Beyond the Lift: Navigating New Heights with Upgraded Steering
February 23, 2024
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THE AUTO BUILDER
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THE HYDROGEN HIGHBOY
Enter Carl Casper, a man best known for building custom cars and promoting his huge custom car show every year in Louisville, Kentucky. Casper has long been a self-thinker and innovator with plenty of experience under his belt, and he was intrigued with the concept of alternative fuels, hydrogen in particular. During our conversation with Casper, he summed it when he said, “I feel many of the solutions will come out of the car guys. I want the mechanical wizards who have taken street rodding and auto racing to the highest levels imaginable to start putting their creativity into alternative-energy systems. I’m putting my money on them. Everyone seems to be waiting for the big corporations to pull us out of this energy crisis, and they tend to forget that from the very beginning of time it’s often the little guy with a shop behind his house who creates the next great idea or invention of our time.”
SMOKIN’ CAMARO
We’ll call Cho’s efforts a modern retro. Much like old heavy-metal bands, classic metal has a timeless appeal, but there’s more—lurking beneath the classic sheetmetal is newfound power that will appeal to both schools of thought; purists will appreciate the clean lines and fastidious restoration, while performance mongers will be delighted to know that the original small block was scrapped in favor of a big block.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: BTR’s 4130 Chromoly Steel Pushrods
Let’s talk about something that doesn’t always get the glory it deserves but is crucial for any high-performance build—pushrods. And who better to get the job done right than Brian Tooley Racing (BTR)? These guys know their stuff, and their pushrods are proof.
Spotlighter
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: VDOG® by Flaming River
Get The Right Angle With this Steering Solution from Flaming River
We’ve all been there—slamming a monster LS, Coyote, or Hemi into an old muscle car or hot rod and hitting that inevitable roadblock: how the heck do you get the steering shaft through that tight engine bay? The answer, my friends, is the VDOG® from Flaming River. You’ve probably heard the name tossed around, but let’s dig into why you need this in your arsenal.
What the Heck is the VDOG®?
First off, VDOG® stands for Variable Degree Operational Gear. Think of it as the ultimate 90-degree angle gear specifically designed to handle those tight steering angles. Created by the brainiacs at Flaming River Industries in Berea, Ohio, the VDOG® is a hybrid of a universal joint and a gearbox, bringing the best of both worlds.
Here’s the lowdown: one end of the VDOG® has a fixed ¾”-36 spline shaft, and the other end has a variable degree gear with the same spline size. What sets it apart is its ability to rotate 360 degrees at a +/- 35-degree angle thanks to a universal joint inside. The heart of this beast is a hardened gear drive system, giving you a solid 1:1 steering ratio from one side to the other. No chains, no sprockets, just pure, unadulterated reliability. Plus, it’s pre-lubricated, so you can set it and forget it.
Real-World Applications
We’re not just talking theoretical here. Flaming River has put the VDOG® through its paces in some serious builds. Take their 1949 Dodge Pickup Truck, for example. They mounted the VDOG® by the rack and pinion, showing it’s not just a firewall trick. Then there’s their 1954 Chevy Pickup, where they used it at the firewall to nail that tight turn. And get this—some customers have even run two VDOG® units: one at the firewall and another at the steering box for the ultimate custom ride.
This thing isn’t just for specific setups either. It’s versatile enough for everything from cab-overs to classic muscle cars. If you’ve ever tried to squeeze a big ol’ LS engine with aftermarket headers into your ride, you know what a game-changer this can be.
Accolades & Awards
The VDOG® isn’t just all talk. It cleaned up at the 2019 SEMA Show, bagging the Best Engineered Product and Best New Street Rod Product awards that we previously covered in our article 20 NEW Product Innovations at the 2023 NSRA “Nats”. That’s right, two trophies from the biggest stage in the industry. It’s a testament to the VDOG®’s killer design and rock-solid performance.
Bottom Line
If you’re serious about your builds and you want to avoid the headache of steering issues with modern engine swaps, the VDOG® from Flaming River is your new best friend. It’s the kind of innovative solution that makes you wonder how you ever lived without it. Keep the VDOG® in mind for your next project and steer clear of those tight angle nightmares. CLICK HERE to learn more about the VDOG® or go to Flaming River’s website.
ARTICLE SOURCES
Flaming River
800 Poertner Drive
Berea, OH 44017 USA
(800) 648-8022
