 The time has come to see if all the hours spent mocking up the steering will pay off. The moment of truth, so to speak, but before I get too carried away there are a couple things that need to be addressed. The first thing that needs improvement is the steering column mount under the dash. The 3/4-inch square steel mounting support for the column that comes with the Outlaw body but it doesn't excite me. The tubing is welded to the mounting flanges at a 45-degree angle and it sits an inch or so above the bottom of the dash. The black line on the door jam under the mount marks the bottom of the dash. |
I designed a new support (also from 3/4-inch square steel tubing) that's slightly wider and is welded to the bottom edge of the mounting flange instead of the center so I can place it along the lower edge of the dash. 
This will give me something to mount a lower dash valance to and keep the Flaming River polished aluminum column drop from being partially covered by the dash - and too high for comfort.
I cut and bent a strip of steel to be used as the column mounting point so I wouldn't risk weakening the 3/4-inch tube by drilling holes in it. 
The metal plate was welded to the backside of the tubing and holes were drilled to form slots so the column drop can be adjusted side-to-side once it's in place.
The new support was screwed in place with its lower edge aligned even with the bottom of the dash. 2 screws on each side will keep it from twisting.