I looked and couldnt see a way to get it off. I wanna replace it because its the last bit of major slop in my steering system. Any one know how to get the damper, isolator, rag joint or whatever it is off the steering shaft so it can be replaced?

 

With a cut off wheel. I just ground off the old rivets and replaced them with bolts. If you look you can see them, they look like bolts but with no nut, just grind one end off and push them out.

 

Thanx. i drilled them out and replaced the rubber damper with two peices of 16 gauge sheet metal cut to its shape, as well as adjusted the overcenter torque of the steering box. Eliminated virtually all of the play in the system. The wheel still feels dead but at least its quasi-precise.

 

Sheetmetal ?????????????

you nuts? if you replaced the flexible rubber with sheetmetal you will soo experience alot more loosness in the steering when it cracks and separates.

I hope i misunderstood but if you replaced the rubber rag joint with metal, you are driving a time bomb.

 

uh oh

 

I fail to see how this will happen with around 1/8 in of steel in its place. The joint wont flex since the whole column past the u-joint is in the same plane as the input shaft of the box. Not only that but the torque its subjected to is small, well below the stress needed to cause fatigue falure. Ive turned the column itself by hand with teh car off and didnt feel or see any binding or flex where the steel is. The action of the steering is smooth and uniform. Keep in mind that the rag joints purpous is to absorb vibrations, not flex. Thats the job of the u joint int he column. I admit that now i can feel the road vibrations and the operation of the box throught he wheel but this is far ofset by the near lack of a deadspot in the wheel. Even if im wrong and it is flexing the stress will probably destroy the bearings ont he input shaft in the box long before the steel suffers fatigue falure. Hell, if im full of **** then by all means do point it out and prove me wrong.

 

I guess if the shaft is strait you probably wont have a problem, i was picturing thin sheet metal and some offset in the 2 shafts, sorry if i got excited. i would however use a single piece of thick sheetmetal instead of 2 pieces of thin sheetmetal. There may be some flex there, and if the plate can flex it will crack.

you sound like you know what your doing, just be careful, and inspect often

 

its all good. Im definatly gonna inspect peridicly to makle sure all is well. I plan to fabricate a column without the joint alltogether if i get some spare time.

 

Given the amount of body flex, and the fact that the steering gearbox (and therefore the lower steering shaft) are attached to a point that will move a lot in relation to the steering column (and upper steering shaft), I would hesitate to use any sheet metal.

It was a clever temporary fix, but you really should have some sort of elastomer there to absorb vibration without the chance of metal fatigue. Perhaps a polyurethane biscuit instead of the reinforced rubber? Remember the tail falling off the Airbus in New York? Fatigue can have some serious consequencees.

 

body flex is something which i was thinking about too. Ill keep an eye out for polyuyrithane of the right dimensions. Untill then, ill be shure to keep a close eye on it int he mean time. I have to admit that i really love the huge increasein precision in the steeri ng. Muchbetter then using the rubber.I will watch it closesly, though.