Technical Steering column end cap bearing

Hi All,
So, 1950 Chevy Fleetline Deluxe. Installing power steering conversion, the kit requires the column and shaft to be shortened and connects to the steering box via u-joints. The bearing that came with the kit to go in the bottom end of the column is too small for the column inner diameter and I need to find the right one. So far, no luck at any of the hardware stores. Ace has some, but their largest is the same as the one I have and Home Depot, no one there seems to even know what one of these is even when they're looking at it so no help there.

What exactly are these called and where is the best place to go look, any suggestions or info appreciated, thanks.

 

There's is a product called " Delrin" that is UHMW plastic. You can make your own bushing/bearing from that kind of material .

 

Wheel barrow bearings, but they are all the same OD no matter where you find them.

Like Mark said; a bushing can be used to fit it.

 

Wheelbarrow, but with a specific twist.

Let me find the picture.

 

Spoken like a true machinist ! Your like a surgeon " you can cure anything by cutting"...… a chiropractor says he can cure anything with manipulation ....LOL
Its interesting how people from different walks of life approach the same problem ...

 

Plastic works for a lower bearing too; rough size with a hole a saw and "turned" to fit on a drill press.

 

It it going to be a bit before I can sift through the pictures, but the wheelbarrow bearing works, and it does not.

There is a trick to it. First, you will need to cut the top of your steering box off. This is because you need the steering column shaft to be longer than the tube. Cut as far down as you can, in the body of the steering box, and still get the saw out of the other side. Remove the original steering box from the car.

This will leave the column tube, with a chunk of the steering box on it. Next. pull the steering wheel and column shaft up as far as you can inside the car, taking care to not pull the top column bushing with it, or you will snap your horn wire.

One the steering wheel and column is pulled back in the tube, cut the bottom of the steering column steel tube, right at where it enters the remainder of the iron steering box. You will note that the tube tapers down there., and you are cutting at the base of the taper.

Get from your local hardware store a wheelbarrow wheel bearing, with an ID of 3/4" (careful, some are 5/8"). Measure the OD (I forget what that is). You will note that the tapered column ID is too small for this bearing.


Gently grind back the column tube in the tapered area, very little at a time, until the bearing just about fits, but does not. Switch to a round file, and clean it up a bit. Tap the bearing in with a hammer. You want to make the hole such that it fits snugly, not so you have to beat the crap out of the bearing.

Next, and also from your local hardware store, grab a 3/4" ID split lock collar.

Slide your steering column shaft back down through the new bearing. Have a helper hold the wheel down, while you attack the split lock collar to the shaft, under the new bearing, and you have a column.

At that point, it will depend on your kit where to go from there.

Some have you weld parts on. Others have you grind flats on the shaft. No way to know without posting the instructions.

 

Like this:
Shown here with a not yet completely welded on Sweet u-joint.

 

Agree with above-that split collar is very important to prevent wheel/shaft being pulled up and out of the u joint or off the box

 

Or just buy a lathe, and make your own bushing, or turn the id of the tube to fit the bearing you have. Buying more expensive equipment is always a win-win

 

Well, if you want to take the easy route...

 

I used trailer bearings which were 3/4 inside dia. and were sealed. They also had a small lip around the diameter of the bearing which made it good for seating them in the cup I machined for them.

 

doesnt everybody already have the buddy with the lathe? I would recommend the delrin on the lathe. I like the locking collar you guys mentioned

 

lots of good info. Chevy shaft is .750 but early Ford is a bit bigger .764? on the ones we did we used some 3/4 double D on the box end spliced to upper shaft with sleeve and rosette welds about 6" up into column bottom. etc done by certified welder. Done maybe 7-8 this way. Delrin bushing and 3/4 collar as well. Some used Chevy top shafts and some used Ford shafts. I may still have several delrin bushings and floor support braces but these are for Early Ford column Here are some delrin bushings and floor supports we use on 40 columns

 

Did that, cost me 20k
Sealed bearing in upper hub and Delrin shouldered bushing in bottom end.

 

Can't have too too much equipment !

 

McMaster Carr has just about any bearing you could want. You might have to have a "sleeve" or spacer machined but they, for sure will have one that fits your shaft.

 

The brass bushing in @Marty Strode above picture reminded me that my kid uses a clutch pilot bushings in the end of Ford columns. Can't remember the application; but it fits the column and is 3/4" ID. The shaft needs to turned to 3/4" to fit a joint anyway.

 

Classic performance steering column saver kit cp175BCS at summit racing

 

This is more rhetorical than an actual question , but is there a kit to solve every hot rod problem now days , don't people solve their problems themselves ?

 

I am planning on performing the same operation on my truck. I am following an article from hot rod magazine. So far I dis-assembled my steering box, pulled out my steering shaft whole and cut only the tube at the point where it meets the box. I am looking forward to see what direction you take.

 

I did the column for my 56 Olds, recently. The column's outer diameter was pretty large, not like Chevy/Ford, so I found a sealed bearing that would fit, then got an exhaust adapter, to go from 2 1\4 to 1 3/4 (OD of the bearing), welded it up. Used a couple thrust bearings and a locking collar to keep the shaft from going up or down. I had welded a double D shaft end to the stock shaft for ease of adding U joints.

 

Thanks for all the input, especially the pics. I think I've found a solution, will test fit everything this morning and post pics later today if it all works.

 

So, it's all together and seems to work fine. Anyone see a problem with this fix?

 

^^^ Unless it's photo distortion; the U-joints look to be out of phase. What is the center shaft?

 

That literally makes not one bit of difference in a steering shaft.

Phasing u-joints if for driveshafts, to cancel vibration.

 

Maybe he steers really fast!

 

The center shaft piece between the ujoints is part of the cut off portion of the steering shaft.

 

Maybe so; but if engineers can off-phase (is that a word) heavy truck steering shafts to correct notchy operation; is it not possible for the opposite to be true; that out of phase joints could effect steering feel. Also we had similar experience resulting in the need to modify cross shafts linking the gearboxes in dual steer conversions.

Probably no effect here; but more importantly, at least hot rod wise, it looks messy.