RETRO-Mod: Jeep intermediate steering shaft

mibars said:

I'm twenty seven pages deep into this thread trying to figure out the purpose.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but all this mod does is eliminates/reduces the slack in the steering by replacing easily wearing out "rag joint" with a Jeep shaft that has some integrated rubber dampener integrated in the steering wheel end?

I took for granted that these trucks have "approximate direction selector" instead of the steering wheel, do you say that these trucks can have sharp handling?

Is the dampener necessary? I can see how soft is the rubber in my rag joint, it easily "bottoms out", what would happen if it was replaced by something solid like a U joint?

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Replacing it with a u joint is exactly what the jeep shaft does. Carry on.

SquareRoot said:

Replacing it with a u joint is exactly what the jeep shaft does. Carry on.

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These aren't the rag joints we're looking for....move along....move along.

Thanks!

Can you help me with identifying which one is more likely to fit? Both look slightly different than the one in 1st post, however make/model/year is matching.

Did the mod, ended up buying a different one than linked above. Steering is so much more precise now!
Some notes:
-These plastic inserts holding both halves together are most likely PTFE/Teflon. It emits highly toxic fumes when heated. Do it outside and mind the wind direction.
-After removing those inserts you may end up with little bit of slop between parts, as I did. A one good hammer smack on the tube part to close it a little was enough to remove it.
-You don't need to remove both nuts holding steering shaft from a firewall, you can leave the one under brake booster and just spread the bracket a bit.

I drilled a 3/8 hole thru one side of the outer sleeve then welded a 5/16 nut over the hole. Assemble shafts and screw in a 5/16 x 1 inch bolt with a jam nut. Tighten just enough to eliminate the slop. Never had to mess with it since.

whats the difference in later jeeps? 97 and up?

edit: called borgeson. The earlier is 1" DD and the later is splined.

beware: I had the rubber isolator pull out of the upper shaft at the steering column today resulting in a free wheeling steering wheel. Thankfully it happened in a parking lot.

plugugly said:

beware: I had the rubber isolator pull out of the upper shaft at the steering column today resulting in a free wheeling steering wheel. Thankfully it happened in a parking lot.

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Pics?

first pic is what my son sent me when it happened. The second pic is when it was pushed back into place as I prep to drill a hole through to pin it. Another site says it should be pinned, but mine is not.

The jeep conversion for older trucks like my '75 (and I think trucks up to about '79) is more complicated, since the splined input on the steering box is different.

For those who want to spend more and buy an off-the-shelf solution for older trucks, I installed a new -Borgeson- steering box and replacement steering shaft with universal joints. Bought it when Jegs was running a special discount offer.
However, just make sure you get the right combination of steering box and steering shaft, since the size and spline count on the replacement box are different than your original. The new box has a larger diameter input shaft, so you have to buy the steering shaft that is used with newer boxes.

The new steering shaft was too long, so I cut the upper end down to what I thought was the right length and pinned it in place at the upper U-joint. However, after installation I realized I had cut a little too much for optimal engagement in both universal joints. Had to call tech support to find out that the lower part of the shaft has a slip joint that allows you to extend/adjust length of the shaft by about 3-4", so I made the small adjustment and now have it exactly the right length.

Slip joint and set screw was hidden by a rubber bellows when I got the shaft, so I didn't realize how easy it was to extend the length. It also makes it easier to install because you can shorten it about 1-2" for clearance to get it in place, and then extend it fully into the fittings.

SquareRoot said:

I drilled a 3/8 hole thru one side of the outer sleeve then welded a 5/16 nut over the hole. Assemble shafts and screw in a 5/16 x 1 inch bolt with a jam nut. Tighten just enough to eliminate the slop. Never had to mess with it since.

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I will need to do something similar. I was turning wheel hard with engine off and managed to make it loose again.

plugugly said:

first pic is what my son sent me when it happened. The second pic is when it was pushed back into place as I prep to drill a hole through to pin it. Another site says it should be pinned, but mine is not.

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In the one I got shaft goes through rubber and ends with two "wings" on the joint side that would hit the yoke if the rubber would ever fail and would also prohibit the shaft from falling out. The one you have looks like it was not designed to be fail safe!

oneluckypops said:

nice find, what are they bringing at the pick and pull yards?

Oh yea and i want to see a Picture of the said 5/8" Ratchet.

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Gotta see that and where to buy one.

On a side note an alternative to XJ shaft is a steering shaft from a c3500 88-94 is the best of both worlds you eliminate the rag joint but retain the crossbolt, installed one in my 90 Burb

dd1990 said:

On a side note an alternative to XJ shaft is a steering shaft from a c3500 88-94 is the best of both worlds you eliminate the rag joint but retain the crossbolt, installed one in my 90 Burb

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Good to know, I drilled out my Jeep shaft for peace of mind. The GM is probably easier to find these days also.

dd1990 said:

On a side note an alternative to XJ shaft is a steering shaft from a c3500 88-94 is the best of both worlds you eliminate the rag joint but retain the crossbolt, installed one in my 90 Burb

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Is this a direct swap? Double D on the column side and same spline count at the gearbox? Looking at RockAuto at a couple of random year squares, I don't see a steering shaft listed at all. I see the one you listed, but they don't list one for a K-truck of the same year. The C3500 shows 14 spline count.




$128 for a Dorman.