Late 40 steering column, shaft and rag joint question (1 Viewer)

[mdsims]

My only past experience is with the earlier 1-piece box/columns. I’ve been slowly going through everything on my somewhat new to me 82. Got to steering, working my way up and noticed the rag joint is extended, stretched, to the point the pins aren’t really engaged with the leave-outs in the steering shaft flange. Seems wrong to me, or at least less than ideal.

Here’s my question: if I swap in a new rag joint, is there any adjustment available in the shaft/column that would allow me to bring the shaft another 1/2” or so forward?

Rig is a South American import, so I can’t rule out any funny business.

 

[pb4ugo]

I'm not sure a new rag joint will cure your issue. It appears you have an alignment problem. It may be in the column mounting or the tub alignment on the frame. Is the steering box mounted with the proper pedalstal in the correct location?

 

[Mike Shull]

Can we see a side shot of your Cruiser, and perhaps more shots of the shaft, column and box? I agree with pb. I don’t think that your rag joint is the problem.

 

[Living in the Past]

Do need more pictures at different angles. On the 8/80+ steering columns in the US market the lower section of the steering shaft is floating. It has the ability slide into the upper shaft in an accident. I have acquired a few collapsible steering columns over the year. Loose the lower shaft is not rigid and does hold at a straight in alignment with the upper shaft.

 

[mdsims]

Photo might have been deceiving. Alignment of steering column to box input shaft seems pretty good. Parallel, and more or less centered on the same bore. It looks to me to be more of a depth issue at this point: not enough poke! To clarify, I don’t think the rag joint is the main issue. BUT it was the obvious indicator that something is wrong.

Box is a factory PS box. Normal frame pedestal. No crazy signs of trauma on the rig. A lot of Mickey Mouse mechanic stuff for sure (meaning to start a build thread to catalogue all that) but for the most part the frame seems true. There are issues, small crack in the frame <1” on passenger side at a rivet location just behind front fixed spring mount, stripped threads at all 4 spring pin retainers, some stripped threads at center arm attachment.

Some more photos.

(Yes, I see the missing bolts. Someone snapped them off and let it be. Three total are snapped, still poking through the other side of the firewall. Tomorrow’s problem). Something may be up with the accelerator pedal as well.

 

[mdsims]

Aprons and bib are a bit misaligned, haven’t looked too deeply at that. Not high on my list. Aprons stick forward about 1/2” further than the hood. Cowl is original to the rig. No clue on fenders/aprons. The rear bedsides are for sure a SA replacement. Different wheel arch geometry. Currently unsure on rest of tub, mostly because I haven’t gotten that far yet or found a reason to pull the floormats (which I really like!)

 

[3_puppies]

Rig is a South American import, so I can’t rule out any funny business.

I think you answered your own question

US 82 would have a 2 piece column, not sure about the ROW
if it is a 1 piece column, maybe check with a manual shaft as they are longer than PS shafts
if it is a 2 piece shaft make sure the lower is sliding

 

[John Smith]

It appears your steering column is barely bolted to the firewall. So many sheared off bolts, yikes! Please pull all that out, remove the headless bolts and redo properly.

 

[mdsims]

EPC suggests two column options for my model. I have Scheme 1 Rigid Steering.

Very obvious to me now after looking at the EPC. Less obvious if there’s any adjustment in the system. Looks like I should be able to loosen it all up and shove the shaft back down toward the box, new rag joint, reset the two upper shaft rings and be back in business.

I’ll report back after I dig into it a bit more, and yes, those broken bolts are on the list along with the lower dust seal and perhaps a new firewall hole cover/shield.

 

[mdsims]

It appears your steering column is barely bolted to the firewall. So many sheared off bolts, yikes! Please pull all that out, remove the headless bolts and redo properly.

lol, barely!?!?

I take it you don’t think 5 remaining bolts out of 8 are good enough!?! This cruiser has years to go before I fully trust it.

 

[FJ43 1980]

If p/s was added in SA to non p/s 40 series (common) the shaft would need to be shortened because the p/s box is longer than non p/s box. It may be that the shaft was shortened a little too much. See this old post which explains it nicely.

FJ40 Stock Steering shafts revisited

Thought this would be the best time to chronicle the 73-83 steering shafts for the 40 series. I am building a truck and one of these is about to be mounted into a steering tube. The first pic is the full range of shafts. From the top to the bottom: ~Shaft for 40 series with factory power...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[mdsims]

If p/s was added in SA to non p/s 40 series (common) the shaft would need to be shortened because the p/s box is longer than non p/s box. It may be that the shaft was shortened a little too much. See this old post which explains it nicely.

FJ40 Stock Steering shafts revisited

Thought this would be the best time to chronicle the 73-83 steering shafts for the 40 series. I am building a truck and one of these is about to be mounted into a steering tube. The first pic is the full range of shafts. From the top to the bottom: ~Shaft for 40 series with factory power...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks for sharing. That was a really good read. I need to dig back into the EPC and parts diagrams. Maybe that is what happened here. My steering setup is the rigid version. My gut is that’s super common elsewhere, but non-existent here. Makes verifying anything stateside pretty tough. It’s been impossible this far to find the correct firewall cover, but I was able to find a few used shafts. Once I crack this open, I’ll see if it’s an alignment issue or something else like the incorrect cut length like you suggested. It may just be worth upgrading to a US spec collapsable column.

As a funny side note, I picked up some new uncut key blanks a few weeks ago. I tried the blank in the ignition to make sure the keyway and depth was correct. Fit fine. For some reason I turned over the ignition, expecting the lock to not rotate. Oh yeah, it moved no problem and the truck fired right up. In the garage. Garage door closed and plenty of bikes and such around the cruiser. Thankfully it was in neutral. Add a new ignition to the list!

Plenty of other issues I’ve uncovered the past couple weeks. Some cosmetic, most structural. My plan is to start a build thread here soon, even if it just serves as a place to keep track of all the hacked repairs and damage I need to fix. I find more every time I’m under the truck.