Author Topic: Maytag steering box??  (Read 6300 times)

Offline ricardo1967

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 570
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: No full pass yet.
  • Your Engine: Alky SBC 400
  • Your Track: Brown County Dragway (Bean Blossom, IN)
  • Your Vehicle: 173" FED
Maytag steering box??
« on: August 13, 2014, 07:35:08 PM »
I've heard this and want to fact check with you guys, just for curiosity (I'm not taking this route):

Is it true that early dragsters (50's or 60's?) used steering boxex adapted from a gear reduction box off Maytag washing machines??

Offline rooman

  • Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 559
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.200/222.05 (1/4 mile--NT/F)
Re: Maytag steering box??
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2014, 10:35:35 AM »
The first real purpose built box was the P & S and to my knowledge is was based off a fork lift unit that was popular at the time--I was still on the bottom side of the planet then and a bit remote from the happenings here.

Roo
Yeah, I am from the south--any further south and I would have been a bloody penguin.

dreracecar

  • Guest
Re: Maytag steering box??
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2014, 10:44:15 AM »
I had a RCS car with a box that had worm and spur gears in it ,so there was no lock to lock built into the box and only the spindles controlled that aspect. so it is possable since that is the way most PTO's are made

Offline ricardo1967

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 570
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: No full pass yet.
  • Your Engine: Alky SBC 400
  • Your Track: Brown County Dragway (Bean Blossom, IN)
  • Your Vehicle: 173" FED
Re: Maytag steering box??
« Reply #3 on: August 15, 2014, 03:17:30 AM »
Thank you Keith and Bruce!

Offline janjon

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 208
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 5.74/124 1/8
  • Your Engine: SB Chev, gas, 350ish
  • Your Track: Houston Motorsports Park
  • Your Vehicle: '65-ish 150" SBC/Glide FED
Re: Maytag steering box??
« Reply #4 on: August 15, 2014, 04:28:54 PM »
The forklift unit referred to, I believe, is a Ross, which is what mine has, built circa 1965.
Just keep the same amount of stuff on the right
as there is on the left. Seeing straight ahead is highly overrated....

Offline denverflatheader

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 333
    • View Profile
Re: Maytag steering box??
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2014, 02:49:32 AM »
ricardo1967 - I have a 50s dragster made from "Model T rails(?)" that ran both a 4 banger and a V8 fh.  I acquired it in Denver in 1998 (a roller).  It has a "strange" steering box, not sure of the origination, maybe an early tractor...  DF

Offline ricardo1967

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 570
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: No full pass yet.
  • Your Engine: Alky SBC 400
  • Your Track: Brown County Dragway (Bean Blossom, IN)
  • Your Vehicle: 173" FED
Re: Maytag steering box??
« Reply #6 on: August 16, 2014, 06:00:07 AM »
Thank you all for the input, keep them coming.