427 steering column needs additional reinforcement?

[Pete Munroe]

Tom, et al,

Tom, just sent you a mail I meant to post here, here it is again, but shorter...wheew!

I think you heard a story second hand from someone else at the Camarillo Airport Sandwich Meet...stories have a way of getting more interesting, but less accurate.

ERA DOES NOT, NOT, NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH STEERING, or STEERING COLUMN SUPPORTS!!!!!!!

But, as a matter of preference I modified my ERA #2027 289 FIA, a very early 289 car, to a column support that make it MUCH stiffer...the original was safe, but not to my liking.

I bolted a ~12 inch long aluminum angle vertically to the firewall.

I used one of the hood support bolt holes at the top and a thread-sert into the "cowl loop" of the frame at the bottom...hung a "triangulated brace" from the vertical to a square tube at the steering column.

Picture a "V" on its side, top and bottom at the firewall, the apex at the steering column support at the face of the dash...

Difference in "feel" for me was great...very little up/down flex movement was left.

When Robert's ERA 427", about #630 arrived, we did the same thing but added two triangles, one on each side. Very stiff.

Actually, on the 427" probably not needed, but we were putting his car together, so WHY NOT? Overkill, but very nice.

Saw a Kirkham 427", and it had as much or more flex than a stock ERA 427...the 427" dash is stronger I think than the 289 FIA dash.

Also, we did another ERA 289 with the double support, again very stiff and nice.

The ORIGINALS are JUST FINE...if you are happy, they are great...if you want stiffer, we did it.

There is NOT ANY ISSUE of a PROBLEM with ERA STEERING columns...it is a matter of taste, not necessity.

Hope the picture attatches, the file is probably too large.

Again, there is NO PROBLEM with ERA.

Pete