someone have experience with Firm Feel steering sector support?

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str12-340

str12-340

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I bought a steering sector support kit For my 70 Dart from Firm Feel in Vancouver, WA. I have the whole front end apart and have installed an NOS factory firm feel steering box. I have been on the phone with Frank at Firm Feel but i can't get the bracket that holds the bearing in place to line up as it should on the K-frame. There are limited ways to put all this together and it just doesn't line up. I thought I would see of anybody on FABO has used one of these kits and see if you had to modify or shim the bracket to get it to work.

For the uninitiated this goes on the bottom of the steering sector shaft on the steering box below the Pitman arm and keeps the steering box/K-frame mount from moving around.

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I put one in ten years ago. It works great but came with a different bracket. I had to drill two holes into the edges of the k member.
 
CUDA69 said:
I put one in ten years ago. It works great but came with a different bracket. I had to drill two holes into the edges of the k member.
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I assume it was on your 1969 Cuda? When you installed it, there is a big sleeve nut that replaces the original pitman arm nut - did it go on with the hex toward the steering box or toward the ground? Any chance you could take a photo of yours that shows to shape of the bracket?
 
str12-340 said:
I assume it was on your 1969 Cuda? When you installed it, there is a big sleeve nut that replaces the original pitman arm nut - did it go on with the hex toward the steering box or toward the ground? Any chance you could take a photo of yours that shows to shape of the bracket?
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Sleeve goes with the hex toward the steering box.

I have the same bracket as you do, it’s not a bolt on operation. After I mounted the sleeve and tried to align the bracket I determined that there would need to be a angled shim under the bracket to line everything up. Haven’t finished it yet, so that’s about all I’ve got.

I’d also love to see the old bracket if it was different, might be easier to make a different bracket altogether
 
Has that bracket always had slot for holes on it?

I'd like to see that thing as secure as possible from moving.
 
autoxcuda said:
Has that bracket always had slot for holes on it?

I'd like to see that thing as secure as possible from moving.
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No, I don’t think it has. The brackets now come like that, but I think the old ones just had holes.
 
This bracket can't possibly work the way it is. I even got under one of my other 70 Darts held the bracket flush on the K-frame and the other end is up over the original pitman arm bolt. I'm trying to work with Frank at Firm Feel to figure all this out, so I would suggest to 72bluNblu to wait and see if we find a fix.
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72bluNblu said:
I have the same bracket as you do, it’s not a bolt on operation. After I mounted the sleeve and tried to align the bracket I determined that there would need to be a angled shim under the bracket to line everything up. Haven’t finished it yet, so that’s about all I’ve got.
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72 - I just got off the phone with Frank at Firm Feel. He mocked up a steering box on a K-frame and recognizes the problem. He made up a spacer and is shipping it to me to see if it solves the problem. If you can hold off a bit, I'm sure he will be offering it to all who bought the support.
 
RealWing said:
I had to bend the bracket to get it aligned with the K frame before bolting it up.
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Did you just flatten the angle in the bracket?

How long ago did you get the kit? (I think they changed the bracket at some point)

Now that you have it in place how is it working for you?
 
str12-340 said:
72 - I just got off the phone with Frank at Firm Feel. He mocked up a steering box on a K-frame and recognizes the problem. He made up a spacer and is shipping it to me to see if it solves the problem. If you can hold off a bit, I'm sure he will be offering it to all who bought the support.
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Yup, I can wait. Wasn’t at the top of my priority list anyway. I put the sleeve in months ago, I spent an hour or two here and there working out what to do about the bracket and making a pattern for a shim, but that’s about as far as I got. Definitely interested in seeing what FF comes up with.
 
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str12-340 said:
Did you just flatten the angle in the bracket?

How long ago did you get the kit? (I think they changed the bracket at some point)

Now that you have it in place how is it working for you?
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I simply bent the bracket until it mated flat to the K frame. It took several bends to get it right.
Purchased the kit Jan 2020.
The Cuda isn't on the road yet, but there should be no issues. It is a strong bracket!!.
Jim
 
OK so here is an update on this. Frank at Firm Feel sent me a revised bracket. IT is 90% there and I was able to install the unit using a thick grade 8 washer on each of the K-frame bolts - between the bracket and the K-frame. It seems to work fine but this car is in process so it's not like I can drive it around. Frank says that he is using what I told him about the revised bracket to refine the bracket and maybe include a specific spacer for the set up. He'll let me know when the solution is complete. If you have one of these set ups, I would recommend that you contact Frank at the Firm Feel tech line (360-546-3650) and let him know that you want the revised stuff too, or sent him an e-mail at [email protected]. Here are some pics of the 90% solution. You can see in the shot that shows the washers that the angle is still not perfect. I tried to make the angle just a bit more shallow but what ever that bracket is made of, it's not changing shape with just a vice and a BFHammer.

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Thanks for the update! Yeah that is quite a bit closer than mine is already. I’ll have to reach out to Frank!
 
Some vehicles may still need custom fitting with different thickness washers, since the K frames are not a precise or consistent stamping from one vehicle to the next.
 
RealWing said:
Some vehicles may still need custom fitting with different thickness washers, since the K frames are not a precise or consistent stamping from one vehicle to the next.
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Oh for sure, the way it mounts to the flange on the K and the angle of the flange etc would mean some cars would always need modification. But if a new bracket gets me to a washer or some bending of the bracket from where I'm at now I'd be thrilled.
 
If the Borgeson box uses the original style of pitman arm, probably, if no - probably not.
 
str12-340 said:
If the Borgeson box uses the original style of pitman arm, probably, if no - probably not.
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The stock pitman arms are used, there are even large and small sector Borgeson boxes so they can use the early or late pitmans
 
In that case I can't help but believe that Borgeson designed the output shaft to be in the same location as a stock box...
 
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