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Horn has never worked properly and my finger keeps getting tired so while everything is apart I figure I'd check and sure enough there is no continuity through my rag joint.
Dug deeper into my stash of junk and found some old braided straps I had totally forgotten about (I blame aluminum pots). Found a 7/16 and a 3/8 crimp ring at the local parts place
A few tweaks later
Another insignificant job out of the way.
M
(I can't even spell NCRS)
ctuinstra, Cavu2u, Jim, I agree the original flat strap idea would likely not have lasted as long as I had originally hoped. Thanks for getting me to change my mind
Last edited by Mooser; 11-18-2019 at 07:58 PM.
Reason: Version 2.0 / fix photobucket BS
I think there's some room in the middle there to wrap some duct tape around to satisfy my inner Bubba and give the next owner something to write about.
M
I feel your pain, bad enough just trying to get small orders up out of the states, forget about what you folks have to deal with...
M
Yup overnight delivery is two weeks and freight costs start at $17.00 and rapidly head skyward. We can DHL or other expedited methods 3 - 4 days but typically $60.00 and up for freight.
The only issue I see is that those two pieces are designed to move. It may not hold up. I like it and I think it's a great idea, though.
My old Ford truck had a ground strap that bolted on each side to ground through it.
I thought about that also which is why I did the double fold and left them loose. I'm hoping there's enough flex that it can move without actually working the bent area back and forth.
Hoping to get the column back in soon to see if it fixed the horn issue or if I have more digging to do inside the column later on.
M
Thats the kind of strap I was looking for originally but couldn't find anything local.
Ah well, see how this works, there's a fair amount of flex in it. Worse case I'm out a bit of time
M
I used to get an electric shock through the steering wheel if I hit the horn button and had my other hand on the shift lever
Took some braided copper wire and attached some large eyelets which fit under the 12 point bolts on the coupling. No more shocks.
You reminded me of how the center of my chrome metal horn button lit up like an old-school cigarette lighter one day years ago because of shorted column wires!
You reminded me of how the center of my chrome metal horn button lit up like an old-school cigarette lighter one day years ago because of shorted column wires!
The small flange that you fabricated will certainly pass ground current from one side (steering column) of the flexible coupling assembly to the other (steering gear).
There will be a small amount of relative motion between the bowtie flange (where the pinch bolt tightens on the gear input shaft) and the bolt that attaches to the steering column flange. I would be somewhat concerned that your right angle flange would fatigue over time.
I hope that I misunderstand your comment when you said that you "left them loose." You really don't mean to say that the pinch bolt and/or the attaching bolt is loose.
There is one other method of assuring a ground path back to the battery. The lower plate that attaches to the driver side of the dash panel (down by your feet) is welded to the steering column jacket. There are two threaded bolts that stick through that plate from the engine compartment side. Two nuts attach to those bolts and hold the lower end of the steering column in place. You should be able to take a piece of wire and fabricate two connectors one on each end. Now take one end and attach it under one of the nuts. Now string that wire over to a known grounded metal part of the dash and connect the other end there.
Now I say "known" grounded metal part. There are a lot of fiberglass panels and components underdash in a Corvette. Make sure that you check that indeed a metal part you may be attaching to actually grounds back to the battery.
Jim
There will be a small amount of relative motion between the bowtie flange (where the pinch bolt tightens on the gear input shaft) and the bolt that attaches to the steering column flange. I would be somewhat concerned that your right angle flange would fatigue over time.
I hope that I misunderstand your comment when you said that you "left them loose." You really don't mean to say that the pinch bolt and/or the attaching bolt is loose.
Jim
Thanks for the input Jim.
When I said loose I mean the bends, there's about 1/8" radii in the corner (looks tighter but that's the dies I used) and the fold is not soldered or anything.
I just put the column back in for a dry fit and there is the small amount of movement (expected) in the joint, the flex in the tab I put in is all just outside of the 12pt bolt, right in the middle of the flat area. There doesn't seem to be any real movement down at the bend (but who knows what will happen after awhile).
Time will tell but of course now I'm back to looking for a braided strap of close to the right size.
May need to scrap this whole idea and do the mod you suggest with the lower flange and fine a good ground under the dash somewhere.
M
Well when several people as well as Jim Shea tells you that you screwed up something in the steering system... then you've screwed up something in the steering system.
After some reflection (and reloading the column to check flexing again) I agree with the comments made by ctuinstra, Cavu2u and of course Jim and made another attempt at the rag-joint ground strap.
New and improved version 2.0 ground strap installed, new pics in post 1
M
04-12-2014, 01:29 PM
Adding ground path to Rag-Joint
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