MTFCA Forum

I saw this photo of a Roadster pickup with a sign on its apron. A google search turned up the ad from E.H. Sprague Manufacturing. Has anyone seen one of these?

I have a “competitors” (Ross Cam and Lever), and have made a few copies

That’s an interesting ad, as is shows the revised model with “ball bearings” and an interesting mounting bracket. I have an apparently earlier design that has a large cast bracket that mounts in place of the steering bracket, and reaches around to clamp under the spring clamp. This bracket appears to hang off the motor instead...? I’ll dig mine out and post some pics later...

The Ross uses a frame rail “boxing channel” that goes from the front cross member and back to the firewall mount area. Slips in and bolts up really easily. I guess I need to take some pictures!

I have used 32-48 Ford tapered roller bearings on the worm and needle rollers in the sector (all on case hardened 4140).
Sorry but none available for sale (I’m not trolling for business)!!

Here are a couple earlier posts.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/25 ... 1331531438
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/25 ... 1328678201
It looks really cool.
Rich

Thank you for the links Rich. I was wondering what the steering wheel attached to.

Both of the links above discuss the earlier version with the large iron mounting bracket. But one of them solves the riddle bout mine... there is a plate to replace the planetary gears and directly drive the steering shaft with the Ford steering wheel shaft!
I’ve always wondered as the stock steering shaft couples with the worm gear via an adapter. It didn’t make sense that the Ford planetary reduction would be retained, and I’ve never tried to figure if the gear ratio was accommodating the Ford gear set

I laser cut some of these “adapter discs” a few years ago. They fit OK.
I also played around with a hollow steering column shaft so that a horn wire could run up it.

here is the one on my 1923 center door

Was the Sprague unit on the car when you acquired it or did you find one at a swap meet and add it.
Never saw one at a meet but now I know what to look for. Probably saw one but didn’t know exactly what it was.

Here is some photos of the same style that Dennis posted above. I got one and a half of brackets so the second one is pulled apart to show the guts.

One cool thing with the Sprague boxes is there is a adapter that would mount to the bottom of the stock steering column and would fit inside of the worm gear. It is able to slide up and down the worm gear so as the frame flexes the shaft can pull in and out as needed.

Now that is a very neat and usefull addition to any T, well thought out too with the sliding adapter, nifty ! thnks for sharing !

John,
This steering box was on the car when I bought it. This car is accessorized to the hilt. It was owned from new by a woman in central PA. She had to this stuff put on the car early on by the dealer AJ List in Tyrone PA.
As you can see on the link above there is a lot of the accessories shown.
A few years ago I spoke with the second owner of the car and he was 90 at the time 2012. He knew the lady (original owner)and he bought it in 1940 from her grandson who inherited it when she past in 1939. I have a copy of her will and it list this car to be given to her grandson.
Going to keep it as near original as possible.