Rag joint to u joint conversion

[Connor Snyder]

Has anyone done this conversion on there 720? My 82 2wd has a 2 inch body lift installed and because of this the safety pins on the rag joint are not long enough now.  So i see this as a safety hazard and want to convert to a u joint.   Now the body lift kit instructed me to cut the fire wall and move the steering column I assume to solve this issue but I absolutely did not want to do that.   I did order a part just now that might be the correct one.  Won't be here for a week if it happens to fit I will make sure to let everyone know.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Yes, I have done this. I don't have part numbers or pics, but I was able to source a u-joint from Borgeson, or it could have been Sweet Mfg. You'll need to measure the diameter and spline count, and take into consideration the flat area with no splines. With these specs, you can go to the Borgeson website and find the joint.

 

Borgeson also sells DD slips shafts, which I use quite a lot.

[Connor Snyder]

3 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Yes, I have done this. I don't have part numbers or pics, but I was able to source a u-joint from Borgeson, or it could have been Sweet Mfg. You'll need to measure the diameter and spline count, and take into consideration the flat area with no splines. With these specs, you can go to the Borgeson website and find the joint.

 

Borgeson also sells DD slips shafts, which I use quite a lot.

I did order a borgeson one from Amazon. Do you remember the spline count? I can't take mine apart to count it because right now it's my only vehicle to get me to work.  I found somewhere it might be 36 spline. So I ordered a 36 spline one

[Connor Snyder]

3 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Yes, I have done this. I don't have part numbers or pics, but I was able to source a u-joint from Borgeson, or it could have been Sweet Mfg. You'll need to measure the diameter and spline count, and take into consideration the flat area with no splines. With these specs, you can go to the Borgeson website and find the joint.

 

Borgeson also sells DD slips shafts, which I use quite a lot.

And do you mean the ones that adapt it from splines to DD? Cause if this doesn't work I was thinking that would work. Or get one where I weld one end on but I want to avoid welding

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I don't remember the spline count.

 

Yes, the u-joint has splines on one end and DD on the other, which can accept the DD shaft. There are 3/4" and 1" DD sizes, and the slip shaft has both, so have a look at your setup and figure out how you'll attach to the firewall end before ordering the joint.

 

To attach the new shaft to your column, you may want to cut the old shaft off the u-joint at the firewall, then machine out the part of the old shaft that's welded into the u-joint, and weld the new shaft to the old joint. Make sure the joints a phased correctly before welding together. It's the same principal as a driveshaft.

 

Or...

 

Find the splines on the old shaft and try to get a new joint with the right splines on both ends. The problem here is that, if you're doing a body lift, the old shaft may not be long enough.

[Connor Snyder]

50 minutes ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I don't remember the spline count.

 

Yes, the u-joint has splines on one end and DD on the other, which can accept the DD shaft. There are 3/4" and 1" DD sizes, and the slip shaft has both, so have a look at your setup and figure out how you'll attach to the firewall end before ordering the joint.

 

To attach the new shaft to your column, you may want to cut the old shaft off the u-joint at the firewall, then machine out the part of the old shaft that's welded into the u-joint, and weld the new shaft to the old joint. Make sure the joints a phased correctly before welding together. It's the same principal as a driveshaft.

 

Or...

 

Find the splines on the old shaft and try to get a new joint with the right splines on both ends. The problem here is that, if you're doing a body lift, the old shaft may not be long enough.

I already ordered a part with splines on both ends.    The length has been a worry for me.  As that's the reason my original rag joint isn't going to work for me anymore.  If I have to do machining I can do that but it will have to wait till I get my 92 back on the road.   

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Cool. Let us know how it turns out, and what parts you used. That would be helpful for future reference.

 

BTW - I don't know how you feel about welding on steering components, but if you aren't the best welder, have someone else weld it up. The penalty for failure on a steering part is pretty high.

 

A few years ago, I left a guy stranded on the trail with a broken pitman arm.  I almost welded it up for him, but then realized (by judging his appearance) that he would not run right down to the parts store and get a replacement. He was the kind of guy that would drive it until it broke again. Sorry dude. I may have saved your life.

[Connor Snyder]

12 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

Cool. Let us know how it turns out, and what parts you used. That would be helpful for future reference.

 

BTW - I don't know how you feel about welding on steering components, but if you aren't the best welder, have someone else weld it up. The penalty for failure on a steering part is pretty high.

 

A few years ago, I left a guy stranded on the trail with a broken pitman arm.  I almost welded it up for him, but then realized (by judging his appearance) that he would not run right down to the parts store and get a replacement. He was the kind of guy that would drive it until it broke again. Sorry dude. I may have saved your life.

Yeah I took welding courses a few years ago but I don't have a good welder at the moment so I would probably have someone else with a better welder do it for me

[MaxG]

Did you ever figure out the part number or spline count? I’m in the same boat as you, it’s my only car so don’t want to take it apart without having a replacement in hand.