Removing stock steering shaft

[LukeZ]

Hey guys,

Went to the junkyard the other day to look around. Ended up getting a new (new to me lol) steering shaft from an Astro van (hopefully it fits). Here’s some pics:

The problem with the old one is that it doesn’t want to compress any more after a certain point. It’s almost like hitting a brick wall, the thing just WONT move. Here’s some pics of it:

This is as far as it’ll move, with the bottom end still in place. As you can see I’m only about half way

Any advice? I hosed the thing with PB blaster on both ends and in the middle, and I scrapped and brushed most of the grime and rust off the shaft in hopes that it’ll slide more easily.

Anyone have a solution? Or is it just really stuck in there? Does that joint on the top end of it come apart and make it easier to remove if I bend back those fingers?

Thanks!

 

[Ribbedroof]

Couple taps with a hammer on the joint shoulders at the upper end should jar it loose. By design, they are not supposed to freely collapse, add in 30+ years of corrosion, they tend to get "stuck"

 

[TURNA]

Using an unmodified Astrovan shaft will turn your wheel 90 degrees off

 

[LukeZ]

Couple taps with a hammer on the joint shoulders at the upper end should jar it loose. By design, they are not supposed to freely collapse, add in 30+ years of corrosion, they tend to get "stuck"

It gonna take more than a couple taps, I went to town on this thing earlier. I guess it’s just froze up, hopefully I can get it some other time

 

[LukeZ]

Using an unmodified Astrovan shaft will turn your wheel 90 degrees off

Any way to correct this? Is there a way to take the steering wheel off an put it back on the “wrong” way to compensate?

 

[TURNA]

You have to knock off one end on the Astrovan shaft reclock it and reweld it,

Or

Use a Jeep shaft

 

[TURNA]

Harbor Freight!!! 9.99 get the big one in there and push!!!!

 

[TURNA]

This video makes it clear what needs to be done.
It is for an FBody but it applies to a GBody as well

 

[UNGN]

Is there a way to take the steering wheel off an put it back on the “wrong” way to compensate?

Don't do this. Modify the Astro shaft or get a '93-95 Jeep Grand Cherokee shaft.

To get the old shaft out, you can also unbolt/loosen the box from the frame until there is enough room to pull off the old shaft. New shafts go in a lot easier.

 

[LukeZ]

This video makes it clear what needs to be done.
It is for an FBody but it applies to a GBody as well

That’s a great video, thanks for sharing it. I’ll see if I can get this thing modified the right way some other weekend