articulated steering

p.s. decided not to use the following, now

Last year I crashed a gyrocopter and my leg got pretty badly bashed up when the cockpit folded in on me. That has made me very keen to have a very un-cluttered cockpit in my car, and because the foot-well is already going to be very tight, I have decided to design my steering shaft so that it is clear of my legs and follows the lines of the hood. But that means articulating it with universal joints, which I have been playing with.

I ought to do a short video for this to show the transfer of rotation. We all know it works in theory, of course. But I rigged this up to confirm it - and it has been quite fun and reassuring.

The sketch shows the shaft following the internal contours of the cockpit. I plan to put in one more UJ, to soften the line and end up in line with the shock absorber at the front.