HEATED jeep steering shaft will NOT collapse

[melloelky]

565, that shaft is very clean. I would've paid a premium to have one that is designed to telescope.

G-Body, F-Body, S10 Steering Shaft

Performance steering shaft for 1979-1988 GM G-Body, 1982-1992 GM F-Body and 1982-1993 S10 pickup. Eliminates rag joint for additional header clearance and provides a precise zero play connection from steering column to steering box. Smooth telescopic shaft with upgraded vibration reducing...

www.borgeson.com

 

[64nailhead]

565, that shaft is very clean. I would've paid a premium to have one that is designed to telescope.

They all telescope. And if you haven't followed much 565's builds/work, everything he does is super clean. His 'dirty' or in process stuff is cleaner than my finished stuff lol.

 

[HK_Camino]

The shaft needs to be able to slide, and yes heat is no good due to the plastic stuff inside of it. I'm not as technical as Anubis on the product description of the plastic, but......the toxic fumes are indeed toxic and the plastic is supposed to be there. The shaft should slide freely enough to collapse it a couple of inches to get it in place.

I would strongly recommend against dropping the steer gear to get this installed. By the time your done you'll need a new gear AND steering shaft. Not trying to be a wise *ss about this at all, but stop before you damage something else. Do you want a stock shaft with a freshly replaced rag joint? I have several used ones that I've yanked for Astro shafts. Not for steering feel, but rather all of my turbo headers run next the rag joint that gets melty when the EGT's are enough to have the manifolds turn orange.

What's the reason you recommend against dropping the steering box? It looks like 3 bolts that hold it to the frame, then I thought I could loosen it to slide on the splined end of the shaft. I don't see how this has potential to damage the box?

 

[565bbchevy]

G-Body, F-Body, S10 Steering Shaft

Performance steering shaft for 1979-1988 GM G-Body, 1982-1992 GM F-Body and 1982-1993 S10 pickup. Eliminates rag joint for additional header clearance and provides a precise zero play connection from steering column to steering box. Smooth telescopic shaft with upgraded vibration reducing...

www.borgeson.com

I bought my shaft and u-joints separately for a total of $225 plus I want to cut the shaft myself to put the intersection where I want it.
You can also buy less expensive U-joints on Ebay and probably save another $75 plus but mine are both all Borgeson

 

[565bbchevy]

They all telescope. And if you haven't followed much 565's builds/work, everything he does is super clean. His 'dirty' or in process stuff is cleaner than my finished stuff lol.

I would say they all collapse, Borgeson sells a cheaper collapsible shaft but it is fixed and does not telescope.
I also appreciate the complement.

 

[64nailhead]

What's the reason you recommend against dropping the steering box? It looks like 3 bolts that hold it to the frame, then I thought I could loosen it to slide on the splined end of the shaft. I don't see how this has potential to damage the box?

You will wreck the gear if you 'load' the input shaft of the gear. How do you intend to get the shaft at the correct length? Look at the mount bolts on the column and on the gear- that is a precise distance, nt an eyeball/close enough guess.

I do some sketchy stuff, but steering and brakes aren't the place to be hammering, jamming or poking and hoping it will be OK IMHO.

 

[HK_Camino]

My shaft is exactly the correct length, +/- a couple millimeters. Once I get the shaft into place, I'll give it some taps to make sure it's completely seated on the steering box and column.

If the box somehow gets wrecked by being "loaded", I'll take that as a sign to upgrade to a better ratio. If for some reason I can't get the jeep shaft to fit snug and right, I'll just pickup a OE replacement.

 

[Rt Jam]

If the steering shaft can not easily change length. The column bearing AND/OR the steering box bearings will be under a stress they were never designed for.

The OEM joint on the column end not only flexes, it can slide to allow for assembly and allow for movement between the body and the front of the frame.