RETRO-Mod: Jeep intermediate steering shaft

[foamypirate]

Hey 89, check out what this guy did to his shaft. He welded a plate on, drilled some holes, tapped them and put 4 bolts to hold the two pieces together.

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That's a good way to ensure your adams apple is firmly attached the the roof in a wreck.

 

[VAL]

Yeah, that's what I thought at first, but I don't thing he drilled all the way through the inner shaft. I think the bolts he put in are just up against the inner shaft. I would think its safe, depending on how much he torqued down those bolts down. With a light torque, just enough to eliminate the slop, in case of a front end collision, it would still slip through. I'm guessing.

 

[foamypirate]

Yeah, that's what I thought at first, but I don't thing he drilled all the way through the inner shaft. I think the bolts he put in are just up against the inner shaft. I would think its safe, depending on how much he torqued down those bolts down. With a light torque, just enough to eliminate the slop, in case of a front end collision, it would still slip through. I'm guessing.

Ah, I getcha, that makes sense. Just using them as a set screw, basically.

 

[HotRodPC]

Hey 89, check out what this guy did to his shaft. He welded a plate on, drilled some holes, tapped them and put 4 bolts to hold the two pieces together.

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Uhhh NO. Not a good idea. Sometimes you can over analyze things. That's way over done. There is no strain on the shaft telescoping other than it's own weight I do believe. The side to side strain is taken care of my it's shape. One small hole should be plenty. Mine hasn't had this problem and if and when I do, I'll be doing the small hole and a rivet long enough to go thru both shafts. That way it's still weak enough to break away and collapse. I guess I only make a big issue of this cuz I've seen a friend jacked up forever and damn near died in a Dodge Power Wagon where the steering column didn't collapse. It about hung his ass and the steering column was almost at the roof of the truck.

 

[Camar068]

Great mod and info. I'll try this one during the week.

 

[NOPHO84K30]

Im gona try this one out next time im out at pap. I finally read the whole post see I thought that you used the top of the gm shaft and the lower jeep universal shaft. And mixed parts. But its all jeep. I see now ill get one and do it

 

[89Suburban]

Hey 89, check out what this guy did to his shaft. He welded a plate on, drilled some holes, tapped them and put 4 bolts to hold the two pieces together.

You must be registered for see images attach

That's pretty slick.

 

[Camar068]

Finally found one, didn't have any around here. I was up in Cinci for the past 2 days and got one at a pap. I ran outta time or i'd grabbed the other 2 that were there.

Hint the easy way is to disconnect the 2 bolts that hold the column to the firewall and then remove the 2 nuts under the dash.....rip out the bottom of the dash for access. Then obviously the 2 bolts on the shaft. I'm not sure if it was posted anywhere in this string so I thought I'd share. That and I'm a noob when it comes to steering columns.

Hopefully get it done this weekend. I'll try to get some pics.

Thanks Guys

Oh yeh, it was only $14 including $2 entry fee. They also had a complete engine/tranny from a 2007 with 75k sittin there at checkout for $1,000. Man I was drooling over that LOL.

 

[HotRodPC]

Finally found one, didn't have any around here. I was up in Cinci for the past 2 days and got one at a pap. I ran outta time or i'd grabbed the other 2 that were there.

Hint the easy way is to disconnect the 2 bolts that hold the column to the firewall and then remove the 2 nuts under the dash.....rip out the bottom of the dash for access. Then obviously the 2 bolts on the shaft. I'm not sure if it was posted anywhere in this string so I thought I'd share. That and I'm a noob when it comes to steering columns.

Hopefully get it done this weekend. I'll try to get some pics.

Thanks Guys

Oh yeh, it was only $14 including $2 entry fee. They also had a complete engine/tranny from a 2007 with 75k sittin there at checkout for $1,000. Man I was drooling over that LOL.

That's a good deal. Retro gets them cheaper where he goes in Texass, but I pay $17 for mine. I normally get them for $17, separate, clean and paint them then sell them for $65 shipping included in 48 States.

I do currently have a spare one that I haven't prepped yet to list on eBay, but if anyone wants it unprepped, I'd take $25 and $10 shipping for it. If you want it prepped add $20.

 

[89Suburban]

Finally found one, didn't have any around here. I was up in Cinci for the past 2 days and got one at a pap. I ran outta time or i'd grabbed the other 2 that were there.

Hint the easy way is to disconnect the 2 bolts that hold the column to the firewall and then remove the 2 nuts under the dash.....rip out the bottom of the dash for access. Then obviously the 2 bolts on the shaft. I'm not sure if it was posted anywhere in this string so I thought I'd share. That and I'm a noob when it comes to steering columns.

Hopefully get it done this weekend. I'll try to get some pics.

Thanks Guys

Oh yeh, it was only $14 including $2 entry fee. They also had a complete engine/tranny from a 2007 with 75k sittin there at checkout for $1,000. Man I was drooling over that LOL.

Thanks for the removal tip.

 

[Camar068]

I got mine done today. I used silicone and also ground down the steering column shaft a bit with my dremel tool (took about 1 minute). It threaded in fine, but I wasn't positive the bolt was all the way in so I thought what the heck. I used the highest spot where it threaded as a reference to know where and how much to grind.

I basically filled half the tube with silicone before I put it together. Then after assembly was complete I ran some around the joint with my finger. Is this good enough?

Taking my old one off was easy as pie. In the picture below you'll notice a retainer/release on the old shaft. I put a pair of channel locks on it and compressed it and then used a screw driver to pry the rag joint up/off.

I forgot to mention how easy it was to put the top half on. I tried prying it open in a vise with not much luck. I put it in place and took a regular hammer and tapped it on. No beating/banging required.

Here's a pic of the old one:

Here's a pic of the new:

Thanks to Everyone that posted with good results and issues they had. I was comfortable knowing what I was getting into and what to look for.

 

[Camar068]

Just curious, is the old steering shaft above from an 86? I ask because I didn't see mention of what I call the quick release anywhere in this topic.

This mod made a world of difference in my steering. The rag joint was worn out. Now that the steering box is tight (fixed a few weeks ago), I could actually see the frame flex when someone turned the wheels with it running. I'll be getting that stabilizer for the steering box soon.

Thanks

 

[NOPHO84K30]

You think drilling it and using aluminum pop rivet to hold it. In a accident it would shear off and collapse. ...just throughing it out there what do you think..im still looking for one..

 

[NOPHO84K30]

Dang just read hot rods post got there before me....

 

[Camar068]

your looking for a shaft? I'm going back to the same pap tomorrow. I was planning on getting the other 2 and sharing, now that I know I can remove one in about 15 minutes.

Let me know.

I did buy a longer bolt to put through the connector at the column, but it's not threaded all the way up to the head of the bolt. With threads on both sides of the connector I couldn't run it all the way in. Thats a quick fix, and is on the list of 2do's.