fbekholden.com

Brett027 wrote: Fri Mar 07, 2025 6:57 am Hi Stephen.
6 inch wheel width and 13 inch diameter. Tyres are 185 80 13's. No idea what the offset is, but it works
I have tubes in mine as they all leaked air too.

Great, thanks Brett. I like the combo set up, provides a good stance. I think the tube/S will be my fall back option.
S

Stephen, it's got 2inch shortened but thicker steel front coils, back is original 6 leaf and probably a bit flat after all these years. The 80 profile gives it pretty close to the original crossply diameter. Handles very true on the road, not skittish in potholes and not the slightest bit unpredictable. Big fat sway bar up front might be helping that too. I will never drive hard enough so I need more grip than 185s can deliver.

Thanks Brett, Having 2” shorter springs I would have thought the nose would have been much lower compared to the back. Either way it’s sits well.

Hi Stephen, I don't pretend to know about these things, but wonder if beefier coils don't compress as much as standards, so you pick up a bit. Maybe HR fronts sit diffently to standard too. Who knows? It does the job well, luckily.

Brett027 wrote: Sun Mar 09, 2025 9:33 am Hi Stephen, I don't pretend to know about these things, but wonder if beefier coils don't compress as much as standards, so you pick up a bit. Maybe HR fronts sit diffently to standard too. Who knows? It does the job well, luckily.

A good outcome all round

I have spent a fruitless few days attempting to add a Prius electric steering unit to the ute. The unit itself attaches fairly easily to the standard steering box. However, once on, there is 75mm or so of the input shaft and housing entering the cab through the firewall hole. The problem with this is that the space left to fit a universal joint and collapsible column section and breakaway mounts is just not enough. I have been working with George from Alien Retro columns ( very helpful fellow) and he made a rough up column as short as he could, but it still was not short enough to work in the space available. The Prius project is officially canned.
The rear mounted shortened Comodore rack project has officially begun

A lot of hard work went into that one. Shame it didn't pan out, but you never know until you try.

Cheers,
Harv

Yes. The concept is sound, but the logistics don't work. A pic of what causes the problem.

Thats a shame, I know Rob Hardman managed to have EPS installed on his ute but it retains the grey motor and to the best of my knowledge it is a non collapsible column

Yes Blacky, for a standard column, space is a liitle easier but still with the issue of connecting the units up and supporting the end of the column. For collapsible setup with the mandatory 127mm length of çollapsible column and space for the breakaway fittings, it makes it impossible ( for me anyway) to fit in a connecting uni/ fitting to join everything together.
I have a rack currently being sorted in Victoria and my drag car fabricator in Collector has agreed to fit it, so easy job for me.

Now just got to put ute back the way it was last week. I'm going to remove the steering lock and go back to standard ignition switch in the reinstall, which gives me a few spare mm to raise the steering wheel. The Torrie column has the switch on top of the tube which fouls the dash and prevents mounting the column at full height.

Good on you for having a decent go at it brett. It was looking very tidy as usual.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

Thanks Clay. I hope back mounted non-powered Commodore rack does the trick. A few months away.