I need to replace my rag joint or the entire intermediate shaft, but GM has discontinued them and I've heard the Autozone rag joint replacements are incomplete kits. I found a "new" intermediate shaft of eBay, but the seller won't tell me who makes it or where it comes from so I basically told them I'm not buying. What purpose does the rag joint serve? I found someone selling a billet replacement for it one time for around $35. Would it hurt anything to replace the rubber piece with something hard?

 

You can go aftermarket and get a flaming river peice for I think about 260 dollars, really trick looking

 

try ebay you can get a aftermarket replacement shaft for about 100.

 

Have you bought that one? That is the one I'm talking about in my OP where they won't tell me who makes it.

 

I just changed the rag-joint last weekend.It was from Help!, p/n 31008 or something like that. Costs about $15 and 3 hours of work. The original one is mounted with rivets, and replacemant is mounted with screw, much easier to install.

 

Yes I bought that one on ebay and its a great peice. Well worth the money for it.

 

http://www.unbalancedengineering.com/Camaro/

Scroll down about halfway. Check out the Rag joint eliminator kit. Uses a machined disc to take the place of the rubber rag joint.

 

That's what I was thinking of! Have you used this piece? I'm guessing using this over getting a new rag joint will let more "feel" of the road through the steering wheel? I'm actually considering buying that eBay shaft.

 

You won't be disappointed with UBE rag joint. Great piece and Jason is a good guy!

 

Ok, well I just bought the UBE one, so we'll see how it goes when I get it.

 

I've got the solid unit installed on my bird and I didn't noticed much, if any, more vibration or "road feel" but the difference I did noticed was in the lack of play the wheel had when initiating a turn. My stock rag joint didn't look that bad to the naked eye but I knew at 15 years old it was toast. Gave me a chance to pull out, paint and clean up the shaft and that side of the engine bay as well.

 

I'm curious, how big a hassle is it to make enough room to install it?

 

Mark,

It is really easy. You just have to cut the plastic cover off, no other modifications needed.

--John

 

Now I’m really confused… the plastic cover just snaps over one of the hose fittings. You just twist/unsnap it and pull it back out of the way.

If it’s just a question of getting the cover out of the way, jeffreyzz3, what were you doing for the rest of the 3 hours you said it took? I was thinking that you might have to loosen the steering column or something to slide it out of the way…

As a very butch approach to the same end, I will admit that at one point I drove a bunch of drywall screws through the steel on either side of the rag joint turning it into a solid piece (taking all the slop out of it) in the morning before an autox. I was happy enough with the result that I never did replace it, I just trimmed the sharp points off of it and left it.

 

Mark, are you talking about installing a replacement rag joint, or the UE unit? Either of them should be about the same, loosend the splined end at the steering box, undo the 1 retaining screw at the top end, compress the intermediat shaft and pull it from he car, then you just drill out the rivets. Because of the bolts used on the UE peice, you can't keep the plastic cover, I am not sure about a replacement rag joint though. Then just reinstall it.

--John

 

Where is Help! located?

 

I wouldn't bother with the HELP! stuff. Get that rag joint eliminator kit. Took about an hour to swap out the joints, and what a difference it made! Best of all, I'll never have to do it again.

 

Some day I'll understand what $15 worth of rubber or $35 worth of aluminum gets you over $1 worth of bolts/nuts/lock washers (which I probably have laying around anyway) and a scrap of aluminum with 4 holes drilled in it.

I guess they're all prettier the driving 4 drywall screws through whatever is there in the first place...