Steve Rose from KA Customs finished the steering system swap, including the hand-fabbed gussets, in about half a day.
When's the last time you looked underneath an early hot rod with a tube axle or I-beam axle and found rack-and-pinion steering? More likely, you saw a Vega box or Mustang box-but rack-and-pinion is now an option for rodders.
We've been hearing about the Cross Steer rack-and-pinion system from Unisteer Products ever since it was named Best New Product in the Street Rod/Custom Car category at the SEMA Show in 2003, but we had yet to watch a swap being done.
That changed when we found out that KA Customs was ready to install a Cross Steer system on Joe Torres' full-fendered '31 Model A sedan. The car was running a worn-out Mustang box and definitely overdue for an upgrade. Instead of replacing the box, Joe decided to go a different direction, to eliminate bump steer and lose some of the sloppy steering feeling sometimes associated with boxes.
The Cross Steer system, to put it simply, uses the mechanics of a rack-and-pinion, combined with the side-steering method of a box and drag link set-up. This one-sided rack mounts to the framerail on the driver side and a chrome steering tube (included) connects to the steering arm on the passenger side spindle; a tie rod connects right and left steering arms. The Cross Steer rack going on to Joe's '31 is designed as a direct replacement for a Vega box with a 6-inch pitman arm, and features a bracket pre-drilled to fit directly to the Vega box mounting bracket. Since the sedan was running a Mustang box, not a Vega box, the mounting bracket was welded to the frame instead and reinforced with a pair of custom-fabricated gussets, adding a tiny degree of difficulty to an otherwise simple installation.
As Kevin Francis at KA Customs pointed out, and the photos illustrate, this swap works best with a four-bar front suspension, so that the steering can run in between the upper and lower bars. Wishbones or hairpins would probably interfere with the tie rod and drag link. Otherwise, no suspension adjustments were required. If replacing a Vega box, the job might not require any steering column modifications, and you can probably retain the same U-joint as well. Of course, Unisteer recommends that you check your front suspension before making the swap, to ensure that you get the best performance.
In addition to '28-34 Ford applications, Unisteer also offers a '35-40 Cross Steer system. The package being used here came complete with the rack-and-pinion, coupler, chrome steering tube for use as the drag link, and hardware. The installation was a half-day job (at most) and required no special tools or talent, with the exception of some welding, which would not be necessary if replacing a Vega box. While a steering rack might not be the perfect look on a traditional open-wheel hot rod, it's virtually unnoticeable on a full-fendered car, and is an easy upgrade.
