Steering is one of those vehicle systems that rarely gets much attention until something isn’t right. For an off-road vehicle, however, the steering column represents a critical link between the driver and everything happening at the front tires. Whether you’re threading a rock buggy through a technical obstacle or correcting a race truck at speed across the desert, unwanted movement, flex, or play in the steering system is the last thing you want.
That’s where IDIDIT’s Pro-Fab steering column enters the picture.
While IDIDIT may be best known for steering columns found in street rods, muscle cars, and custom vehicles, the Michigan-based company also has a substantial performance catalog. Its Pro-Fab line was originally developed around competition applications, including drag racing, autocross, road-course racing, and off-road racing. More recently, IDIDIT has taken that experience and focused it specifically on the needs of fabricated race and performance vehicles.
The result is the Universal Pro-Fab and, more recently, the Adjustable Pro-Fab: lightweight, remarkably simple steering columns designed to give fabricators a strong foundation for building a steering system without dragging along everything associated with an OEM column.
Why An Off-Road Vehicle Needs A Different Steering Column
Consider what happens when building a dedicated off-road machine from scratch. There probably isn’t a factory dashboard to dictate steering-column placement. Seating position can change dramatically depending on chassis design, suspension packaging, visibility requirements, and driver preference. The column may need to work around roll-cage tubing, electronics, a digital dash, or other equipment.
More importantly, everything needs to remain solid.
Big tires, aggressive terrain, and the constant hammering associated with off-road use put enormous demands on steering components. Even small amounts of unwanted movement can translate into a vague feeling at the steering wheel. In a competition vehicle, where rapid corrections are part of the job, steering precision becomes even more important.
IDIDIT developed the Adjustable Pro-Fab specifically for off-road race and performance applications, working with performance-industry professionals to produce a lightweight, heavy-duty column that can be incorporated into fabricated race cars and off-road vehicles. The company says its internal shafting is engineered to withstand racing abuse while delivering solid, no-lash steering.
Simplicity Is The Pro-Fab’s Biggest Strength
Instead of adapting a bulky factory steering column containing switches, wiring, ignition components, tilt mechanisms, and other equipment that a purpose-built off-road vehicle may not require, the Pro-Fab provides the essentials in a compact package.
The Universal Pro-Fab uses a 2-inch-diameter brushed-aluminum housing with a billet upper bearing casting. Inside is a sealed upper ball bearing and a Delrin lower bushing. The result is a column that weighs less than 3 pounds while remaining designed for the punishment associated with competition.
IDIDIT has used the combination of sealed upper bearings and Delrin lower bushings throughout its Pro-Fab family, with the company specifically citing durability and smooth operation after extended abuse as benefits of the design. Precision laser-cut components and lightweight aluminum construction have also been staples of the Pro-Fab program.
Built With Fabricators In Mind
Rather than forcing the builder into a predetermined installation configuration, the 35-inch Universal Pro-Fab, uses a 2-inch-diameter housing without integrated mounts. That allows a fabricator to determine the column location based on the chassis and driver rather than designing the chassis around the column.
A rock crawler with a narrow tube chassis may require a completely different steering position than a desert race truck. A prerunner may prioritize long-distance comfort, while a competition buggy may position the driver low and deep within the chassis. Even two vehicles built from similar foundations can have dramatically different seating and steering-wheel positions.
The Adjustable Pro-Fab Takes The Idea Further
IDIDIT’s Adjustable Pro-Fab builds upon the same concept while adding another useful feature for custom fabrication: an extendable output shaft.
Rather than requiring the builder to know the exact final steering-shaft location before installation, the adjustable design provides additional flexibility when establishing steering-wheel and shaft placement. According to IDIDIT, the column was engineered to remain lightweight and rugged while providing a solid, no-lash steering connection.
Anyone who has fabricated an off-road vehicle knows how quickly packaging decisions cascade. Moving the seat changes steering-wheel placement. Moving the steering column can affect dash positioning. That can alter where gauges or switches fit, which may interfere with cage tubing or other components.
Having another adjustment point gives the builder more freedom to make the cockpit fit the driver rather than simply accepting wherever the steering wheel happens to land.
Once the driving position is established, the system can be configured around that final location.
Don’t Forget The Quick-Release Hub
A purpose-built steering column is only part of the equation. IDIDIT designed the Pro-Fab family to work particularly well with its Push To Connect Quick Release Steering Hub.
Pairing the two creates a lightweight and configurable steering assembly while making it easier for the driver to enter or exit a tightly packaged cockpit.
Between roll-cage tubing, high-bolster suspension seats, window nets, harnesses, and compact door openings, climbing into some competition vehicles can require a bit of gymnastics. Removing the steering wheel creates valuable space. Once the driver is seated, the wheel can be installed and the harness tightened.
IDIDIT’s earlier Pro-Fab designs have also used extended steering shafts specifically so builders could tailor wheel placement to the individual driver, demonstrating that cockpit customization has been part of the Pro-Fab philosophy for years.
A Small Component With A Big Job
There are plenty of components on an off-road build that attract more attention than a steering column. Coilovers are more interesting to talk about. Big tires photograph better. Engines make impressive noises, and fabricated suspension components tend to draw crowds whenever the vehicle is parked.
The steering column quietly sits in the middle of all of it.
But when the terrain gets rough, the speed comes up, and the driver starts making rapid corrections, that simple aluminum tube becomes one of the most important connections in the vehicle.
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