hr coloum to ek

[ekolden]

hi there could any body tell me how much shorter is a hr coloum than a fb-ek one?.and if any body could supply a photo of a ek with the hr coloum fitted it would be greatly appreciated, thanks. to gary.loe@optusnet.com.au

[bent8-58]

Cant remember exactly how much shorter they are but l can tell you in my FC it went from being a pain in the arse(well elbows to be precise)to drive-of course dished sports steering wheels dont help- to being comfortable & relaxing to drive long distances.l put up with the old column for ages & half way to Toowoomba many years ago l decided as soon as l got home it was coming out.
l fitted a HR column to get the easier turning ratio,but found out(afterwards of course!) that EJ-EH columns are easier to fit because the bolts line up with the original column-mounting holes & if need be HR internals can be fitted for the easier ratio. Hope this is of some help.  Daz

[ekolden]

Daz" thanks for the info, did you fit a hr steering box or did you just change the shaft from fc to the hr shaft?.
does a hr shaft fit a fc steering box.? i presume they are the same as a ek? as it would be easier for me to just change the shaft to hr if it will fit. or do i need to fit a eh steering box? so all 3 mounts line up.( and ratio)  i am thinking of leaving it at the same as it is (ekratio?) i think with hr  power steer it would be better as the hr power steering was very light as it was  ,i just found out that here in vic it is e legal to fit up a hr steering box due to them only having 2 mounting positions.
and dose any body know what the shortest column is/ eh or hr or are they the same length? and ratio's?
what i'm trying to achieve is the shortest column that there is and a steering box that is legal in vic and the ratio i'm not sure as yet ,any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated by any body.  At the moment i'm just tossing around a few ideas .   cheers......Gary.

[Dr_Terry]

Hi guys.

The EJ to HR box & columns are dimensionally the same.

The FB/EK have longer tubes & shafts, & the FE/FC are longer again.

The other differences to consider are manual or auto, if your car's a floor shift, don't worry about that.

FE, FC, FB, EK & EJ are 14:1 ratio & the EH, HD & HR are 16:1 ratio. Obviously you can put EJ 14:1 guts into a later case & vica-versa.

You can fit the EJ to HR guts into earlier cases if you shorten/modify the tube.

Hope that helps.

Dr Terry.

[earlyholdenfan]

Hi Dr Terry,
Does this men that if I wanted to lighten the steering in say, an Auto EK with HR front end and steering set up, I could get a HR box (16:1) and swap the internals over and all would fit, using the original EK housing etc ?

Sorry ekholden, bout hijacking the thread!

Matt

[Dr_Terry]

Hi Matt.

No, unfortunately it's the other way around because the EJ/HR shaft is too short for the EK's column tube.

As I said "You can fit the EJ to HR guts into earlier cases if you shorten/modify the tube”.

If you want to put the 16:1 ratio box into an EK auto, just fit a complete EH auto column & box. You end up with the correct shift gate, switch & quadrant for the Hydra-Matic, but you will have the EJ/HR type blinker switch & shroud.

It you want the original look, shorten & modify the EK column tube to HR length, fit the 16:1 guts & keep the EK blinker switch & steering wheel.

Dr Terry.

[oldgmh]

From another angle -    

Will the FC / EK steering wheel fit on the standard EH column and mate up properly with the splines?    

earlee

[ekolden]

 hey dr terry thanks for your expert advice on this subject my/our steering problems. lol,  As i said in the previous thread is that i'm fitting a hr power steer unit to my ride.and (i was wondering) in your expert opinion if i fit the 14.1 ratio box would this eliminate/dampen the steering being to light.as i have spoken to a few people and they have said that the hr power steering is to light ,especially on the highway.  cheers------------ekolden

[Dr_Terry]

Hi Guys.

To answer earlee's query, yes, the splines & taper etc are all the same, all the FE to HR steering wheels will interchange on the shaft itself, it's the blinker mechanisms & horn contact set-up that differs.

Matt, if you're fitting ram-style power steering to an early girl, the 14:1 is the more direct ratio & a better choice. The other trick is to get your wheel aligner guy to add some more positive castor to the front end, that will make a big difference to the road feel & get rid of that light wandering feel.

Dr Terry.