[67gtospud]

Has a anybody tried replacing the rag joint with a universal joint? Ive got an ididit column in my 67 GTO and was thinking about trying this over the winter. Not that my car is sloppy but I was thinking this would give the car a better road feel.

[Schurkey]

Rag joints "can" be a problem. Sloppy, rotted rag joints are EPIDEMIC on the '88--'98 GMT-400-style pickups/Blazers/Suburbans.

HOWEVER, the steering box on the old GM "A" bodies (along with every other vehicle series in the '60s, '70s, and into the '80s) suffers from a too-small torsion bar. Until you upgrade the steering box, the rag joint is "small potatoes".

In general, the steering box needs both the faster-ratio gears, AND a stiffer torsion bar. The "Jeep Grand Cherokee" box is a low-cost, high-return solution: Has the fast-ratio gearset, has the proper amount of steering angle, and has the second-stiffest torsion bar; all at junkyard pricing if your Treasure Yard happens to have a selection of Grand Cherokees of the correct model years.

I don't know of an off-the-shelf solution for replacing the rag joint with a universal joint on the older A-bodies. I did exactly that on my '88 K1500, though. As I said--those trucks are infamous for totally-wiped-out rag joints.

[67gtospud]

My car has a quick ratio gear box in it. I cant remember offhand though if I used a grand cherokee box or not though. The Ididit column uses a double D intermediate shaft and theres plenty of places to buy universal steering joints to couple a Double D to a splined gearbox. Just wasnt sure if its been done before or if it's worth it.

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by 67gtospud

My car has a quick ratio gear box in it. I cant remember offhand though if I used a grand cherokee box or not though. The Ididit column uses a double D intermediate shaft and theres plenty of places to buy universal steering joints to couple a Double D to a splined gearbox. Just wasnt sure if its been done before or if it's worth it.

If you've already got the upgraded steering box, and the rest of the steering linkage is in good condition...YES, the U-joint is a good idea. Should give you a touch of added precision along with more steering feedback.

[Formulas]

The torsion force is primarily transmitted through the rubber disc and if the disc is overcome then the 2 studs hit in the slots

Anyone ever trying slipping a couple sleeves over the studs to eliminate the space between them and the slot????
That would reduce torsional slop

Keep in mind with all of this there is flexing of the front frame area in relation to the center body where the steering colum resides
You go over a bump that front end will rise a bit all that would would be transferred into the colum on a u'joint

[Schurkey]

Interesting thoughts.

It was outright REMARKABLE how much stiffer the body/frame on my 'Camino became after I replaced all the horribly rotted body-frame cushions, along with the bolts that had rusted from 7/16" to about 1/4". The 'Camino along with the convertibles and maybe the wagons got the fully-boxed frames, too.

Sleeves-over-the-studs could make this a very inexpensive upgrade. I think they'd tend to wear out if made of soft metal. Perhaps brake tubing (steel) would work. Would depend on the size of the original studs, and the wall-thickness of the tubing.

[JSPONT]

I did it years ago for room with turbo headers, no issues in about 8-9 years.

[Formulas]

Brake tubing is not hard at all in fact it has to be soft enough to double flare and form easily into shape without cracking not to mention ID considerations

The studs I have never measured but going from old visuall memory 1 is a touch over 5/16 and the other is in the 3/8 range
Different sizing for preferred clocking