Shorter power steering column shaft

[trim]

Hi, Looking for a power steering column shaft for a b-body 69 RoadRunner. Converting to power steering and need the shorter shaft. Actually could use the whole power steer setup including the pulleys and preferably a oem Saganaw pump.
Thanks, pm trim

 

[A383Wing]

you should be able to push the lower shaft up into the upper shaft to make column shorter

Bryan

 

[Moparparts]

You should never think of pushing a shaft together. If you ever get in an accident you will wish you didn't not to mention there could be legal issues. I may have a shaft PM me

 

[Cranky]

You can also grind the weld off at the bottom, pull the stub out (it's splined), cut out a section of it, weld it back together and grind or machine it smooth (having access to a lathe is great!) then reinsert it back into the column and reweld the two sections back together. Done that before and it looks stock if you do it right and you don't have to take the column totally apart. Sounds like a lot of work but it's really not.

 

[trim]

thanks

Thanks for the responses guy's, I appreciate you taking the time.
Jim T.

 

[A383Wing]

pushing the shaft inside itself is not a problem...it's just a tube in a tube...that is what it's designed for...that way they did not have to make 2 different column assemblies for power & non-power steering.... all cars built after 1966 are built this way...

 

[ply64post]

shafts

you should be able to push the lower shaft up into the upper shaft to make column shorter

Bryan

The part numbers are from 69 Mopar parts book
manuel steering shaft is 2880173

power steering shaft is 2880172

I post this because it is a safety issue they are made to collapse on a front end collision so it takes away some of the energy,so you don't eat the steering column. So the sliding action isn't so 1 column fits 2 different steerings it is for saftey.

Jeff

 

[whitepunkonnitro]

The part numbers are from 69 Mopar parts book
manuel steering shaft is 2880173

power steering shaft is 2880172

I post this because it is a safety issue they are made to collapse on a front end collision so it takes away some of the energy,so you don't eat the steering column. So the sliding action isn't so 1 column fits 2 different steerings it is for saftey.

Jeff

Take one or two apart sometime...they are IDENTICAL. The plastic "rivets"are only to provide resistance, not anchoring. The factory set one shaft further out than the other, and assigned the part number based on the set position of the shaft.

 

[ply64post]

columns

Take one or two apart sometime...they are IDENTICAL. The plastic "rivets"are only to provide resistance, not anchoring. The factory set one shaft further out than the other, and assigned the part number based on the set position of the shaft.

I have had columns apart but never compared the shaft lengths.
So the shaft within a shaft, they are all the same length regardless if
they are standard or power steering, and being power or standard steering
determines where the plastic rivets are placed? You can learn something new
all the time.

Thank You
Jeff

 

[whitepunkonnitro]

I have had columns apart but never compared the shaft lengths.
So the shaft within a shaft, they are all the same length regardless if
they are standard or power steering, and being power or standard steering
determines where the plastic rivets are placed? You can learn something new
all the time.

Thank You
Jeff

The plastic rivets...actually globs of nylon, are in the fixed, female part of the assembly. The male part has no marking, indents or holes anywhere along it's length. If you were to slide a "power steering" shaft out the the "manual steering" position, you could go another three or four inches and still have 100% engagement with the female part of the column.

 

[trim]

I now have 2 steering column shafts sitting in front of me. 1 from power and 1 from manual. They are not the same! I see where sliding the shaft up into the upper part will work, BUT, the diameter of the shaft where the bottom bearing goes will no longer be the same diameter. In that case the shaft will not be held to the center, as it will have to be moved down if you shove the shaft up further and that part of the shaft will not support the lower bearing (as that part of the shaft is smaller).
Thanks again all, trim

 

[whitepunkonnitro]

I now have 2 steering column shafts sitting in front of me. 1 from power and 1 from manual. They are not the same! I see where sliding the shaft up into the upper part will work, BUT, the diameter of the shaft where the bottom bearing goes will no longer be the same diameter. In that case the shaft will not be held to the center, as it will have to be moved down if you shove the shaft up further and that part of the shaft will not support the lower bearing (as that part of the shaft is smaller).
Thanks again all, trim

Trim, I don't have two shafts to compare side by side at the moment, but I did go downstairs to look at the power steering column I extended and installed in my manual 68 Roadrunner, and everything looks just as it should....

 

[trim]

steering column

Trim, I don't have two shafts to compare side by side at the moment, but I did go downstairs to look at the power steering column I extended and installed in my manual 68 Roadrunner, and everything looks just as it should....

Yes, you could extend the shaft in a power steering shaft but you cannot shorten a manual shaft for power. In your case, extending would mean that the lower bearing will still ride on the fat part of the shaft, so all would be ok. However, do you know how much of the square shaft that you pulled out to extend is left inside the upper portion of the round shaft?? That is the question...... Did you pull it all the way out? To see how much of the lower shaft you have left inside of the upper shaft??? I'm not sure I would want less than a couple inches left inside the upper shaft. Otherwise, going from power to manual looks to me as if it will work. In my case I'm going from manual to power, and it won't work because of the bearing surface diameter is smaller when shoving the shaft IN.
Call me a woos, but at my age it's power baby!

 

[shag766]

You can also grind the weld off at the bottom, pull the stub out (it's splined), cut out a section of it, weld it back together and grind or machine it smooth (having access to a lathe is great!) then reinsert it back into the column and reweld the two sections back together. Done that before and it looks stock if you do it right and you don't have to take the column totally apart. Sounds like a lot of work but it's really not.

X2

 

[1970B7RH27]

Hello all. I'm new to FBBO but not to Mopars. I figured I'd chime in since I just did the same type of conversion on my 70 Satellite but from power to manual. My 1970 parts manual showed two different part numbers, one for the p/s shaft and a different part number for the manual steering shaft. I found an entire steering column from a manual steering car but wanted to keep my original column so I disassembled both columns and installed the manual shaft into my column. I was interested in seeing how the shaft was constructed so I took it apart. I also took a few pics along the way. The first picture shows the 2 shafts, the shorter p/s shaft on top. The second picture shows the ends of both shafts as well as where the extra overall shaft length comes from. The third picture is a close up of the disassembled p/s shaft. I had to hit it pretty hard with a plastic dead blow hammer to break the nylon "buttons" and allow the shaft to collapse. The 2 little holes in the outer shaft are where the nylon was injected. There are 2 similar holes on the other side of the shaft where the excess nylon oozed out during the manufacturing process. You can see how the nylon filled the cavities in the inner shaft an attached the two shafts together. When I slid the p/s shaft back together it did not feel as solid as it originally was. I wouldn't want to use it in a car again, I'm sure you would be able to feel the wobble in the steering wheel.

BTW I'm glad to see whitepunkonnitro here. I loved your stuff from the early Mopar Action days and earlier (Was it Cars magazine?). I also really enjoyed A Few Moments in Hell.