
Ktmp said:
Although my A coupe will never be a daily driver, I do have to travel on some fairly traffic heavy roads to leave my home. I'm about to add lap belts and I'm curious of anyone had converted to an aftermarket collapsible steering column such as manufactured by ididit?
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Huh??
 
Yours is a sensible question if you are going to fit only lap belts. I regard those as next to useless for the driver but I have them in my car for the passengers because they don't have to worry about a steering column spearing their chest. For myself (the driver) I had a belt made up. My cars are a Phaeton and a Todor. In each, the belt is "Y" shaped with the bottom of the Y secured to the strong box section that goes accross under and behind the back seat. The tops of the Y come over my shoulders and attach to a lap belt. The whole thing ends up just like a racing harness. hat measuers one can take in a car like a Model A are limited but I don't think I can do much more.
A collapsable steering column wil not prevent your face being splattered on the windscreen but I think (hope) that if push came to shove, my arrangement would help me and my passengers.
 
I understand your concern over safety on the collapsible column . You didn’t mention the year you have 28 29 or 1930 31. The column your looking for doesn’t exist in a stock looking form but can be made. This can be accomplished by using a double D shaft and slip collar and pinning them on the steering shaft. The column tube would be the same and metal suppliers sell slip tubing where one fits into the other. It would take a bit to achieve but whats the cost of safety . I dont think this is the site for this discussion and the HAMB might be a better place.
 
Synchro909. Do you have any pictures of you shoulder harness rig. It sounds like a good idea to me. I would think it would work for the passenger side too. Thanks
 
wmws said:
Synchro909. Do you have any pictures of you shoulder harness rig. It sounds like a good idea to me. I would think it would work for the passenger side too. Thanks
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I'll see what I can do. I don't own a mobile phone so I'll have to get someone else to take the pictures but down loading and up loading them has me all turned around!!!
 
Synchro909 said:
Yours is a sensible question if you are going to fit only lap belts. I regard those as next to useless for the driver but I have them in my car for the passengers because they don't have to worry about a steering column spearing their chest. .
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The hood in a head on, can come up and through the windshield into someone’s face, or upper chest. I’ve see in happen.
Unfortunately the driver died from the column, and passenger from the hood.
 
Drive Shaft Dave said:
Drive a modern car.
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X2. There are no shoulder harnesses, side impact door beams, crumple zones, collapsible steering columns, roll over structures, etc. The gas tank in in your lap, the tires have a skinny footprint, the brakes are marginal even when all parts are new and adjusted properly, the suspension is from a horse drawn buggy. If stock, the headlights are dim, there are no turn signals, one weak brake light, no side marker lights.

A Model A isn't for everyone. :)
 
It seems fairly unlikely the column is going to be a problem. It's attached to the chassis and that chassis area is protected by a big lump of an engine which is attached quite robustly to the diff and front end. If it is going to push the column back there will be a few other things to worry about. Number one would be the light switch turning into a blade through the chest. It can't be good for you.
 
updraught said:
It seems fairly unlikely the column is going to be a problem. It's attached to the chassis and that chassis area is protected by a big lump of an engine which is attached quite robustly to the diff and front end. If it is going to push the column back there will be a few other things to worry about. Number one would be the light switch turning into a blade through the chest. It can't be good for you.
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The idea isn't that the column shifts back and collides with you, but rather that the car stops and your unrestrained torso continues moving forward, colliding with the column.
 
alexiskai said:
The idea isn't that the column shifts back and collides with you, but rather that the car stops and your unrestrained torso continues moving forward, colliding with the column.
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No expert, but I think it is the lower part of the column that can collapse.

"Existing collapsible steering columns still consist of a long shaft that connects the steering wheel to the steering gear box. However, the collapsible design is composed of an inner and an outer sleeve, engaged tightly together witha number of steel bearings in between the sleeves. These steel bearings are pressed into the metal sleeves, and are held in place with a strong safety resin, which is designed to harden and then shatter when a specific level of pressure is applied. In the event of a frontal impact, the steel bearings between the sleeves break free, allowing the inner sleeve to be moved further into the outer sleeve in telescopic fashion before enough pressure is achieved to ram the whole steering column into the driver. In this manner, the energy received through a frontal impact is completely absorbed by the steering column‟s collapsible parts."
http://www.ijirst.org/articles/IJIRSTV2I5036.pdf
 
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