Today's Dumb Stering Question 48 Pontiac with Tilt Column

I hooked up my steering this weekend and felt I needed to ask a question. I would rather ask a dumb question and be safe as to not ask it and take the risk of hurting myself and my family or someone else. I have never done this before.

I am using a tilt column out of a early to mid 70's Chevy van and mating Flaming River u-joints and shaft to a Mustang power rack and pinion. Everything looks OK and went together well. However I am concerned over the depth the column goes into the first joint. The pin with jamb nut lined up in the column's notch OK but it looks as though it's not very deep into the joint and there is about 1/2 inch of spline still showing on the end of the column after attaching it. Is this common or do you think its not deep enough?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

48 Poncho

 

The splined shaft should go into the joint until it is flush with the bottom of the hole. Remove the set screw and mark the shaft where it bottoms against it, then drill a shallow indent for the set screw to rest in. After you tighten the set screw and jam nut it will be as solid as you can get.

 

Thanks for the reply aaggie. So are you are saying the spline on the column should bottom out on the first knuckle? This would put the hole for the set screw above the "original" set screw notch on the column. Should I drill a "new" notch for the set screw on the column's shaft above the spline end then? If so its a good thing I have some extra shaft cause what I have done will be too short.

Sorry to be dumbass, just want to make sure I understand.

48 Poncho

 

set it as deep as you can and drill a new hole for the set screw .. you don't need it coming out when you hit a big bump ..

 

Thanks guys. I thought I was supposed to use the original notch on the column itself as a point to tighten the set screw for the splined joint. I did not know I was supposed to drill a new hole for the joint at the end of the column. No directions came with these joints at all other than drilling the holes on the new double D shaft that connects the 2 joints together.

Glad I asked.

48 Poncho