@rene4406 posted:Are you sure it's the Mk II because according to Wikipedia the Type II appeared in February 1974? But that may not matter since it needs to be modified anyway.
No I am not. I am saying that the people in the UK were referring to the shaft as a Mark II. They are basing that on the UK Capri, not on the US Capri so yes there is some confusion there.
I did that research about three or four years ago and never did get a second shaft for a spare. The first one got cannibalized for my first attempt using a GM EPS.That one fit lengthwise but hung down too far and interfered with the pedals.
It was a necessary exercise to learn the critical dimensional limits that the motor must be limited too. I sold it to a local street rodder for more then I paid for it and it is in a '32 Ford street rod and he is happy with it so nothing ventured, nothing gained,
I did learn quite a bit from it. I don't remember how exactly I discovered the Yaris but it was a coincidental thing. Someone else had one and I saw the size of it and how compact it is.
When the Yaris got here from the UK, I just went ahead and modified my Pantera's column.
When I finally got a hold of the Yaras assembly and realize how well it fit dimensionally I just went ahead with my project.
My decision was that if I had to return to stock I would highly likely be able to find eventually the right Capri column.
I believe that is Larry here that suggested it is a Capri I column as well.
IF WE were being extremely careful, it logically would be prudent to obtain a Capri I and a Capri II and then compare those to the Pantera column. They still sell and are sought after for various reasons and you can always sell the one you don't use?
You need to realize that the Pantera column is a modified Capri column and the difference between a Capri I and a Capri II may not make any difference to a Pantera? It may just be in the mounting bracketry of how the directional signal, ignition switch and column support bracket to the dash is formed and mounted to the tube itself? It is not a major difference.
The difference could also be in the length of the columns?
If you are seriously considering building your own, get the Yaris column first.
Then look at my finished Pantera pictures and compare the before and after. Look at everything that got trashed from the Yaris. Very little of the Yaris bracketry remains and almost none of the drive shaft since it gets spliced into the Panteras steering wheel splined hub shaft and adapted to the Pantera's D shaft on the other side of the motor.
No rewiring is necessary. Just installing new quick connect wire ends to the existing harness and running the big power wires directly to the battery.
It is right to be as comprehensive as you can be at this point but you need the Yaris in your hands and the Pantera column on the bench to see how to homologate the two together.
It is fun. It is a little bit worrisome at first because of the unknowns. If I can do it, you can too. This is not NASA here.
Strange. I was just re-examining my own pictures of the steering shaft. When I total up the components on it, it does wind up as a bit expensive from tip to tip? Strange in that it does look innocent enough just sitting there on the bench too but quite a few engineered components involved.
My first reaction was that I was pissed to the finished column. The reason being that I had engineered an adjustable height mechanism from a Honda Civic in to it but the adjustable drop bracket was too flimsy to use with the EPS so I had to give it up.