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when i pulled the body i took the rag joint out by a method i found online that i later found to by incorrect. It think i compressed my shaft. I have read that i need 4.75" of shaft showing. Where do i begin the measurement?
You can see the 'witness' marks where the flange was located on the end of the shaft originally...CORRECT.
Put the flange back in that position....and then with it TIGHT to the column shaft...you can carefully tap it back to the steering coupling ( rag-joint) when you are going in with it....ONCE you have the column tight to the firewall and under mounting support brackets.
NOW...the potential problem is the bottom bearing can come out...so when you are tapping the flange to the coup-ling...keep an eye on it.
This is also assuming the no damage occurred to the bearings in the housing that your key switch is located...and MORE IMPORTANTLY is metal plate that is partially held in place by the mast jacket tube....where the pivot housing that holds your pivot pins are inserted into. I have seen the tabs bend and tear the steel when the column is beat in aggressively.
Dub, i was pulling on shaft and the bearing started to pull out. Got scared and stopped.
Jim, its a standard column I have about 4.5 inches from the bearing face. there is also a clamp next to the bearing that is at most .25 inches from bearing.
I assume that you have a 1969 Vette with a standard (non-adjustable) steering column.
The early 1969 Vette column had a clamp with about a 1/4 inch gap between it and the lower steering column bearing. From the edge of the clamp to the very end of the steering shaft was about 3.32 inches. The clamp was eliminated sometime during the 1969 model year.
07-27-2014, 09:52 AM
rag joint steering column question
