Hi,

any tips on how to remove the upper joint on the Steering Shaft?

I've bought a new Flaming River 1"/3/4" DD joint for extra clearance, but can't see a way to remove the old joint.

 

There's four fingers holding on the cap. You'll need to pry them straight to pop the cap. Word of caution, I broke one of mine bending it back on. If you don't have a replacement boot, this one works suitably enough .

 

I didn't find the Omix Ada 18018-01 boot to last long before cracking.

Since I am doing some suspension stuff soon, I will see what the polyurethane vendors carry.

 

Guess I'll keep an eye on mine, thanks for the heads up. In hindsight I should have just bought an Astro shaft. Was up to near thirty five bucks after coupler, boot and bolts.

 

Thanks for the tip, I'll have a look for the four fingers when I get home. These are inside the bell-shaped pressed steel cover over the upper joint?

I'm install a Flaming River universal joint, so don't have to worry about the rubber boot.

The car was converted to Right Hand Drive here in Australia and the steering box has an off input shaft spline so a Jeep/Astro shaft won't work for me.

 

Yes, two fingers per side. Pry them up and the bell slips off. You can see two of them in the red box in your pic.

 

I couldn't find a way to pry the four fingers up, so I just cut them off with a Dremel wheel.

Even then it was tough to get the bell-shaped housing off and I think I busted the internals trying. At least its off now.

The problem I have now is that it's apparent the shaft end is round, without the two flat sides further down. I am waiting for a Flaming River DD 3/4" * DD 1" (P/N FR1717DD) Universal Joint to arrive. Looking at the shaft the 3/4" end should have been round rather than DD I suspect.

Not sure whether to swap the FR Universal or to cut 4cm from the 3/4" end of the steering shaft so it can fit?

 

I used a screwdriver under the fingers, was tight fit. Mine didn't have that bulge at the end. It was more as you described it should have been. Maybe they changed it between 88 and 89. I wasn't able to get that (best way to describe it) roll pin out to save my life. As far as what you need to do to get that u-joint on, I'd wait for it to arrive before modifying the shaft. It may be as simple as grinding flat spots on each side. No exp with the u-joint piece so I'm not much help in that dept. Good luck modding it to fit though.

 

I was able to cancel my back-order on Amazon and instead went for a Flaming River FR1707DD, which is 3/4 smooth by 1" DD and should do the trick.

 

The Flaming River FR1707DD universal joint arrived.

It's a solid and quality piece, but I may have come unstuck.

Firstly, it's bigger than it looks in the pics, so I might not gain as much clearance as I'd hoped.

Secondly, the end that goes over the 3/4 smooth round end of the collapsible shaft does not have grub screws to stop it rotating around the shaft.

The universal joint includes two grub screws and I assumed one was for the 1" DD end and the other for the 3/4" smooth round end, but both screws are for the DD end.

Any suggestions, maybe drill holes for a bolt on the 3.4" end?

 

The maximum width of the Flaming River universal joint is a maximum of 1.7" wide, while the factory joint cover is 2.5" wide. This should be enough extra clearance to keep it clear of the sub-frame and allow a bit of extra clearance for headers.

 

The steering shaft and universal joint are both round, smooth and 3/4".

Next question is how do I fasten the shaft to the joint?

Do I weld it or drill a hole for bolt and nut?