wanting to keep the original steering wheel and connect it to the mustang 2. i counted 20 splines on the steering column shaft plus about a 1/4 inch flat for lining up the original steering box. i saw that there are 20 spline 3/4 ujoints but wasnt sure if that would work. how have you mated old steering columns to a M2 setup? i can cut and weld a more common splined adapter if there is one? thanks for any insight.
Keep it simple, ujoint on the rack to 3/4 double d intermediate, weld on ujoint to the cut column with a double d and a support bearing or two. safe, reliable, and been done a thousand times.
Cut the outer column tube off about 3" shorter than the inner shaft. Cut the inner shaft square. Get a 3/4" ID wheelbarrow wheel bearing and a 3/4" split locking collar from your favorite local hardware store. Tap the bearing into the column tube, clearancing as necessary for a good press-fit. Put the split locking collar just below the bearing. This will keep the column from moving up and down. Weld on a 3/4" smooth round bore to 3/4" DD shaft u-joint to the exposed column shaft. Put the appropriate spline (power and manual are DIFFERENT) to 3/4" DD shaft u-joint on the rack. Put 3/4" DD shaft in-between. If you can't do that without hitting something, add a third u-joint, 3/4" DD to 3/4" DD, in the middle, and a 3/4" ID heim joint, mounted to the frame, on one of the two shafts. Done. Let me know if you need the part numbers. I build 2-3 of these a week. Here's a little shaft do and don't. The new shaft pictured has an adapter collar at the near end, for a shaft size that there was no native u-joint size for. Yours is 3/4". When your done, your shaft setup should look like the one on the right. If it looks like the one on the left, you gonna die:
Is welding a 3/4 smooth - 3/4 DD U joint to 3/4 shaft a common and good thing. The reason I ask is I am attempting to build a column and have the 3/4 round shaft and need to get it to a DD intermediate. I purchased the smooth to DD Ujoint from Flaming River with welding it to the round shaft in mind. When I opened the package the directions said not to weld the U joint. Is there precautions you have to take not to damage the joint from heat as you weld.
I use mostly Sweet U-joints, but use Flaming River from time-to-time. Wrap a wet rag around the cross, and weld away. I have done probably upwards of 200, and have yet to have a problem reported. I think the Flaming River ones have a nylon grease seal, but I can't remember. The Sweet ones are all steel, as far as I can tell. If you want to avoid welding a u-joint, there is a way. Get a Borgeson coupler and weld that onto the 3/4" round shaft, then attach a length of 3/4 DD to that, and so on: http://www.borgeson.com/xcart/catalog/3_4DD_X_3_4_Smooth_Bore-p-1014.html
thanks for all the help everyone. i think i am going to go with the last suggestion and weld that coupler on. thanks again all - very helpful.
Great info here,thank you. Question, I am trying to use my stock 52 Chevy col/wheel but I am connecting it to a late model Chevy Celebrity rack that is metric with an odd spline with a hole cross drilled it and the stub is only about 1" long. Any suggestions?
I do it a little differently yet. As was said, cut the shaft 3 inches longer than the tube at the bottom of the column..install the bearing and collar...then I CAREFULLY grind two flats on the 3 inch stub [3/4ths inch] to accomodate a double d universal on both sides......much simpler and no welding involved.
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